The Promise of Murder

by Mignon G. Eberhart

She was a stranger in her own home

Everything in the house belonged to the past... to her husband’s first wife. The place was filled with memories she could not share... with memories that were destroying the happiness of her marriage. If only she could be alone.

Then, suddenly, she had her wish.

But the shadow of terror hung in the silent rooms, and it was only a matter of time before the shadow took on the shape of — murder.

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

Mignon Good (1899-1996) was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. She studied at Nebraska Wesleyan University from 1917 to 1920. In 1923 she married Alanson C. Eberhart, a civil engineer. After working as a freelance journalist, she decided to become a full-time writer. In 1929 her first crime novel was published featuring 'Sarah Keate', a nurse and 'Lance O'Leary', a police detective. This couple appeared in another four novels. In the Forties, she and her husband divorced. She married John Hazen Perry in 1946 but two years later she divorced him and remarried her first husband. Over the next forty years she wrote a novel nearly every year. In 1971 she won the Grand Master award from the Mystery Writers of America. She also wrote many short stories featuring banker/amateur sleuth James Wickwire (who could be considered a precursor to Emma Lathen's John Putnam Thatcher) and mystery writer/amateur sleuth Susan Dare.

Reviews

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

From a very Rebecca-y framework (new wife overshadowed by mysterious first wife and domineering sister-in-law who runs the house) the book manages to throw off the comparisons and turn into a really very suspenseful and nicely written mystery in its own right. I figured out about half of it before the end of the book, but there were a couple good twists in there that had me guessing. Here's to more Mignon!

[Benjamin Chandler · Rating 3 out of 5]

The suspense is ramped up pretty high in this "newlywed woman in trouble" thriller.

Anne has married Brent and is living with him and his sister-in-law's family in a huge house in NYC. Anne is Brent's second wife. He doesn't say too much about his ex, so when she, Melora, shows up at the house, demanding money, Anne's at a loss. Then mysterious notes promising to murder Anne appear around the old house, a blizzard hits, a stranger stalks the dark halls, and everything goes sideways for poor Anne.

Eberhart was known for her novels' atmosphere, and the first 4/5ths of this one are certainly dripping in it. The gloomy house, the snowstorm outside, the creaks and thumps in the middle of the night. It was great stuff. Then, at the climax, the tone shifted, taking the story out of the house and it fizzled a little bit. It's a perfectly sensible ending, but I think I missed the house.

[José Van Rosmalen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dit boek verscheen in het Nederlands onder de titel ‘ De vrouw op de achtergrond’. De oorspronkelijke titel is ‘ Melora’ die een intrigerende rol speelt in het leven van Anne die nu getrouwd is met de vroegere man van Melora. Anne krijgt doodsbedreigingen. Het lijkt dat Melora onschuldig is, omdat zij zelf wordt vermoord. Maar dan duikt ze toch in levende lijve op en dan wordt het pas echt link voor Anne. Het wordt dan ongemeen spannend. Het is echt een thriller die je weet te pakken, nog van ouderwetse snit.

[Tommie Haag · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vem älskar inte ett mordmysterie? Tyvärr lite väl hysterisk emellanåt.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

strange and left a bad taste in my mouth