The Pact

 

The Pact by Teri Terry
12/1/26; 304 pages
Boldwood Books 

The Pact by Teri Terry is a recommended psychological thriller. Get the popcorn ready, grab a seltzer, set disbelief aside, and prepared for an entertaining, soapy drama.

Isobel is found dead at the foot of the cliff where seventeen years ago her boarding school mate Maggie died after a fall from a cliff. Both deaths were ruled a suicide. Four former friends from the same boarding school, Clem, Bex, Katya, and Jules, are preparing to attend Isobel's funeral and also remembering the pact they made to never speak about what happened  to Maggie all those years ago. Now they have all received the same anonymous  text, "One is for sorrow," after Isobels death, and the vaguely sinister messages continues. Does someone know what happened years ago?

The narrative is told through chapters from the point-of-view of Clem and Bex. All of these women are very different characters. Bex has two kids, Olly, 5, and Nora, 1 1/2, is heading toward a contentious divorce, and trying to work full time. This is in stark contrast to the other women. Clem is wealthy, the wife of an MP, and has 3 children and a nanny to watch them. Jules is a wealthy designer, and Katya coaches athletes for Olympic competition. Clem, Jules and Isobel were the fast friends from their boarding school days, with Bex, and Katya on the sideline. Bex really had little contact with these woman after school beyond some with her former roommate Katya.  

You have to set disbelief aside while reading. Personally, I struggled with Bex suddenly starting a relationship with Liam. It seemed very unrealistic considering her situation, so it is clearly a plot device to add suspense. It did the job, but at a cost. It also stretched credulity for me that these women would all group together like school girls again for the funeral and later to scatter Isobel's ashes. They weren't all that close as friends and that fact is pointed out several times.

Obviously, based on the title alone, you know there was a pact made between them. As the plot unfolds, the women continue to receive text messages based on the traditional magpie nursery rhyme (which is helpfully shared at the opening of the novel) with some modifications of the words. You can read through the chapters pretty quickly. While you may suspect what the pact was, all the information is not shared until later in the novel. The ending was a surprise. 3.5 rounded down when needed.

The Pact is a good choice for readers who enjoy soapy popcorn thrillers. Thanks to Boldwood Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.