Every Vow You Break

Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson 

I want to preface this by saying I picked this book off the shelf without reading the blurb or any reviews. That’s how much I believe in Peter’s thrillers and I was not disappointed.

Abigail’s fairytale seems to begin when millionaire Bruce Lamb asks for her hand in marriage, but a drunken one-night stand before the wedding results in consequences she could not have anticipated and neither can she comprehend. 

When the other party to the affair shows up at their expensive honeymoon resort, with intention to reunite, does she tell Bruce and ruin their idyllic honeymoon—and possibly their marriage? Or should she handle this psychopathic stalker on her own? 

To make the situation worse, strange things begin to happen on the island. No one believes when she mentions things are amiss; not even her perfect rich husband.

At first I was very impressed with Abigail’s almost criminal thinking; but somewhere along the line, she seemed to be lacking precision in her actions (understandable, given the strange happenings at the resort). 

There were a lot of things amiss, with flags on the darker side of crimson, that Abigail missed and I was not pleased.

I know not every character will be Lily Kintner (The Kind Worth Killing is still at the top of my thriller list), but I’d appreciate it if they tried.

What brings Swanson’s work closest to my heart is not only the evocatively descriptive writing, but also the carefulness when it comes to continuity. Facts that seem to have been mentioned frivolously at the beginning bring perfect support to the characters’ later actions.

The book is as perfectly paced as an Adele album through the author’s ability to pick up speed from the get go and then slow it down just when your heartbeat needs it to. The concluding chapters, however, dragged to the end.

Yes, I figured the plot twist on the earlier side of halfway, but it felt satisfying and not underwhelming to proved right. Although not my favourite of his works (I’ve read all but 1 book), I am still unshaken in my belief in Swanson’s work!

Rating: 4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟