The Promised Land

by David Hewson

Bierce was a happily married cop with a bright future. Then on one sunny day in July his wife and their young son were savagely beaten to death and Bierce was convicted of their murders. Languishing on death row a long 23 years later, he still has no memory of the incident. Unexpectedly, inexplicably released just seconds before his execution, he teams up with the beautiful, feisty Alice Loong, who guides him through the confusing new world of the 21st century. But it soon becomes clear that Alice is hiding dark secrets of her own. Pursued by mysterious enemies who are convinced that Bierce knows more than he is telling about his wife's death, the pair are forced into a dangerous race against time to uncover the truth about the events of that fateful day.

Genres: Crime, Thriller, Mystery, Ebooks, Fiction

364 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

DAVID HEWSON was born in Yorkshire in 1953. His books range from the Nic Costa series set in Italy to adaptations of The Killing in Copenhagen and the Pieter Vos series in Amsterdam.
He's adapted Shakespeare for Audible and in 2018 won the Audie for best original work for Romeo and Juliet: A Novel, narrated by Richard Armitage.
2019 sees the release of a new, full-cast Audible drama set in New York, Last Seen Wearing, and a standalone novel set in the Faroe Islands, Devil's Fjord.

Series:
Nic Costa

Pieter Vos

The Killing

Reviews

[Feather Snowglitter]

I just started to read this book, and so far it's interesting. So I will let you know what I think of this book later on. I've read it, and it's interesting..that's all what I want to say.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many books start at the narrator's death and work backwards, but can you really start a book at the point of a lethal injection execution? Well that's exactly what Hewson does. Listening to the audio version it took me a bit to settle as the only voice present in addition to the main character, ex cop Briece, at the start of the novel is the repugnant medical person taking delight in preparing the injection. The narrator's tone adds to the reader's repulsion at this so hang with the story through Briece's apparently incredible release and enter his nightmare journey as he comes to terms with what he has or has not done and the quality of the tale will grip you - to me this was a real page turner which I listened to in only two evenings.

[Alan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I generally like Hewson's writing. This one was moderately confusing and I didn't feel involved with the characters. It read like a very early work. A man on death row is being put to death by a somewhat nasty medic. We read about the meds going in and suddenly he is being released after 23 years on death row for killing his wife and child. All is not what it seems to be.

[Stephen Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ex-cop accused of murdering his wife and child sends twenty-three years in prison under a death sentence. but cannot remember what he is supposed to have done. At the last minute he is released in strange circumstances, He soon discovered that he was not released because the judicial system has finally been persuaded of his innocence, but because different powerful groups think that being free will jog his memory about something they want, but they will not tell him what it is.

After going on the run, he decides to engineer a confrontation between different groups of his pursuers, a rather improbable aim, and the means he chooses to try to achieve it seem even more improbable. There are too many contrived plot twists where the author, like a clumsy stage magician tries his hand at misdirection, and all it does is take the reader back to the beginning of the paragraph to see where it is really going. That soon becomes very tiresome.

The best part was a description of a Starbucks coffee shop, as seen by someone who has been out of circulation for two decades in jail. I've never been inside a Starbucks coffee shop, so I'm not sure what it's like, but I have been to the Seattle Coffee Company, which hangs around Exclus1ve Bookshops, and I imagine Starbucks is somewhat similar.

I have no idea what a double skinny latte mocha with a tangerine shot or something is. But coffee it is not. I sat in this smoke-free, squeaky-clean, sanitized dump on Humboldt, squeezed between a launderette and what looked like an appealing book store. feeling I'd wandered into some adolescent's dream of what grown-up life ought to be like.

There were cushions of many colours, meaningless paintings on the wall, soft unmemorable music, and cups the size of Bavarian bierkeller mugs. Most people seemed to be sipping on gallons of warm sweet milk while chewing tiny fancy biscuits that cost the price of a meal the last time I had walked down Humboldt. In between sucks they played around with little computers on their laps, spoke on their tiny phones, and even, in a couple of rare misfit cases, read something that had once been a tree.

The setting was also weird. What country is not in Europe. has trams in the streets, and has capital punishment by lethal injection?

[mr w robb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything Changes

Three stars , I never thought I would give Hewson such a low score. I have read most of his work and enjoyed all of it to the point of being sad when the book was done.
Sadly this book never reached the heights of the Nic Costs books nor had the depths of storyline some of his other work has.
This was straw the others were of a much move filling substance.
This is only an opinion please read and make your own mind up. Let me put it like this, if this had been my first Hewson it would have also been my last.
Three stars is for making me read to the end.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have had this paperback on my bookcase for many years and never got around to reading it. It was written in 2007. It is full of twists and a very interesting concept. Bierce has been in jail for 23 years for the murder of his wife and child. Something he doesn't remember. He is on death row and the day has come when he is due the injection to end his life. It doesn't happen and we then go on a rollercoaster of a ride as he chases down the truth. It was quite funny at times as Bierce discovers all the advances in the technological market since he went to jail. I really enjoyed it.

[Lord · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read a chapter one and then half of chapter two. Not for me, it's pretentious writing as far as I'm concerned. I'm pretty certain I can guess the end, but I'm never going to find out and I don't actually care. And credit to the author, I can't even write a book and for some it will be an enjoyable read, but not for me.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars as I liked this book and it was a good read but not all that memorable. The story started in an unusual way with someone's experience of execution by lethal injection. There were lots of twists and turns which made a good story, though a bit violent and highly improbable

[Helen Meads · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of a romping road movie, not at all like his later work. This one was published in 2007 and set in New York, not Europe.

I was never really sure what was going on, but neither was the narrating protagonist. The premise is a bit far-fetched

- or is it?!

[Christoph Weber · Rating 3 out of 5]

not bad, but standard

[K Jam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just finished reading this book started well but went down hill didn't understand the plot

[Marisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a strange book.

[Helen Ahern · Rating 5 out of 5]

An action packed book with the outcome in doubt until the end. Who and what to believe.

[Mei · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't realise this was not Nic Costa and when I did it made me a bit sad...it was an okay read but nowhere near as engaging as the Nic Cost series. In some parts it felt almost sci-fi like (I imagine tom cruise playing some guy who wakes up from suspended animation and its 20 years later and he can't keep track of the new technology - wait, that sounds a bit like futurama...). Anyway I read it to the end and it was fairly entertaining but now I am craving another Nic Costa and I don't think I brought any with me. Noooooooo

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read quite a few of David Hewsons books now mostly the Nic Costa series which I love, I'm not so much of a fan of his stand alone novels or the killing series it almost feels like they were written by a different person. I feel there's a lot more depth in the Nic Costa books. I enjoyed this it was OK as a one of read and I did like the main character even if at times he seemed to me a little vapid. I think I'll stick with the Nic Costa books from now on, hopefully he'll carry on with that series.

[Judith Yeabsley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am not sure what prompted me to pick this book up but I obviously scanned the blurb WAY too quickly. It was a book aimed at those who love B Grade Cop sagas. It was full of terrible lines, stereotypes, plot holes you could drive a truck through and totally one dimensional characters. Unfortunately, like one of those late at night B Grade Cop shows one keeps reading in the hope that it will get better. No such luck, the plot "twists" downgraded rather than upgraded the quality ....

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read half-a-dozen of Hewson's Di Costa Italian crime series and thoroughly enjoyed them, so this seemed like a low-risk choice. I was initially unimpressed, with the opening scenes not really grabbing my attention, and with minimal sympathy for the main characters. But as the plot developed, so the intrigue grew and I really needed to know what the outcome was going to be. A great denouement left a very satisfying feeling at the end.

[Karry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, though a bit dark and way over the edge. I loved the way it started out, not only on death row but getting the injection! Also like how it was tied up in the end but not too neatly. So Id probbly give it a 3.5 if I could.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

The opening is so macabre that I nearly stopped reading. The remaining chapters were quite readable- the main character can't remember if he murdered his wife and son or not. He remembers by the end of the book of course.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit to having this on an audio from my local library, well it is gardening time. I listened to this in two days, it is a great read, I did keep wishing Nic Costa would show up. Highly recommend

[Adri266 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nuz, co k tomu povedat. znovu jeden skvely namet, ktory autor riadne pokazil
Hlavny hrdina je prepusteny z vazenia, kde je za vrazdu manzelky a syna, hoci si na to vobec nepamata. Dostane sa von a zistuje, co sa vlastne stalo.

Mne absolutne nesadol styl pisania.

[Pat Stearman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the Nic Costa series but enjoyable anyway.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book which I read on holiday. The plot is original and did keep me guessing till close to the end. I think I shall read more of his books.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely well written story. It has a great flow with plenty of mystery and suspense. I recommend this book to all my friends.

[Vic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took a while to get into and got a bit frustrated with the flashbacks but the final third was a page turner

[Asha Stark · Rating 1 out of 5]

ugh

[Kaylol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faced paced story, likeable main characters.

[Jeanette Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A complete change of style. It was as if David had become an American author.

[Evander · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. I think this had more potential than was realized.

[Coral · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally different from any other book of his that I've read. Really enjoyed it, totally got me in. Lots of plot twists and nothing clear until right at the end.