Immie’s father, a firefighter in the Rural Fire Service, lost his life.
The decision to investigate the probability of arson, is activated by an anonymous call to police.
Who could the person be?
Was it a male or female voice?
The police are keeping silent.
When further calls are made to police, and a local podcast begins to follow the proceedings, the town becomes reactive.
Fletch is Immie’s best friend.
His elder brother, Cooper is accused, then arrested as the arsonist. An additional charge is also considered against him for the death of Immie’s dad.
The timid Fletch has a secret that he promised not to share with anyone. Could now be the time for him to be brave enough to reveal what he knows? Will it help or harm Cooper?
Others in the town carry secrets as well. And there are some who are not who or what they seem to be, which increases the puzzle pieces of the story-line.
This usually tightly knit, friendly community, undergoes a metamorphoses, each person becoming aggressive and suspicious of the other. Families and friends are exchanging threats and accusations. Disharmony reigns.
Immie and Fletch are determined to discover who the anonymous person is. Who is feeding false information to the police, and why.
So determined are the two friends to solve the mystery, and save Cooper, that they reach a point where their lives are threatened.
This is a novel full of mystery, secrets, promises and lies and a camel. It goes back and forth from before and after the fires, with happenings that create questions without answers until the end.
Excellent characters keep a strong story moving at a fast pace. It holds the reader's interest till the last word.
Lots of sub-stories that lead to other themes, fill the pages. Detailed descriptions draw the reader into the scenes.
The brilliant Sue Whiting has created a gripping mystery, full of tension which challenges the reader scene after scene, throughout the entrances and exits of characters, to guess who is responsible for what.I love the camel character. Its inclusion in the story appears questionable until the sudden and dramatic reason for it is revealed.
Title: Promises and Other Lies
Author: Sue Whiting
Publisher: Walker Books, $17.99
Publication Date: 1 September 2025
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760658649
For ages: 10+
Type: Middle Grade fiction
