A mesmerizing account of a man trying to atone for a sordid past by living a normal life, but becoming obsessed with a woman he sees everyday at the post office.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Loner Steve Dant, a former junkie who now runs four miles a day, has been living in New York for five months while working at a literary quarterly before he spots the svelte and lovely Christine Timberlake in the post office, reading her mail. When she leaves her keys, he picks them up, intending to return them to her. Instead, in this atmospheric, taut, psychologically rich first novel, an urban mystery driven more by character than plot, Steve decides to pocket the keys and have them duplicated. While Christine is at work, he enters her apartment, discovering, among other things, many books on the subject of incest. Meanwhile, Christine, who works as a bartender, is horrified by the sudden appearance of her ex-husband, Parker Horton. Telling her he's hired a private detective to find their daughter, Petra, whom Christine has hidden away in a school for the mentally ill on Cape Cod, Parker makes it clear he wants to return to court and obtain custody of their child. When the PI sees Steve slipping in and out of Christine's apartment, he assumes Steve is Christine's boyfriend, though he can't understand why he never sees them together. Things get complicated after Christine is robbed and assaulted; Steve discovers her in her apartment, bloody and drifting in and out of consciousness, mumbling about her fears for Petra if Parker locates her. Determined to help Christine, Steve decides to head off for Cape Cod. The detective trails Steve, setting off a multifaceted chase that ends in a surprising, if somewhat unbelievable, resolution. Mars's theme, that everybody harbors secrets--which leads to all her characters assuming they know things about the others that in fact are far from the truth-adds dimension to the characterization and also to the intrigue and suspense in this unusually smart debut. (June)
Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I could not put this book down!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Secret Keepers (Hardcover)
It isn't often that I pick up a book and stay with it for more than a chapter or two -- it has to be really amazing for me to keep on reading (a terrible admission, but there ya go). A friend recommended me to this one, I hadn't heard of it, but I borrowed her copy -- and that was it, I was up the whole night racing to finish it. This book was INCREDIBLE! I fell in love with the mystery characters -- especially the sexy seen-it-all detective -- I followed every plot twist and turn like there was no tomorrow. It really keeps you reading! It's that good. It's also haunting, feeling, and with some wild characters who've really been through the mill. The best part to me was that I believed it 100%. Now I want to know -- did any of this really happen to the author? And who is she? Anyone know about this writer -- Julie Mars? Now I've read the book, I'm dying to find out. I have to say, this was a first for me. I'm even ordering a copy for my husband -- he's an even worse cynic than I am. Really, really good.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful wacky relationship drama,
This review is from: The Secret Keepers (Hardcover)
Steve Dant first noticed the tall woman when he delivered the outgoing mail including copies of the magazine Expression to subscribers at the Stuyvesant Post Office on 14th Street. Though not obsessed, at least not in a sexual sense, Steven has enjoyed watching her fluid motions for the past three months. He decides to learn more about his mark, Christine Timberlake by performing a bit of amateur sleuthing, which is relatively easy for Steven, a person ignored in a crowd of two. He obtains one of her letters, breaks into her apartment, and learns about her child Petra However, Steven does not yet know that one person has noticed his pursuit of Christine. Christine's former husband who wants to gain custody of their child has retained professional private investigator Greg Litner. To Greg and his client, any scandal (real or not) will suffice. Greg believes Steven is the key to satisfying his customer. THE SECRET KEEPERS is a weird relationship drama that worked because of the depth provided to the main characters. that enables to readers to understand their motives and actions. The story line is a well-crafted tale It allows the audience to follow the exploits of Steven's snooping into Christine's life and the aftermath his actions cause. Still, what makes Julie Mars' novel a winning tale for the audience is the way each key cast member tries to keep secrets from one another even as they unknowingly share so much. This is a wonderful, wacky, and wild ride.
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