PROMISES TO KEEP by Ann Tatlock

Published by Bethany House
a division of Baker Publishing

Set in the 1960s. 
When Janis Anthony packs up and leaves her abusive husband, Alan, she moves to Mills River and buys a house, near her father.  Her three children have differing views of the seperation.  Wally, her oldest, at 17, was the son of her first husband, who died when he was very young.  He disliked Alan and was happy to be away from the man who beat his mother.  Roz, 11, was hoping her father would change, and they could all be back together. The youngest, Valerie, was too young to remember much.
Shortly after they moved into their house, the previous owner, Tilly, shows up on their doorstep, and before long, she's moved back into her house, with the new occupants. She takes over cooking and childcare, while Janis works.
Roz makes friends with another girl, Mara, and they both are hoping to see their fathers soon.  Mara finally goes to Chicago with her grandparents and meets her father, but Roz, when she finds that her father is now in Mills River, tells no one.  Will keeping this a secret put her family back together as she hopes?  Or will it put them all in danger? 

This is the first book that I've read by this author, and I really enjoyed it. It is well written, suspenseful at times, and doesn't sugarcoat family issues. Very realistic.