
Book Description
Haunted by a tragic death, Jo finds temporary respite from the all-consuming memories through running; it's the only thing that is keeping her sane. So when she discovers a young boy living rough in the woods, Jo is determined to do everything within her power to keep him safe. DS Sam Hollands wants to get her relationship back on track, unsure of how to make things right. But everything changes when she returns from work one night to find a stranger in her home . . .
My review
I love Elizabeth Haynes’ novels, because through them she always tries to raise the readers’ consciousness of problems encountered by particular sectors of people in society. In ‘Into the Darkest Corner’, we are made aware of persons suffering from physical and psychological violence and OCD. ‘Human Remains’ urges us to take more care of lonely neighbours who might need our help.
With ‘Promises to Keep’, the author focuses on the difficulties encountered by asylum seekers and the systems through which they are processed. These people leave everything behind and risk their lives in order to try and start a new life in a foreign country.
We meet Jo, a civilian detention officer and her female partner Sam, a Detective Sergeant. Jo is currently on long term sick leave suffering from stress, caused by the death of a detained teenage asylum seeker whom she had promised to help. She goes out jogging in the woods to release tension and clear her mind. On one particular day, her usual jogging route takes an unexpected turn.
I think that this literary work is just the prequel to other novels to come as it ends quite abruptly with certain issues still unsolved. I enjoyed reading it, but I must advise all those that want to read it, that it is very short, just 6 chapters long.