PROMISES TO KEEP

by Hy & Barbara Brett Brett ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 30, 1981

The debut of a highly likable new husband-and-wife amateur sleuth team--though their first case is lots stronger on atmosphere than plotting. Ex-NYPD cop Gil Ferguson (the narrator) and wife Connie now run a modest, classy antique shop in a beautifully preserved New Hampshire village. And when a local grande dame urgently needs a ceramic humidor, they call around and find that Eric Meade, a nearby dealer, has one. But the next day they discover Meade dead, and some college kids seem to be trailing the Fergusons. What's going on? Well, for starters, as they soon learn from the FBI, alcoholic Meade possessed a rare beer mug initialed by Hitler & Co.--an heirloom sought by assorted nco-Nazis. Plus: Meade's shady sister, who may have killed him for money; Meade's German neighbor-lady, who's found prowling around the dead man's apartment; and, as revealed in love-letters that Connie finds, some love-triangle motives. Are the Nazis the college kids--or a TV-commercial producer who wants to put Connie in an ad? The answers are implausible, and the final culprit-unveiling is unsatisfying. But the antique stuff is charming, the humor is niftily low-key, the pacing is sure--and if the Bretts leave the nco-Nazis to the Ludlum crowd next time around, they may come up with a full-fledged winner.

Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1981

ISBN: 0595089526

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harper & Row

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1981

Categories: FICTION