The Secret-Keeper

by Chris Zimmerman

By the time he realized that his wife's killer was in his grasp, it was too late. By the time he ran for help, they chased him from Hemingway's Walloon Lake to the sultry sands of the Caribbean. Snubbed by the authorities, scorned by his patients, he turns to the woman of his future with ties to his past. They all had a secret to tell; they all had a secret to keep. Find out what it was. Chris Zimmerman at his unbridled best: another devilishly clever tale of revenge, adventure, and romance, set amidst northern Michigan's most familiar landmarks. Cut from the same cloth as Intentional Acts, Zimmerman's second work, The Secret-Keeper, takes you on a whirlwind ride of a Mt. Pleasant widower and his quest to avenge his wife's death.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery

412 pages, Paperback

First published November 7, 2005

Reviews

[Emi Yoshida · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the cover on this book is its downfall, not just the complete randomness of the cover photo, title, and font, but the way the summarizing blurb on the back utterly misrepresents what the story is. Maybe it's intentional subterfuge? Because the back cover refers to (main character) Jim Ong's wife's killer, I thought it was supposed to be a murder mystery, but she died of cancer, so I found that confusing. I actually expected Jim Ong to be a lunatic or a killer masquerading as a psychologist because of his repeated disparaging of "shrinks" and "meds," his having virtually no interest in analyzing a dream the romantic interest tried so strenuously to tell him about, and his unlikely contempt at his colleague's suggestion that he consult a professional after his young wife's sudden death when he finds himself consumed in a colossal career crisis.

I'm all for supporting a Michigan author, I loved the winter scenes and all the geographical references, but I wanted to know why this incredibly white-seeming guy's name was James Ong. Why did he have no family? Also, I found the prolonged sex descriptions to be gratuitous and hokey.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of an odd book; not sure if it was supposed to be suspense, semi-legal thriller, whistle blower theme or romance, as it had some of each. The main character seemed to have a lot of issues of his own, and as a therapist, dealt with them in some strange ways. Mixed feelings about this one; I liked it being set in Michigan, and having lived in Mt. Pleasant for years, could identify some of the places he described, and other areas of the state as well. I just felt confusion while trying to identify with the protagonist, because he seemed to switch his feelings off and on conveniently.

[Briona Seaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book at an Art Fair in Muskegon. The author is from Mount Pleasant and his book takes place in Mount Pleasant. I read this book in two days, which is a great feat for me. I recommend it to anybody who likes a little mystery and appreciates reading about places in the great state of Michigan.

[Jodie McRorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This guy is from Michigan. He sells his books privately because he told me bookstores like barnes and noble etc take 55% of his sales. This was an excellant book and I am going to order more of his books.

[Wanda]

I enjoyed this book. There was a lot going on but the author tied the different character's stories together, so it all made sense. I couldn't wait to get back to each character to see what was coming next. The author is from Michigan and he set this book in Michigan. It was fun to have the story taking place in places I have actually seen or been to. I didn't like the way the book ended. It just didn't ring true for me. I thought the character of Rachel could have been left out all together and I didn't find her very likable or very believable that Jim would be attracted to her. Other than that, I really enjoyed the book and look forward to starting Zimmerman's next book.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A love story that leaves Jim brokenhearted when his beloved Carrie dies. Unanswered questions fill his head as he receives mysterious letters from his deceased wife along with clues regarding corruption in the medical insurance industry leading up to high ranking officials. As he draws nearer to the truth his career, reputation and his very existence are at risk. What is he willing to sacrifice and who else is at risk.................

A dynamic book.

[Sherrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has no idea what it wants to be. A husband grieving his wife's loss? A story of a psychologist and his patients? A romance? Revenge? A statement on US helath care? All these and more. As a result it's a true mashup of a book. Giving it two stars for its only redeeming factors--great descriptions of my beloved Michigan and it's set in Mt Pleasant. (Pisanello's Pizza!)

[Amy VerStrate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not worth my time. Sorry, I was trying to be supportive of a local author but I couldn't wait to be done with it to move on to something better. The storyline kept changing all through the book making me wonder what is was really about! Also the ending was strange and seemed totally unrelated to the rest of the story

[Cheryl Hieber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michigan connections

[Kattie · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I had never heard of this author until I met him at the Milham Park Arts & Craft show in Kalamazoo, MI. He had his own booth, and was asking people if they were looking for a good read. Since there was a two-fer deal, my companion and I went in on his two books available. The first book I read was The Secret Keeper. The book keeps you interested pretty much from the beginning, though it starts off with the sad death of the newlywed wife of the main character. There were parts that left me confused, and some things could have used more explanation. Some of the dialog was a little hard to follow, but there were not enough things that bothered me to not recommend the book to a Michigan native/lover. The book contains mystery, romance, revenge, and a chase. The author also (from the two books I've read,) could stand to work on drawing out the denouement since most people would be feverously reading to get to that part, and it seemed to be over in an instant. There are so many details that could have been laid out when the peak of revenge and unraveling of the details were reveled at the end.
To wrap up this review, I want to add that the author is deeply involved in hunting, and writes for a newspaper on the subject. This appears in the book a few times, but even if you aren't a hunting fan, it is worth it to get through to the good stuff.

[Jackie · Rating 1 out of 5]

After the first 100 pages:Not as exciting as the jacket would lead me to believe.

Now I'm done: The jacket isn't even truthful about the story line. I'm sorry I bought two of this author's books at an art fair. Now I have to decide whether or not to read the other one, since I can't return it. Self-published...I remember asking him if he self-edited. He must have lied because no editor would leave a book in this shape. It had too much junk, too many tangents. The story line is hard to follow. The details are distracting, not helpful. To make everything worse, he throws in a useless and detailed sex scene after the plot is solved. He should go back to writing for Pheasants Forever magazine, where he started.

[Caryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyed it but do not have any curiosity to know more about the characters once the story is done. I could see the ending twists coming from a mile away. I learned far too much about grouse hunting. The big chase scene felt clumsy and was hard to focus on...(perhaps too predictable).And I seriously wonder about the efficacy of therapy when professional, ethical and moral codes can be so easily disregarded or applied as weapons to destroy someone -- admittedly some dastardly dudes and a hot girl. But fortunately this is all fiction.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked it up because of the lighthouse cover and he was a local author. I am not a murder mystery fan but I enjoyed the true to life images (M-115 from Farwell to Cadillac, Doherty hotel in Clare, etc) that are close to my house.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Not my usual reading preference but being it was set in Michigan I was pleasantly surprised. It kept me engaged the whole time.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

finished this Oct. 26 . My book club will meet with the author this weekend!

[Karen Dimock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting story.Many twists and turns right to the end. The main character was well developed and the supporting characters were interesting and real.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was wonderful to read something from a local author. The story carried you along and the characters were well developed. I look forward to reading more from Zimmerman.

[Carol Hoffman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story drew me in at the start but I could not identify with or feel anything for the main character. It also had a very predictable ending. All told, just a so-so story.

[kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the story had holes, it was a page turner.