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A Novel by Julie Mars
Format: Hardcover, 288 pp.
ISBN: 0-9671851-4-9
Pub Date: May 2000
Price: $23.00
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Julie Mars received a Masters in Creative Writing from City University in New York and is currently participating in the doctoral program at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Julie has taught Creative Writing and English Literature at various New York colleges including New York University, the State University of New York, Pratt Institute and Sullivan County Community College. While The Secret Keepers marks her fictional debut, her non fiction has appeared in the New York Press, Country Living Magazine and Star Magazine--as well as in numerous newspapers. Julie has sold screenplays to Embassy Films and Nickel Productions and has written texts for more than 50 gift books for Ariel Books. Julie is the recipient of the New York State Council of the Arts Grant for Screenwriting, the New Jersey Council of the Arts Grant for Fiction and the Cone Fellowship for Criticism.
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Amid the bustle of a New York City so vividly described that the reader can smell the exhaust fumes and feel the vibration of the subway trains underfoot, a young man by the name of Steve Dant is trying very hard to atone for a sordid past by living a normal life. To that purpose, he stays far away from drugs, holds a steady job, jogs daily, works out at the gym and goes to museums, movies, exhibits and other places where thoughtful people go for inspiration. But in spite of all his best efforts, Steve lacks the ability to make meaningful connections with other people; most of the time, Steve Dant feels invisible.
While feeling invisible is not a pleasant way to go through life, it does have its advantages. In Steve's case, it gives him license to investigate the comings and goings of a woman he has become attracted to. Although Christine Timberlake doesn't know he exists, Steve's detective work enables him to learn quite a lot about her--much more, in fact, than he initially intends.
The problem is that he is not the only one watching her; Christine Timberlake's movements are being scrutinized by a real detective as well. Private Investigator Greg Litner has been hired by Christine's ex-husband, both to find their child and to come up with enough dirt on Christine to ensure that the ex will win the custody battle he intends to pursue. Litner is a pro, and while no one else may notice Steve waltzing in and out of Christine's life, to Litner he is clearly visible. In fact, Litner is pretty sure that Steve is the "dirt" he's been hired to dig up.
The Secret Keepers has it all: Crisply written, fast-paced and highly entertaining, it is populated with fully-drawn characters whose insights--though very different--are equally intriguing. A page-turner for the intelligent reader, The Secret Keepers cleverly satisfies the voyeur in all of us.
Peer Blurbs
From Rudolfo Anaya, Award-winning author of Bless Me, Ultima, The Kiss of Life, and others...
"The Secret Keepers reveals the motives of characters in such a well-crafted, juicy style that the reader becomes a voyeur. Revelation is piled on revelation as we explore the depths and peer into the past lives of the characters. The secrets revealed drive an extraordinary plot which is the web that binds the story. It's a great read by a gifted storyteller."
From Jennifer Egan, Author of The Invisible Circus, Emerald City: Stories, and others...
"The Secret Keepers is a gripping, beautifully plotted tale in which a riot of misunderstandings, failed connections and disembodied longings--all so characteristic of our time--yields, surprisingly, to a kind of redemption."
From Julie Shigekuni, Author of A Bridge Between Us (Anchor/Doubleday)...
"The Secret Keepers asserts itself like a bawdy promiseÑthat life is triggered by the unexpected, and that desire, once set in motion, can't be stopped. Beginning with the notion that we can't really know another human being, but that the possibilities for intimacy are endless, Mars gives free reign to some highly unpredictable characters. Along the way, their tangled lives and secret motivations will surprise you, and keep you hoping that The Secret Keepers never ends."
From Judith Van Gieson, Author of the Neil Hamel mysteries (HarperCollins) and the Claire Reynier mysteries (Signet)...
"The Secret Keepers is an impressive debut. Julie Mars is an insightful and descriptive writer with a sure sense of character and place."
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