One day she seems particularly disturbed, leaves in a rush, and forgets her keys. Steve noticing them on the counter starts after her with the intention of returning them, but thinks better of it. He has the keys copied and then returns them to the post office lost and found. By following her home, he learns her name and soon learns her place of employment. On an impulse, he enters her apartment when he knows she is at work.

Simultaneously, Christine’s former husband, Parker Horton, has hired private investigator Greg Litner to follow Christine. When Parker and Christine divorced, she was granted custody of their young daughter Petra, but Christine refuses to tell Parker where Petra is, other than a safe place. By having Christine followed, Parker hopes to learn the whereabouts of his daughter and, hopefully, gain custody of her.

The theme of The Secret Keepers is a variation on the lost child/ kidnapped child scenario. Initially, the reader does not know where Petra is or why she is not living with her custodial parent. Because all the relevant information is fairly quickly revealed, the reader becomes a voyeur to the actions of the main characters. Theoretically, the reader’s interest is sustained by the suspense of wondering how the actions of the key players will affect the child. The only secrets withheld from the reader are why Steve is so interested in Christine and what sort of person he is.

This first novel is plagued with inconsistencies and improbabilities not adequately explained. In one scene Steve takes a flight “using an assumed name.” As any airline traveler knows, a photo ID is required at check-in making this scenario highly unlikely. In another situation, Steve buys a junk car from a used car dealer for cash. The dealer allows him to take the car, fully licensed and registered to the dealer. The dealer is, of course, less than honest, but having been operating on the wrong side of the law, he is hardly likely to compound his problems by letting someone, obviously on the run, take a car which will call the police’s attention to himself. These are just two situations where the complexity of the plot leads to improbable or impossible explanations. Unfortunately, there are more.

The ending was quite a letdown. The reader is kept well informed on the lives of Steve, Petra, and Christine, but Parker and Greg seem to vanish without any notice. There is no gradual revelation of facts unknown to the reader. They all come out in a rush in the last twenty pages leaving the reader a bit overwhelmed.

The author seems to go out of her way to avoid portraying any really evil characters. Those individuals who believe that all of us are essentially good, but sometimes make poor choices will feel right at home with Ms. Mars’ cast of players. She goes to great length to explain Steve’s actions, which may be construed as suspect, are actually done with good intention. The other characters do not merit as much attention, but it is obvious that Parker and Greg are essentially good people.

These elements show promise, but The Secret Keepers doesn't quite deliver as a suspense novel. But with more attention to pacing and less reliance on coincidence and implausibilities, Julie Mars' next novel could well be more gripping.

--Andy Plonka