The Secret Ever Keeps (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: sand gun, dive platform, black boat, Grampa Jake, Jake Eastland, Coast Guard (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Captivating and utterly engaging...a rolicking ride on the choppy waters of Lake Ontario. Tirrell writes with authority and confidence; he is truly in command of this ship! Wonderful!"  —Garth Stein, author, How Evan Broke His Head and Other Secrets

"YA adventure for the older set."  —Kirkus Reviews

"Written in a crisp, entertaining style, this engaging tale offers both adventure and depth. It's perfect for a summertime read while on the hook."  —Sail Magazine

"This seamless blend of action and fun with heart-warming cross-generational character-story shouldn't work, but here it does. A reader can enjoy this on both levels. A perfect summer read."  —Films & Books Magazine

"Mr. Tirrell has written an interesting and intriguing novel with colorful and well-developed characters. His knowledge of Lake Ontario, sailing, and marine biology are related in the course of the story in a way that adds to the momentum. His portrayal of Jake as a man who rises from poverty to a position of wealth, the power wealth can buy, and the self-destruction it causes is superb."  —The Historical Novels Review

Product Description

High adventure and chick lit combine as billionaire tycoon Jake Eastland nears the end of a long life of shady dealings, lost love, and failed relationships, and is given one final chance to atone. Themes of greed, lust, guilt, family karma, and the power of forgiveness play out as a granddaughter arrives whose relationship with Jake could change everything for both of them. This sprawling epic adventure of feuding families, prohibition rum-runners, and present-day treasure hunters is equally thrilling and heart-warming.  

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Kunati Inc. (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1601640048
• ISBN-13: 978-1601640048
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #260,870 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This novel's mysteries unfurl with grace, October 10, 2007

By	Karen Harrington "Author, Janeology" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

The Secret Ever Keeps opens with a great start, the opening lifting off the page and not mired with a huge amount of exposition. This technique pays off in Tirrell's very readable, though flash-back filled, story of family wounds and secrets and adventure. Through the alternating views of a grandfather and granddaughter, the reader is immersed in the history of rum runners during the age of prohibition, with family dynamics and loyalties playing out across generations. If you enjoyed the unraveling mystery of Chris Bohjalian's The Double Bind, you will also love this story.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chick Lit Meets Adventure Tale, April 11, 2007

By	Joan Adler MD - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought a copy of this book because my significant other grew up on the
shores of Lake Ontario. It sounded like the sort of adventure yarn that he
loves to read. I picked it up four days ago when he was away and I couldn't put
it down.
This is the first book that he and I have agreed about since Kafka On the Beach.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant underwater scenes...tremendous suspense, November 1, 2007

By	Meg Westley (Stratford ON Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In The Secret Ever Keeps, Art Tirrell weaves a rich story of bitter family rivalry, Depression Era wheeling and dealing, and thrilling underwater treasure hunt. Set on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, the novel shifts effortlessly between the present and the 1930s. Jake Eastland, a hard-nosed billionaire nearing the end of his life, attempts to make amends for his unscrupulous dealings in the past by reaching out to his sole living relative, a young woman who is unaware she even has a living grandfather. As they get to know each other, their disparate pasts arise to haunt them.

Tirrell's depiction of their slow-growing relationship is delicate and moving, but it is the suspenseful plot that keeps one flipping the pages. Tirrell quite simply writes the best underwater scenes I have ever read. He takes the reader down into the depths, and no matter how unfamiliar one is with this eerie, potentially deadly setting, one feels one knows exactly what it would be like to dive into the bowels of a sunken ship, to get one's line snagged or air cut off, to be caught and whipped away by a sudden current. Suffice it to say, you'll be breathless, until the secrets and ancient treasures are revealed.

The Secret Ever Keeps is a terrific debut novel for Tirrell. I know he has another in the works and can't wait till it hits the shelves.