Novels Now

Paul Harris
321 pages

Danny Kellerman is a British journalist. In the year 2000 he is sent on assignment to cover the war in Sierra Leone. He winds up in Freetown where he meets a woman, named Maria Tirado, who changes his life. She is a foreign aid worker who tirelessly helps the orphans and boy soldiers of the bloody conflict. Maria and Danny become romantically involved but Danny leaves Sierra Leone and Maria stays, refusing to leave the children behind. He goes back to London and carries on with his life until four years later when he receives a note from Maria asking him for help. He quickly finds out that he is already too late. Maria has died under suspicious circumstances in a roadside robbery. As he investigates her death Danny uncovers a huge web of secrets. However, as the answers to his questions begin to unfold, Danny finds that telling the truth can carry a heavy cost.

The Secret Keeper is a story that is hard to classify. On one hand it’s a mystery/thriller, on the other it is very enlightening with regard to the political situation and events surrounding war-torn Sierra Leone. While I possess regrettably limited knowledge of the events of the war, the author served as a war correspondent in that area and this book is detailed and reflects his experience.

The mystery/thriller aspect of the story was handled very deftly as well. I don’t like to figure out the ending of a book but sometimes you can just see it so clearly spelled out in black and white that you can’t help but know. Not so with The Secret Keeper. I was kept guessing right up until the end where the truth is revealed.

I found Danny hard to like in the beginning because I felt like he was wallowing a bit in self pity but as you move through the story with him, you begin to realize that he is a man shaped both by the events in Sierra Leone and by his life before.

If you enjoy political intrigue, learning about government and conflict in other countries through the eyes of a journalist or if you just love a good thriller then I can recommend The Secret Keeper without reservation. I would caution that there is war violence . (4.5/5)