I read a review for this in people magazine and was very excited when I saw it at Sam's club one day...

I too read this in two sittings...would have been one but by two o'clock in the morning I just couldn't keep going ;)

I went to the store before I had even finished it and bought her other book...

I will say though that for the first time ever I found something cheaper in the store than on amazon...This book was only $6.41 at Sam's Club.

I'm afraid of the dark. Or, more exactly, I'm afraid of what could be in the dark: ghosts and goblins and boogy-men. This book promised to be full of those irrational fears, based on the summary. Though I'm afraid of the dark, and all it could contain, I know that the fear isn't rational. I began reading this book expecting to work through those crazy ideas but, ultimately, end with a reasonable explanation. Boy, was I wrong. Those irrational concepts became more and more solid until the supernatural was all-pervasive. I can't believe the author went there! And that's where she lost me: just because I'm afraid of ghosts doesn't mean that they are real. In a book, seemingly set in reality, she veers off into the wacky. She turned, what I expected to be, a quirky mystery into a loopy romp with ghosts. There are no reasonable explanations to be found anywhere. Instead there were mysterious pictures, crazy visions and possession. In this book it doesn't need to be dark to have ghosts and boogy-men coming out to haunt. If you have a single foot grounded in reality you may want to avoid this one. I promise not to tell anyone to read this.

This book was a page turner to the end. The truth was revealed in the final pages and I couldn't wait to get there. At times, it was heartfelt, but mostly was intriguing right to the final paragraph.

This book is very well written. The story explores emotional growth and lifestyle experimentation, but its main focus is criminal mystery. Most everybody can relate to the characters either by their own personal experiences or by having met similar individuals in their lifetime. I anxiously await other fictional works by this author; if they are as good as this - she may become my favorite author.

Tantalizing characters that will have you thinking about your childhood, and an interesting plot line, which delves, but not too deeply, into the supernatural make for a good and entertaining read with Jennifer McMahon's Promise Not to Tell.

This was a spontaneous purchase because the description sounded so intriguing. It said the Potato Girl will have you looking behind your back...and I was! I love a good ghost story and this was brilliantly written, scary and hard to put down. It reminded me of the small town where I grew up and I read it while visiting, which made it even more absorbing. I was surprised this was the author's debut novel and look forward to reading more of her work in the future!

This story hooked me and I finished it in record time. I kept trying to figure out who/what had done it, if there really was a ghost/dead coming back to communicate with the living etc. etc... and I'm not giving it away to you all.

Having lived in Vermont, everything was so spot on. From the trip to Burlington, to the hippie commune with it's free spirited approach to life, to the unspoken dress code, to the way Vermonters drop their g's (hun en = hunting) and t's.

Ultimately this was just a great story. Ghost, mystery, thriller, who-done-it, mother-daughter relationship, aging etc. Also, a perfect example of how cruel children can be to each other.

The only thing that I don't think/remember being explained was why the cat was killed.

5 *'s from me because it is the first book I have started and finished in awhile because it was THAT good.

Looking forward to more from the author.

I normally can't get into a ghost story type of book at all. I loved this! I read it in one day because I couldn't put it down! It was very believable and Jennifer McMahon has a gift for description. Amazing with details as well. A very organized well thought out book that I would recommend!

I have been going through a book slump, I just couldn't get into any books I picked up.I had Promise Not To Tell in my bookshelf and decided to give it a try. I'm sure glad I did. I read it in a couple of days and was so glad to have something that kept me interested again. Jennifer McMahon's writing flows well even with the jumping around of dates. She does a good job of describing the life of Potato Girl and I could really picture everything I read. I definitely recommend this book.

I have been going through a book slump, I just couldn't get into any books I picked up.I had Promise Not To Tell in my bookshelf and decided to give it a try. I'm sure glad I did. I read it in a couple of days and was so glad to have something that kept me interested again. Jennifer McMahon's writing flows well even with the jumping around of dates. She does a good job of describing the life of Potato Girl and I could really picture everything I read. I definitely recommend this book.

Promise Not To Tell is a coming of age story, a gripping murder mystery and psychological thriller.

Set in both present and past, Promise Not To Tell, is a story of friendship, secrets, murder. Main character Kate Cypher is a quiet school nurse who returns to Vermont to care for her aging, demented mother.

The might Kate returns home, a girl is murdered -- a murder that resembles the murder of her friend, Del, known as the "Potato Girl" 30 years earlier.


Kate becomes drawn into the investigation surrounding this new murder, and her life unfolds in a terrifying way: she worries that she betrayed the misunderstood and taunted Del, while also worrying that Del's killer may be on the loose. Kate's mother, Jean, though struggling with Alzheimer's, seems to communicate with ghostly spirits and may have the answers Kate is looking for.


Kate looks up her childhood sweetheart who believes the "Potato Girl's ghost is live and well in the woods and is looking for revenge. The past and present interweave in this story, combining supernatural elements. McMahon's coup de grace is the sensitive portrait she draws of the Potato Girl, all the while making the reader painfully aware of the destruction of childhood bullying.

A thrilling must read, written in a highly engrossing style. Appeals to teens, older children and adults.

* * *
Excerpt:

"Late April, 1971

"Touch it," she said.

"No way. Gross."

"I dare you."

"No way. God, what happened to its eyes?"

" Pecked out, I guess. Or just dried up and fell out."

" Sick." I shivered. Partly from the cold breeze, partly from the idea of those eyes. It was early spring. The ground below us was thick mud, still half frozen. The week before we'd had the last snowstorm of the season and there were still patches of it clinging to the ground, melting in pools and rivers across the lumpy field.

" Come on, Kate, you gotta do what I say. When you're at my house, I make the rules. You were the one caught trespassing. I could have you arrested. Or get my daddy to come out here with his shotgun. Now touch it!"

" I will if you will."

Del's pale face contorted into a smile. She reached out and stroked the dead bird, starting at its head and moving her fingers with their dirty nails all the way back to its tail feathers. Her touch seemed almost loving -- like the bird was her pet parakeet, a creature she'd named and fed. A bird whose song she knew by heart. Some Tweety Bird, Polly-Want-a-Cracker kind of pet.

The putrid crow swung heavy on its wire. She gave it a shove, making it fly toward me. It was as if Del and I were playing some sick game of tetherball. I jumped back. She laughed, throwing back her head with its stringy blond hair. She opened her mouth wide and I noticed that her right front tooth was chipped. Just a little corner was missing, not something you'd notice unless you were looking.

The crow swung, its left foot wrapped and tied with white plastic-covered wire -- tougher than string, Del explained. It dangled about three feet from the top of a tall wooden stake driven into the center of the small field where uneven rows of green peas were just coming up. Smaller wooden stakes lined the rows, and rusty wire mesh was stapled to the stakes, forming a trellis for the peas to climb.

Del said her brother Nicky had shot the crow two weeks before. He caught it pecking the pea seeds up out of the dirt before they'd even had a chance to sprout and got it with his BB gun. Then he and his daddy hung the crow up just like they did each year, a warning to other crows to stay away.

I reached out and touched the greasy black feathers of its ragged wing. Bugs crawled there, working their way under the feathers and into the flesh. Metallic green flies buzzed in the air. Although dead, the bird pulsed with life. It stank like old hamburger left in the sun. Like the raccoon my mother once found under our porch back in Massachusetts, way back under the floorboards where no one could reach it. It just had to rot there. My mother sprinkled quicklime through the cracks in the porch floor, letting it fall down onto the bloated corpse like Christmas snow. For weeks, the smell permeated the porch, worked its way into windows and open doors, hung on our clothes, skin, and hair. There's nothing like the smell of death. There's no mistaking it."

This book was absolutely worth every penny! I adored it!
Its a great read and would be suitable for teens 15 and up.
Its not a terribly long book but I honestly could not put it down.

Basically what occurs is there a young girl murdered and no one has been found guilty but many amoung the community are suspected. When Kate returns home and the past creeps up again - she finds herself digging up memories of her murdered friend; "the potatoe girl"
Shortly after her homecoming another young girl is murdered and the plot thickens!
In an attempt to solve this old murder as well as the new one she finds herself back in time with things shed rather forget.

Cannot say enough good things about this one!

I just finished PROMISE NOT TO TELL by Jennifer McMahon. A fast read, it was creepy, ghostly, disturbing and yet compelling. Forty-one-year-old Kate Cypher returns to rural Vermont to take care of her Altheimer afflicted mother. The night she returns, two twelve-year-old girls, Tori and Opal, are sitting around a campfire with a couple of boys telling ghost stories about the "The Potato Girl." Thirty years ago "The Potato Girl," Kate's friend Del Griswold, was murdered. The crime was never solved, but stories of young Del live on.

Tori leaves the fire to relieve herself and is murdered in a crime horribly similar to Del's murder. This new murder causes Kate's past and present to collide in eerie ways. PROMISE NOT TO TELL is fast-paced and memorable. I read it in two sittings.

My wife read this first then passed it on to me. This was really a spooker all the up to the last paragraph. I loved the ending and the way she kept the story moving along. I finished this in record time. It was such a page turner. I hope she does more like this one.

I really enjoyed this book and could not put it down. What a fantastic debut novel. I am really looking foward to more books from Jennifer McMahon. I was on the edge of my seat until the end. This is one of the top thrillers in my personal "favorites" list.

In general, I thought this was a very good, well written, mystery/ghost story. My only complaint with it is the last chapter. I'm not sure I understand why the author decided to tell the last chapter in the third person, when the rest of the book was in the first person. I suppose she was trying to tie up all the loose ends, but I did find it a bit strange.

Since this book was originally issued in trade paper edition, not hardcover, I doubt it will get the young adult professional book reviews it deserves. I would consider it a cross-over adult/young adult title. It has all the hallmarks of good young adult fiction; coming of age characters, contemporary issues (bullying, sexual abuse), and a highly engaging genre. To all the high school library media specialists reading this, don't skip this one for your paperback ghost story collection. It will fly off the shelves.

This book "hooked" me right from the beginning when a young girl's life ends in the woods in Vermont. It kind of reminded me of Blair Witch. Then a school nurse, Kate who lives in Washington state comes back to her hometown in Vermont to care for her mother. Kate learns of the murder of the young girl and it brings back memories 30 years ago when she was a 5th grader and knew a girl Del who was also murdered. Kate is still bothered by what really happened to her friend so many years ago and starts reconnecting with events and people from the past that ultimately leads to closure in the end. Written in both the past and present, it's a great story and very hard to put down! Quick read. I look forward to more from this author.

This is a quick, but intense, read. "Promise Not to Tell" is a deftly written, well paced book that seamlessly weaves together several story lines: how cruel children can be to the child who doesn't fit in, a ghost story, the terrible ravages of Alzheimer's Disease, how the past can reach out and drag us back when we least expect it. There are several truly frightening moments in this book. It does jump from the past to the present, a plot device which I usually find annoying, but the author lets you know at the beginning of every chapter exactly what the time period is. "Promise Not to Tell" is so much more than than a mystery novel; it is a multi-layered little gem. I can't wait to read more from Ms. McMahon.

This was a fun read. It goes back and forth in time, developing the relationships tha lead to the climax and mystery. A bit predictable toward the end, but still an enjoyable book.

I was wrapped up in this book all day - I couldnt put it down. But when it came to the ending, what a let down - its farfetched at best.

This is a wonderful book. Some of it makes you laugh, and some makes you look around and behind you to make sure nothings there. Very suspensful and creepy. This book is so realistic with details it will make your head spin!!

This is an easy mainstream summer read. A murder mystery book that an avid reader will be able to finish quickly. The story line is good and somewhat similar to the thriller movie "Kiss the Girls". The characters and dates jump around a little bit in the book and at first it's confusing. A few times I had to look back to remember who-was-who. But once you are past the whos-who stage you will have to hold yourself back from skipping to the end to see if your prediction of the killer is correct. As another reviewer stated the killer is fairly easily predictable but the story still kept me ouring into the book to see if my prediction was right.

There were parts of this that were beautifully written. The plot becomes clunky and takes over about three-quarters of the way in, almost like the author was being rushed to finish, knew where she wanted the book to go and just never got around to polishing it back up. I had a pretty good idea of who the killer was about halfway in, and I was right (this always disappoints me). Still, I had some strange dreams the night after reading the first half. I hoped the ending would be as good as the build-up. It wasn't.

I loved the realistic and gritty depiction of school bullying and where it can lead. As a ghost story, it rated an OK by me, but as a mysterious drama unfolding it was wonderful - some wonderful lines and interesting side plots - a child dealing with her mother's Alzheimer's, hidden incest and its repercussions, sexual experimentation etc, etc.... Well done!

Loved this book; great ending! I usually read before going to sleep, and I must say that this story gave me the creeps (in a good way). Can't wait for Jennifer McMahon's next book.

I did like this book, and was engaged from start to finish. I like the writing style of Jennifer McMahon, but I did find the overall premise to be just a little silly. I am looking forward to Ms. McMahon's next book.

An admirable debut novel with very spooky moments throughout. At times the writing seemed a little clunky but never unreadable and always interesting. The ending was also satisfying, with all loose ends tied up nicely.

All in all, this book was well done and will give those of us out there who like paranormal and psychological thriller fiction a good fix.

I recommend it.

I loved this book. As one of the other reviewers said "You want to race thru it to find out what happens, yet you don't want it to end. Very well done. I would like to see more of Opal - maybe a sequel.

The book was a page turner right from the beginning! One of those books you want to read quickly but you dont want it to end!

For a debut novel, Jennifer McMahon's "Promise Not to Tell" provides its reader with an entertaining blend of suspense, the supernatural and self-discovery that succeeds on many levels.

As a documentalist, McMahon does justice to the era of the 1970s where hippie communities like the fictional New Hope, Vermont brought up a generation of free-love progeny that needed to assimilate from the blue jean wearing age of Aquarius to the pin-striped world of yuppie Wall Street as they left the cooperative and entered their revenue-generating adulthood. With a confident finesse, she focuses on her main character Kate's outsider status, flip-flopping the perspective from that of a hippie-raised ten-year-old girl to that of a divorced 41-year-old woman returning to the commune to deal with her aging mother's Alzheimer's.

Kate's psychological issues exceed the responsibility of caring for her mother. As a lonely child, branded as one of the hippie children with the need to be accepted by her classmates from town, she has but one friendship, a secret relationship with the school pariah, Del, unaffectionately called by her peers, `the Potato Girl.' Due to circumstances that Kate feels she has orchestrated and for which she cannot forgive herself, an unknown assailant brutally kills Del in 1971. Now almost thirty years later, the murder of a teenage girl makes it seem as if the long-dead Potato Girl seeks an voracious retribution that may include payback directed towards her one time friend.

McMahon's strength as a writer lies in her ability to forge empathy between the reader and her heroine that is believable from Kate's past and present personas. Meeting characters from 1971 and revisiting them with their additional adult layers in 2002 adds just enough nuance to perhaps a routine suspense story to make it notable with intuitive passages that are worth reading again. Especially enjoyable was Kate's reunion with Nicky---an event the reader anticipates, but appreciates because of the delicious tension the author so shrewdly and honestly facilitates.

Bottom line? "Promise Not to Tell" explores themes of adolescent friendship, betrayal, loyalty, forgiveness and ultimate absolution that work well within the framework of a hippie community 30 years after its founding. Recommended for its wonderful characterizations; the suspense story reaches only a secondary level with a rather two-dimensional portrayal of the murderer at large.
Diana Faillace Von Behren
"reneofc"

This book was not what I expected it to be, and I didn't really care for the paranormal aspects of it (I tend to like reality more so then the"Stephen King" kind of writing)but all in all it was a good book.
This story bounces back and forth focusing on the life of Kate Cypher. In 1971 Kate had befriended the social outcast of her community, but was too ashamed to admit to this friendship. When her friend (a/k/a The Potato Girl) was brutually murdered, Kate continued to deny their friendship, and the murderer was never caught.
Now it is 2002, and Kate returns back to her hometown to care for her mother who has alzheimers. Soon after her arrival, a young girl is murdered in the same fashion that the "Potato Girl" was murdered many years ago. Was it a coincidence that Kate happened to be in town at the time of this second death...or was her return to this little community what caused this second death?
This book deals with the friendship, and ultimate betrayal, of the "Potato Girl".

Wow. Great reading. Fast pace, nostalgic story -as if from my own childhood summer evenings telling spook stories under the street light shadows!

Very sad but interesting reading on the subject, didn't end like I thought, which was good.

I loved this book....It was a definite page turner. You really feel connected to the charachters and you can't wait to see what is going to happen next. Don't pick it up if you haven't got time to finish it because you are not going to want to put it down.

The mood, tone, suspense, and setting of Jennifer McMahon's debut novel are pitch perfect. From the very beginning of the book you are thrown into a compelling, spine-chilling tale of two homicides, eerily similar in circumstance and method. The main character, Kate Cypher, narrates the tale of her own experiences, both as a ten-year-old girl and as a 41-year-old woman, both during these two suspiciously similar murders that she is all too close to and sometimes considered suspect in. McMahon's gift is in pacing the mystery and in dropping the vital hints that allow the reader to solve the crime before the characters do.

At first, being a fan of Tom Sawyer, Scout Finch, and innumerable other child detectives and protagonists, I wanted the narrative to stick with the ten-year-old Kate, yet, as the novel moved along, I found both narratives equally intriguing, especially in the fact that McMahon has them inextricably intertwined.

My only complaint against the mystery is that it seemed almost to be trying too hard to follow the letter of the law as far as mystery tales are told, complete with the final confrontational "unmasking" of the villain in the end, and somewhat trite dialogue from the killer. I might not have been surprised to hear the murderer quip, "And I might have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for you pesky kids!" In short, McMahon's skill in knowing the nuts and bolts of and recreating a solid mystery almost seems to be her fault as well, since the formulaic nature of the murder's solution ended up for me to knock this book down just a bit in my reckoning.

But, the fact is, that most of the fun in any journey, including any book, is in the getting there, and McMahon's tense, thrilling tale is a heck of a fun ride.

Kate and "Del" the Potato girl, will take you on thrilling, ghostly trip in this story. Once I started to read this book I kept reading and reading. The author, Jennifer McCahon, did a great job. If you enjoy ghost stories then "Promise Not to Tell" is the book for you.

I am always pleasantly surprised when I find a book by a new author and buy it on a whim, then find that it is quite enjoyable. That's what happened with this book, and it was an excellent purchase on my part. For a first-time author, Ms.McMahon has a deft narrative touch, and gives her characters a real backstory while moving forward with the plot. This book is many things: a murder mystery, a ghost story, a coming-of-age novel, and a tale of the relationship between a daughter and her ill mother. The writing was crisp, and encouraged continuous page-turning so that I could get to the end and have all of the loose ends tied up, which they were. I look forward to future works from this talented author.

Jennifer McMahon's debut novel is impressive and showcases the author's narrative skill. The story centers around protagonist Kate Cypher, who returns to her childhood home in New Canaan in 2002, and finds herself revisiting memories of the past, way back in 1971 when a girl Del Griswold, nicknamed the Potato Girl is found murdered. Interestingly, and ominously, a murder takes place in the present, also involving a young girl, Tori. The story weaves back and forth between the past and present,but it never seems disjointed. Instead, it makes for a compelling read...not to give too much away, there are various themes explored here, such as bullying, child abuse, betrayal, and even a supernatural element. It could have been confusing, instead the author skillfully weaves a thought-provoking, intriguing story that will hold you spellbound.

I read this book in two day, making time for it, even though I didn't really have the time. From the first few pages, I was hooked. Both main character (in the past and present) were identifiable and enjoyable. I'll recommend this book to my reading group, and others I know that enjoy this genre (and even those who normally don't), as it transcends both the ghost story and "coming-of-age" labels.

An intriguing mystery, fascinating ghost story - but more than that. Thought-provoking tales of mistakes made and their far-reaching effects. Excellent, excellent book!

I read this in 2 goes. What a tale of mystery this is! Once you get used to the jumping of dates, it becomes a seamless read that will leave you wanting more. I really loved the details about the "hippie" camp and life of "Potato Girl". This would also be a great book for older-teen mystery lovers that liked to be creeped out. I hope to see more from this author in the future.

I loved this book until all the loose ends were tied - too neatly, and by supernatural means. Didn't realize I was reading a ghost story, and I like it better before I did. Well written, but the plot proved disappointing.

Oh yikes! Promise Not to Tell is incredible--thrilling and tense, with some wonderful insights and complex characters. This is a dark story, but endearing at the same time.

I bought this book on a whim. I have to say that I loved this book. The twists and turns were great. This book is hard to put down.

A girl is killed the night Kate Cypher returns to the town she grew up in to make tough decisions about her increasingly senile mother. The recent murder (set in 2002) shocks Kate even more than might be expected. It's not only the fact that the victim, Tori Miller, was the best friend of Kate's young friend Opal but also the eerie similarity to the long-ago murder of her own childhood friend, Del. Kate's mother still lives in New Hope, the commune in which she raised Kate, although the members have dwindled to only four: Kate's mother, Gabriel (the original founder), a woman named Raven, and Raven's 12-year-old daughter, Opal.

The stories of the two murders are told in alternating chapters, weaving the 1971 tale of Kate's friendship with Del and the 2002 tale of Kate's struggles with her regretful memories and her present situation. When Kate was 12, her only friend was the shunned poor and dirty "Potato Girl," Del. The younger and older Kate's lives are bisected by both shocking murders. In 2002, as Kate hears of Tori Miller's death in the woods near the commune, she remembers that her mother wandered in the forest that night --- but whatever her mother may have seen is locked within her stricken brain.

Back in 1971, Kate and Del spy on the members of New Hope. Kate soon realizes that everyone has secrets as she overhears Raven's mother hint about the identity of her father. Even young Kate has a secret: the friendship with Del is something she refuses to share with anyone other than Del's brother, Nicky. Del herself has a mysterious tattoo on her chest and alludes to Nicky's "B-A-D" secret, even as Del tells Kate that Nicky has a crush on Kate.

In 2002, young Opal confides her own secret to Kate: the Potato Girl came for her the afternoon Tori died. She has seen Del's ghost for years and is convinced that Del is after her. She is sure that Del mistook Tori Miller for Opal, since Tori was wearing Opal's jacket and had similar hair. That's when Kate realizes that Opal actually looks like Del, with her blonde hair, thin body and air of desperation.

Even as an adult, Kate continues to lie about her friendship with Del as a web of unexplainable clues in both deaths tightens around her, leaving Kate (and the reader) off-kilter and uneasy. Kate describes the townspeople as having "secrets piled on like those Russian nesting dolls." So does this book, with puzzles opening into more puzzles, leaving even the most jaded mystery reader discombobulated (in a pleasurable way).

PROMISE NOT TO TELL is a page-turner that's nearly impossible to put down. With its gothic atmosphere and true-to-life characters, author Jennifer McMahon doesn't miss a beat. Is it a mystery story, a ghost tale, a thriller, or a literary meditation on redemption? I can't decide, but I do know it's irresistible.

--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon

This book had me from word one until the very end! Wonderfully told, true characters that you get to know and care about. It's a ghost story but also a bittersweet coming of age story. Thoroughly enjoyable. Highly recommend! Looking forward to more from Jennifer McMahon!

I'm still finding myself remembering Del and wishing that I could somehow help her. I found myself completely facinated by the story and unable to stop reading until I knew what happened. Every so often a writer is able to capture the reader and force them into a story in such a way that memories of events and characters stay with you long after the last page.

I find myself waiting for the next book by Jennifer McMahon, hopefully she is working hard right now.

I bought this book to read on the plane for a trip I am taking next month. I started reading it one day when I was waiting for my son at the dentist office (determined to just read a few pages.) I couldn't put it down and finished it in 2 days. Guess now I will have to go and buy myself another book =-)

This novel blends a compelling mystery/ghost story, simple, elegant prose, a great sense of time and place and a sensitive, sometimes wryly ironic narrative voic. The end result is a book you won't be able to put down.

Most of us probably experienced or witnessed the cruelty children can bestow on other kids who don't fit in. As painful as re-visiting those memories can be, there's something deeply moving-- at least for me-- about reading passages where an author portrays that kind of scene with an eerie authenticity. *Promise Not to Tell* is at its best when it focuses on the narrator, Kate's, recollections of how her friend Del (called "The Potato Girl" by her peers) was mocked, derided and insulted by her classmates. These scenes aren't easy to read, but they're rendered without any melodrama and they feel true, from Kate's dueling feelings of protectiveness of Del and the desire to join in with the other kids and feel like she belongs, to Del's own stubborn resistance and refusal to let her peers know they're hurting her feelings.

Kate returns to New Hope, Vermont to care for her ailing mother, Jean, who lives on what's left of the commune where Kate grew up. Jean has Alzheimer's and at times, Kate starts to wonder if her erratic actions and anger aren't due to her illness after all; maybe they're coming from the spirit of the long-dead Del. Nicky, Del's older brother and Kate's childhood crush, further feeds Kate's fears by claiming he's seen Del's ghost. When another murder of a young girl takes place, the town cannot resist drawing parallels to the unsolved murder of Del. Although she is herself a target of suspicion, Kate is determined to get to the bottom of both murders and, perhaps, finally bury her own guilt and sadness about how her friendship with Del ended.

Savvy murder mystery readers may guess the murderer halfway through (I didn't), but there's so much more going on than a simple mystery story with twists and turns. I loved the depictions of early-seventies commune life (both its idealism and its dark side) and all the characters-- Kate, Jean, Mike, Nicky, Del, Zach, Opal and Raven-- are beautifully drawn. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who likes a quick read with a literary feel and plot surprises that make you want to finish the book in one sitting.