The Secret [Paperback]

Kat Martin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Wounded in a drive-by shooting, L.A. advertising executive Kate Rollins has a near-death experience. In it, the grandmother she has never met, Nell Hart, struggles to communicate an urgent message. Haunted by the visitation, a failed marriage and a troubled son, Kate decides to escape to tiny Lost Peak, Mont. There she takes over the caf‚ she has recently inherited from Nell and attempts to unearth the truth that her late grandmother so desperately wished to convey. Kate's investigation suggests that Nell may have been murdered, and her suspicions are confirmed when she discovers that her grandmother was being bullied by Consolidated Metals, the same shrewd gold-mining company that has been threatening Kate in order to halt her environmental efforts. Kate's biggest dilemma, however, is her neighbor Chance McLain, a sexy rancher who thrills her body and soul but is promised to another. The novel's premise--of a successful businesswoman lured to the wild west by a family legacy--appears in a spate of recent romances, but the environmental theme strikes a nicely contemporary note amid a hymn to traditional rural life. Despite its familiar plot, Martin's (Perfect Sin, etc.) story is solidly written, deftly balancing intense emotion with satisfying intrigue. (Mar.)Forecast: The face of the contemporary romance has shifted in the past decade, favoring wholesome country values over high-rise city life. Although Martin has only recently begun writing contemporaries again, she has made a name for herself with her popular historical suspense novels. With this return to the heartland, she is certain to enjoy bestselling sales once more.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 413 pages
• Publisher: Zebra (March 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821767984
• ISBN-13: 978-0821767986
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #93,717 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Currently living in Missoula, Montana, Kat Martin is the bestselling author of over fifty Historical and Contemporary Romance novels. Before she started writing in 1985, Kat was a real estate broker. During that time, she met her husband, Larry Jay Martin, also an author. Kat is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara, where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History. "I love anything old," Kat says. "I love to travel and especially like to visit the places where my books are set. My husband and I often stay in out-of-the-way inns and houses built in times past. It's fun and it gives a wonderful sense of a by-gone era."

To date, Kat has over twelve million copies of her books in print. She is published in twenty foreign countries, including Germany, Norway, Sweden, China, Korea, Bulgaria, Russia, England, South Africa, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Japan and Greece.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kat Matin at her very best, February 19, 2001

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secret (Paperback)

Unhappy with her fast-paced Southern California lifestyle, Kate Rollins nervously walks to the garage where her car is parked late at night. She knows she already disappointed her pre-teen son David by working late on the advertising campaign rather than coming home to take him to the movies as she promised. Kate never reaches her car as a drive-by shooting leaves her in the hospital with a near death experience and just fortunate to be alive.

Kate recognizes that one of the people she seen in her near death experience is her recently deceased grandmother Nell Hart, who she never met when the woman was alive due to a family squabble. Nell left Kate some property in Lost Peak, Montana. Still frightened from her trauma and worried about David's recent behavior and whom he hangs with, Kate takes her son and relocates to Montana. Kate becomes involved with the local environmental movement and to her chagrin is attracted to Chance McLain. There is also the mystery of her grandma's death to solve.

To romance readers it is not a SECRET that Kat Martin consistently writes some of the best novels in the genre. Her latest tale is an exciting romantic suspense novel that works because of Kate, who already has a full plate, but more emotionally wrenching items pile onto her angst-laden soul. By limiting the paranormal elements, Ms. Martin capably enhances her story line while staying true to the theme. Sub-genre fans will take pleasure from this convincing story.

Harriet Klausner

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Romance, suspense and real life problems! Great Read!, March 19, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Secret (Paperback)

I am a Kat Martin fan, and read whatever she comes out with. I was not disappointed!! This book was really good, a page turner from early on, for more than just the romance too. I really liked the depth of the romance, both the pain and joy. I loved the characters, both Kate and Chance, and David as well; they all had a realness and depth to them. The murder and suspense lines of the story were also well done. It kept me turning pages until well into the night because I just had to find out how it would all be resolved. My one complaint is the number of typos in the book. One here or there is no big deal, but there were so many that at times it interrupted the flow of my reading. Where were the editors?! Anyway, get this book, you will think of it well after you are done reading it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Keep this A Secret....., March 11, 2001

By 

Ginger L. Savage "gingerbear" (Baker City, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secret (Paperback)

I have been a long time Kat Martin fan and find The Secret to be a real page turner. The Secret does not have the mystery of The Silent Rose, but the love story is well written. I particularly liked Kate and David's relationship. It had a nice level of tension and yet, real affection. Chance is a fantastic hero, though I wish Ms. Martin would have developed a more detailed relationship between Chance and David. The sex is steamy and Kate is a well written. I like the fact that Kate was a "real woman"--a real figure, real problems and this is a really good book!