Promise Not to Tell
Encyclopedia
Promise Not to Tell is a 2007 mystery novel with supernatural
elements written by Vermont
author Jennifer McMahon
. The book was released in April 2007 in the US by Harper Paperbacks (an imprint of HarperCollins
). It was released in Germany by Rowohlt
Verlag, under the title Das Madchen Im Wald (The Girl in the Woods), in October 2007. It was released in the United Kingdom by Orion Books in 2008.
commune
where she grew up to care for her aging mother, who is afflicted with Alzheimer's disease
. Her first night home, a murder takes place behind her mother's cabin -- the killing is identical to that of Kate's childhood friend, Del Griswold, who was murdered in 1971. Del was a scrappy outcast in life, shunned and taunted as "Potato Girl." Since her unsolved murder, Del had become something of a local legend, supposedly tormenting the townsfolk from beyond the grave. Kate never revealed her close relationship to Del, before or after her death, unable to stand up to those who pitied or reviled Del. Kate is drawn into the investigation of the modern-day crime, and must revisit Del's original murder, and her culpability in it. Along the way, she realizes that someone is playing games with her: leaving cryptic messages that tell her where to go. By following these clues, Kate re-meets many members of the hippie town she grew up in and relives some of the horryifying times during Del's murder
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
elements written by Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
author Jennifer McMahon
Jennifer McMahon
Jennifer McMahon is a novelist living in Barre , Vermont. She has a civil union with her partner, and one child. She is a graduate of Goddard College, and studied poetry at Vermont College....
. The book was released in April 2007 in the US by Harper Paperbacks (an imprint of HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
). It was released in Germany by Rowohlt
Rowohlt
Rowohlt Verlag is a publishing house based in Reinbek and also Hamburg and Berlin, part of the Georg von Holtzbrinck Group . The company was created in 1908 in Leipzig by Ernst Rowohlt.- Parts of the company :* Kindler Verlag...
Verlag, under the title Das Madchen Im Wald (The Girl in the Woods), in October 2007. It was released in the United Kingdom by Orion Books in 2008.
Plot
In 2002, Kate Cypher, a 41-year-old school nurse, returns home to her Vermont hippieHippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
commune
Commune (intentional community)
A commune is an intentional community of people living together, sharing common interests, property, possessions, resources, and, in some communes, work and income. In addition to the communal economy, consensus decision-making, non-hierarchical structures and ecological living have become...
where she grew up to care for her aging mother, who is afflicted with Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
. Her first night home, a murder takes place behind her mother's cabin -- the killing is identical to that of Kate's childhood friend, Del Griswold, who was murdered in 1971. Del was a scrappy outcast in life, shunned and taunted as "Potato Girl." Since her unsolved murder, Del had become something of a local legend, supposedly tormenting the townsfolk from beyond the grave. Kate never revealed her close relationship to Del, before or after her death, unable to stand up to those who pitied or reviled Del. Kate is drawn into the investigation of the modern-day crime, and must revisit Del's original murder, and her culpability in it. Along the way, she realizes that someone is playing games with her: leaving cryptic messages that tell her where to go. By following these clues, Kate re-meets many members of the hippie town she grew up in and relives some of the horryifying times during Del's murder