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The Secret Keeper
In the tradition of John le Carré, The Secret Keeper, set in war-torn Sierra Leone, tells the story of one man’s search for the truth in a nation where the rules of civilized society simply don’t apply.
Four years ago, British journalist Danny Kellerman was given the opportunity of a lifetime: covering the political crisis in Sierra Leone as a war correspondent. While in Freetown he begins a passionate love affair with a beautiful American woman named Maria Tirado, who helps run an orphanage for ex-child soldiers. But Danny can’t shake the feeling that Maria is hiding something from him, and as the crisis escalates, Danny has no choice but to leave; he boards a helicopter out of Freetown and never turns back….
Until four years later, when, with a new relationship and a new life in London, Danny receives a mysterious, urgent letter from Maria. She’s in trouble and needs Danny’s help. But the letter is dated three weeks earlier, and it’s already too late. Danny learns that Maria was murdered in a roadside robbery.
Haunted and heartbroken, Danny leaves London and returns to Freetown. Although there is now peace in Sierra Leone, corruption is rampant and every promising lead is a dead end. But with the help of old friends and contacts, Danny uncovers a string of secrets that sheds a shocking light on the woman he thought he knew—and reveals a hidden truth that could destroy those in power. Trapped in the heart of a dangerous nation where he can trust no one, Danny is forced to choose between his journalistic integrity and the devastating consequences of speaking the truth.
Four years ago, British journalist Danny Kellerman was given the opportunity of a lifetime: covering the political crisis in Sierra Leone as a war correspondent. While in Freetown he begins a passionate love affair with a beautiful American woman named Maria Tirado, who helps run an orphanage for ex-child soldiers. But Danny can’t shake the feeling that Maria is hiding something from him, and as the crisis escalates, Danny has no choice but to leave; he boards a helicopter out of Freetown and never turns back….
Until four years later, when, with a new relationship and a new life in London, Danny receives a mysterious, urgent letter from Maria. She’s in trouble and needs Danny’s help. But the letter is dated three weeks earlier, and it’s already too late. Danny learns that Maria was murdered in a roadside robbery.
Haunted and heartbroken, Danny leaves London and returns to Freetown. Although there is now peace in Sierra Leone, corruption is rampant and every promising lead is a dead end. But with the help of old friends and contacts, Danny uncovers a string of secrets that sheds a shocking light on the woman he thought he knew—and reveals a hidden truth that could destroy those in power. Trapped in the heart of a dangerous nation where he can trust no one, Danny is forced to choose between his journalistic integrity and the devastating consequences of speaking the truth.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published March 31, 2009
2 people are currently reading
152 people want to read
About the author
Paul Harris
2 books2 followersLibrarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Paul Harris is currently the US Correspondent of the British weekly newspaper The Observer, the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper. He has held the post since 2003. Prior to that he reported from Africa for the Daily Telegraph, the Associated Press and Reuters. He has covered conflicts and trouble spots all around the world, including Iraq, Sudan, Burundi, Somalia, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Pakistan. In 2003 he was embedded with British forces during the invasion of Iraq.
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Paul Harris is currently the US Correspondent of the British weekly newspaper The Observer, the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper. He has held the post since 2003. Prior to that he reported from Africa for the Daily Telegraph, the Associated Press and Reuters. He has covered conflicts and trouble spots all around the world, including Iraq, Sudan, Burundi, Somalia, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Pakistan. In 2003 he was embedded with British forces during the invasion of Iraq.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
December 12, 2018
Great first book by this journalist!! Love the way he writes and the stories of Sierra Leone!
July 24, 2009
The Secret Keeper by Paul Harris does not read like a debut novel, but like a well-engineered corkscrew ride through the African heat and the deep recesses of our humanity and morality.
In the early 1990s, civil war began in Sierra Leone--a former British colony ripe with diamond mines--as rebels recruited students and children to fight against the government for more than a decade. The brutality present in the nation at this time comes across vividly in the pages of The Secret Keeper, which readers can easily attribute to the author's personal experience. It is apparent that those images stuck with Harris as he was writing his debut novel.
"Suddenly he thought of the unopened letter in his pocket. The thick air of the tube took on a tropical whiff. It was close and stifling, clinging to the skin like it had always done back in Freetown, impossible to escape its damp hug. Danny began to sweat." (Page 9)
Danny Kellerman is a journalist in London whose first foreign assignment takes him to war-torn Sierra Leone. Once in Africa, he is immersed in the haphazard warfare between the Sierra Leone government, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), and eventually the British government. Danny meets Maria Tirado, falls in love, and breaks the story of a lifetime about saving former child soldiers, but once the assignment ends he must return to his London life. His content existence is soon disrupted by a hand-written letter from his lost love, Maria, who begs him to return and help her. Along the way, he reconnects with some of his old acquaintances, including his driver Kam and Ali Alhoun.
"'I've been all over Africa,' he said. 'And there's one way to judge if a country is in trouble. Is the brewery closed? I've been in the deepest bits of the Congo and they always had beer. That Primus may be shit, it may kill you if you drink two bottles, but they make it. That country will be okay.'" (Page 48)
A synopsis cannot do justice to this well-crafted novel about a war-torn nation and the impact it has on its own inhabitants, the world, and the individuals caught in its web. Readers will find themselves biting their fingernails as Danny digs deeper into Maria's secrets. But she is not the only character with secrets in this novel. Danny and the nation of Sierra Leone have a number of secrets for readers to unravel, stare at in astonishment, and almost wish they were left hidden.
"With little or no political ideology, the RUF became a vehicle for Sankoh's personal goals. It took over Sierra Leone's inland diamond mines and recruited members by brutalizing the children of its victims. Its calling card was the 'long sleeves or short sleeves' method of cutting off people's arms: short sleeves were above the elbow; long sleeves were above the wrist. Young boys were forced to kill their own families and then join. Their crimes meant they could never go back to their villages. The RUF became their only way of survival." (Page 43-44)
Harris' The Secret Keeper will have readers reaching for the "oh-shit-bar" as they rapidly make their way through this drama. Danny's moral compass is tested time and again, while Ali and others stick to strategies that ensure not only their survival but that they come out ahead of others. The Secret Keeper is one of the best novels I've read this year, and it will twist readers' emotions, ring them out to dry, and soak up the remainder of their tears.
Is the old conundrum of "sacrificing one for the benefit of the many" the way in which societies should operate? Should we determine our best course of action from this starting point? Read The Secret Keeper to find out how Danny Kellerman and his compatriots resolve these questions.
In the early 1990s, civil war began in Sierra Leone--a former British colony ripe with diamond mines--as rebels recruited students and children to fight against the government for more than a decade. The brutality present in the nation at this time comes across vividly in the pages of The Secret Keeper, which readers can easily attribute to the author's personal experience. It is apparent that those images stuck with Harris as he was writing his debut novel.
"Suddenly he thought of the unopened letter in his pocket. The thick air of the tube took on a tropical whiff. It was close and stifling, clinging to the skin like it had always done back in Freetown, impossible to escape its damp hug. Danny began to sweat." (Page 9)
Danny Kellerman is a journalist in London whose first foreign assignment takes him to war-torn Sierra Leone. Once in Africa, he is immersed in the haphazard warfare between the Sierra Leone government, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), and eventually the British government. Danny meets Maria Tirado, falls in love, and breaks the story of a lifetime about saving former child soldiers, but once the assignment ends he must return to his London life. His content existence is soon disrupted by a hand-written letter from his lost love, Maria, who begs him to return and help her. Along the way, he reconnects with some of his old acquaintances, including his driver Kam and Ali Alhoun.
"'I've been all over Africa,' he said. 'And there's one way to judge if a country is in trouble. Is the brewery closed? I've been in the deepest bits of the Congo and they always had beer. That Primus may be shit, it may kill you if you drink two bottles, but they make it. That country will be okay.'" (Page 48)
A synopsis cannot do justice to this well-crafted novel about a war-torn nation and the impact it has on its own inhabitants, the world, and the individuals caught in its web. Readers will find themselves biting their fingernails as Danny digs deeper into Maria's secrets. But she is not the only character with secrets in this novel. Danny and the nation of Sierra Leone have a number of secrets for readers to unravel, stare at in astonishment, and almost wish they were left hidden.
"With little or no political ideology, the RUF became a vehicle for Sankoh's personal goals. It took over Sierra Leone's inland diamond mines and recruited members by brutalizing the children of its victims. Its calling card was the 'long sleeves or short sleeves' method of cutting off people's arms: short sleeves were above the elbow; long sleeves were above the wrist. Young boys were forced to kill their own families and then join. Their crimes meant they could never go back to their villages. The RUF became their only way of survival." (Page 43-44)
Harris' The Secret Keeper will have readers reaching for the "oh-shit-bar" as they rapidly make their way through this drama. Danny's moral compass is tested time and again, while Ali and others stick to strategies that ensure not only their survival but that they come out ahead of others. The Secret Keeper is one of the best novels I've read this year, and it will twist readers' emotions, ring them out to dry, and soak up the remainder of their tears.
Is the old conundrum of "sacrificing one for the benefit of the many" the way in which societies should operate? Should we determine our best course of action from this starting point? Read The Secret Keeper to find out how Danny Kellerman and his compatriots resolve these questions.
June 20, 2009
When Danny Kellerman first receives a letter requesting help from Maria Tirado, his former lover from Sierra Leone, he's inclined to blow it off. After all Maria is the one who chose Sierra Leone over Danny. He hadn't heard a word from her in four years and now he was happily ensconced in a new relationship with a wonderful woman. But when his curiosity about the letter he received three weeks after it was dated gets the better of him, he begins to investigate it. It is only natural; as a journalist, his job is to investigate. What he uncovers devastates him and changes him forever: Maria was murdered.
Danny returns to Sierra Leone in an effort to uncover the trouble Maria was in, find out why she needed his help and what exactly the truth is about her murder. His conscience simply won't allow him to do nothing. But will he survive the corruption and evil to tell Maria's story?
THE SECRET KEEPER is journalist Paul Harris's first foray into fiction and he sure knows how to do it in grand style. The Prologue ignites the reader's emotional candle, and Harris doesn't allow it to be extinguished until long after the last page is turned.
The depiction of a Sierra Leone, both as a war-ravaged country and then as a peaceful but corrupt nation is so meticulously developed you can't help but feel as though you are there, walking alongside Danny, a first-time war correspondent, in a land being ravished by its own people.
The intensity of this novel is augmented by the extreme devastation present in Sierra Leone and facing the cast of characters. This is not simply a plot of the white hats against the black hats. And it is not sufficient to say the plot is merely "intense." The blurring lines of good and evil inch the reader closer to the edge of his/her seat, they propel the reader forward through the plot, desperately seeking the seed of all this evil and hoping retribution for all the innocent who are devastated by it lies ahead. Harris's SECRET KEEPER is not one that leaves the reader when he/she reads the final page and closes the book. It echos long after page 318.
In all fairness, I feel I also need to mention what is missing from THE SECRET KEEPER. As a first novel, I could not find any of the awkward dialogue that plagues so many first-time authors. I also could not find a lack of character development or the use of stereotype. The realism of the characters populating THE SECRET KEEPER is incredible. Most of what covers the pages of this novel is content we'd probably like to pretend on a day-to-day basis doesn't exist; like small children who squeeze their eyes shut - we don't see it, so surely it must not exist. But as Harris jars you from the comfort of a highly developed country and drops you smack dab in the middle of chaos, you know, without a doubt that there are many Kams in the world, Major Gbamanja's not an exaggeration, and Rose is a symbol of far, far, far too many mothers.
Read THE SECRET KEEPER with a word of caution. This is a book that will increase your heart rate; it isn't one you will be able to put down; and it certainly isn't one that you will easily be able to forget.
Danny returns to Sierra Leone in an effort to uncover the trouble Maria was in, find out why she needed his help and what exactly the truth is about her murder. His conscience simply won't allow him to do nothing. But will he survive the corruption and evil to tell Maria's story?
THE SECRET KEEPER is journalist Paul Harris's first foray into fiction and he sure knows how to do it in grand style. The Prologue ignites the reader's emotional candle, and Harris doesn't allow it to be extinguished until long after the last page is turned.
The depiction of a Sierra Leone, both as a war-ravaged country and then as a peaceful but corrupt nation is so meticulously developed you can't help but feel as though you are there, walking alongside Danny, a first-time war correspondent, in a land being ravished by its own people.
The intensity of this novel is augmented by the extreme devastation present in Sierra Leone and facing the cast of characters. This is not simply a plot of the white hats against the black hats. And it is not sufficient to say the plot is merely "intense." The blurring lines of good and evil inch the reader closer to the edge of his/her seat, they propel the reader forward through the plot, desperately seeking the seed of all this evil and hoping retribution for all the innocent who are devastated by it lies ahead. Harris's SECRET KEEPER is not one that leaves the reader when he/she reads the final page and closes the book. It echos long after page 318.
In all fairness, I feel I also need to mention what is missing from THE SECRET KEEPER. As a first novel, I could not find any of the awkward dialogue that plagues so many first-time authors. I also could not find a lack of character development or the use of stereotype. The realism of the characters populating THE SECRET KEEPER is incredible. Most of what covers the pages of this novel is content we'd probably like to pretend on a day-to-day basis doesn't exist; like small children who squeeze their eyes shut - we don't see it, so surely it must not exist. But as Harris jars you from the comfort of a highly developed country and drops you smack dab in the middle of chaos, you know, without a doubt that there are many Kams in the world, Major Gbamanja's not an exaggeration, and Rose is a symbol of far, far, far too many mothers.
Read THE SECRET KEEPER with a word of caution. This is a book that will increase your heart rate; it isn't one you will be able to put down; and it certainly isn't one that you will easily be able to forget.
February 20, 2010
War time journalist, Danny Kellerman receives a letter in the mail from an ex-lover. Her name is Maria Consuela Tirado. Maria worked in Africa as an aid worker. Inside the envelope is a note from Maria asking for Danny’s help. Unfortunately as Danny is reading the letter, Maria is already dead.
Danny books the first flight out of London to Africa. He has to know what happened to Maria. Once in Africa, Danny is greeted by an old friend, Kam. When Danny learns that Maria was murdered, his reporter instincts kick in. Danny is on the trail of one of the biggest stories of his career.
Mr. Harris’s experience as a journalist covering the Sierra Leone war in Africa really was the meat that made The Secret Keeper so wonderfully good. His first hand knowledge of basing this book on what he saw, really made this story come alive. Instantly, I was transported to Africa…following in Danny’s footsteps every step of the way. This book switched back and forth between the past and the present and it did it very well. Mr. Harris put real emotions to his characters. They were not one dimensional. Anyone looking to read a really good book that has adventure, romance, great characters, and a author who knows how to write…then you have to check out The Secret Keeper by Paul Harris.
Danny books the first flight out of London to Africa. He has to know what happened to Maria. Once in Africa, Danny is greeted by an old friend, Kam. When Danny learns that Maria was murdered, his reporter instincts kick in. Danny is on the trail of one of the biggest stories of his career.
Mr. Harris’s experience as a journalist covering the Sierra Leone war in Africa really was the meat that made The Secret Keeper so wonderfully good. His first hand knowledge of basing this book on what he saw, really made this story come alive. Instantly, I was transported to Africa…following in Danny’s footsteps every step of the way. This book switched back and forth between the past and the present and it did it very well. Mr. Harris put real emotions to his characters. They were not one dimensional. Anyone looking to read a really good book that has adventure, romance, great characters, and a author who knows how to write…then you have to check out The Secret Keeper by Paul Harris.
July 11, 2010
This is one of those stories that some will love and others will find it too emotional to bear. It touches on subjects that, I find, are taboo over here in my country. You don't hear enough about the wars in Africa, the diamond mines, or the politics, and this book touches on all of it.
I really loved the story, though it took me a while to read. It was the nature of the tale that I had to get through. I hate knowing these stories are fiction here, but happen in real life, and there is not much we can do about it.
A truly amazing story, one that should be heard. We all need to find the humanitarian in us, and try to make the world a better place before it's too late. This story reminds of us just that!
(3.5/5)
I really loved the story, though it took me a while to read. It was the nature of the tale that I had to get through. I hate knowing these stories are fiction here, but happen in real life, and there is not much we can do about it.
A truly amazing story, one that should be heard. We all need to find the humanitarian in us, and try to make the world a better place before it's too late. This story reminds of us just that!
(3.5/5)
April 12, 2010
British ad hoc-war journalist in Sierra Leone. A love story. A travel book. Humanitarian volunteers. Expats. Mercenaries. The media. Much despair. Much blood. Much pain. Much beauty. Much joy. Much hope.
I felt quesy when I was struck with the knowledge of who the torturer must be, the last part of the way through the book, as the story began to go down a terrible road that would never admit a sane or safe return. Wait, now I know the reason why, as well. (The author had to spoon-feed the knowledge to me.)
The edition I read was the Advance Uncorrected Proofs - Not For Sale.
I felt quesy when I was struck with the knowledge of who the torturer must be, the last part of the way through the book, as the story began to go down a terrible road that would never admit a sane or safe return. Wait, now I know the reason why, as well. (The author had to spoon-feed the knowledge to me.)
The edition I read was the Advance Uncorrected Proofs - Not For Sale.
June 14, 2009
Wow! A great first book for this author. Must be read in chunks to get the full-effect. Worth every page! I could not put it down: love + mystery + historical fiction==a must-read! I had to give it five-stars b/c 4stars did not seem to be enough. Let me know what you think about it~~
February 8, 2012
pretty good story and well written but i got very frustrated with the narrator and his stupid choices. plus i am very angry that the author uses the stupid trope that all aid workers who are American work for the CIA. this makes us targets and is not true!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2009
A great read , and very informative about the civil war in Sierra Leon and the "boy soldiers" taken from their families to murder at random. It's an A/A+.
June 5, 2009
I have gotten fairly good at choosing books that I know I will like. Occasionally I come across a book that proves to be disappointing, but, fortunately, that was not the case with Paul Harris’ The Secret Keeper. Far from it. The novel held me in suspense throughout and had me thinking of it even when I was unable to read. I even dreamt of Sierra Leone one night; I was stopping at checkpoint after checkpoint on my way out of Freetown for a purpose I did not know.
Danny Kellerman at least had a purpose. He had snagged an assignment in the war torn country of Sierra Leone, his own dream come true. It was a promise of excitement and to be right in the middle of something big. A place where he could make a name for himself. His life was irrevocably changed by his experiences in Sierra Leone. He saw the unimaginable, the horrors of war, and it hit way too close to home.
Seeking normalcy, Danny returned to his life in London. He settled into life with a new girlfriend, Rachel, and continued to work at the paper. His relationship with his ailing father continued to leave a sour taste in his mouth, the two never quite being able to see eye to eye. Danny thought his life was going along okay, even despite the emptiness he felt; at least until he received a letter in the mail from a long lost friend.
Maria Consuelo Tirado had been the one. He had once thought she was the love of his life; only their lives had taken them in completely different directions. Maria’s ties to Sierra Leone bound her there while Danny was only too eager to get away after the civil war at last seemed to come to an end. Her letter, however, called him back. Maria needed his help. She was in trouble. Danny was at first reluctant to go, but after learning that she had been killed in a roadside robbery, he knew he had to convince his editor to let him go back to Sierra Leone. Even if it put his relationship with Rachel in jeopardy, he had to find the truth. Was Maria’s death a simple case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time or was it a planned murder?
The country had changed much since his last visit there four years before. And yet, it had changed so little. His old friend and guide, Kam, seemed to have prospered during Danny’s absence, while Danny’s friend Ali Alhoun worried about his business in a country that was fast becoming unfriendly to “foreigners”.
I really liked reading about the journalists’ interactions with each other and seeing them in action. There was a definite competitive edge, but there also seemed to be a camaraderie between them—they helped each other out and looked after each other.
Perhaps it will come as no surprise that what drew me most to the story was that of the child soldiers. War is such an ugly thing and to bring children into it is unimaginable to many of us. And yet it happens. Children are ripped from their families and forced into service as soldiers, sometimes, often times, being asked to do terrible things. One of the most heart wrenching stories in the novel is of a mother separated from her son after having lost all of her other children. The details of it made me mad and oh so sad. Unfortunately, stories like that are all too true.
Maria worked with child soldiers, trying to rehabilitate them; she was an U.S. aide worker, very passionate about her job. While others looked at these young men and saw only cold blooded killers, she saw children whose childhoods had been completely stolen away. They and their families were victims of a terrible war. It is no wonder Danny fell head over heels for Maria. She was beautiful, strong and independent, not afraid to stand up for what she believed in.
I liked Danny right from the start. He was troubled and flawed. He was never cocky, just confident. He was smart and thoughtful. When he had first arrived in Sierra Leone during the war, he was still a bit idealistic and caught up in the euphoria of a new experience, not to mention being in the middle of a situation that was a constant adrenalin rush. Even the more experienced journalists were not immune to it. Paul Harris captured that so well in his writing. The author also painted a realistic picture of an older Danny. He’d lived a lifetime during his short time in Sierra Leone. The weight of his experiences was heavy on his shoulders, and Harris made me feel that. I felt Danny’s confusion and grief as well as his rage.
Another aspect of the novel that especially interested me was the setting of Sierra Leone. I was not too familiar with Sierra Leone until I saw the movie Blood Diamond. After seeing it, I researched the country and its history, trying to find out what was true and what was fiction, and to try to gain a better understanding of what was really going on there. It was interesting to read about Harris’ Sierra Leone in The Secret Keeper. I could feel the heat beating down on me just as Danny could. I especially liked the juxtaposition of the old Sierra Leone with the new, as Harris weaved the past with the present throughout the novel.
There is so much I want to say about this novel. There was so much to it, but then you might not want to read the book if I give it all away! It is not just a mystery thriller. There is certainly mystery and plenty of suspense, but I think the underlying stories of the characters, their relationships and their personal struggles are very much a part of what makes this book great. I loved how the author demonstrated that nothing in the world is black and white. Nothing is as simple as it may seem. People are complex as are the situations they may find themselves in.
Paul Harris has earned a place on my must read list. I wish he’d hurry up and finish his next book so I can read it.
Danny Kellerman at least had a purpose. He had snagged an assignment in the war torn country of Sierra Leone, his own dream come true. It was a promise of excitement and to be right in the middle of something big. A place where he could make a name for himself. His life was irrevocably changed by his experiences in Sierra Leone. He saw the unimaginable, the horrors of war, and it hit way too close to home.
Seeking normalcy, Danny returned to his life in London. He settled into life with a new girlfriend, Rachel, and continued to work at the paper. His relationship with his ailing father continued to leave a sour taste in his mouth, the two never quite being able to see eye to eye. Danny thought his life was going along okay, even despite the emptiness he felt; at least until he received a letter in the mail from a long lost friend.
Maria Consuelo Tirado had been the one. He had once thought she was the love of his life; only their lives had taken them in completely different directions. Maria’s ties to Sierra Leone bound her there while Danny was only too eager to get away after the civil war at last seemed to come to an end. Her letter, however, called him back. Maria needed his help. She was in trouble. Danny was at first reluctant to go, but after learning that she had been killed in a roadside robbery, he knew he had to convince his editor to let him go back to Sierra Leone. Even if it put his relationship with Rachel in jeopardy, he had to find the truth. Was Maria’s death a simple case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time or was it a planned murder?
The country had changed much since his last visit there four years before. And yet, it had changed so little. His old friend and guide, Kam, seemed to have prospered during Danny’s absence, while Danny’s friend Ali Alhoun worried about his business in a country that was fast becoming unfriendly to “foreigners”.
I really liked reading about the journalists’ interactions with each other and seeing them in action. There was a definite competitive edge, but there also seemed to be a camaraderie between them—they helped each other out and looked after each other.
Perhaps it will come as no surprise that what drew me most to the story was that of the child soldiers. War is such an ugly thing and to bring children into it is unimaginable to many of us. And yet it happens. Children are ripped from their families and forced into service as soldiers, sometimes, often times, being asked to do terrible things. One of the most heart wrenching stories in the novel is of a mother separated from her son after having lost all of her other children. The details of it made me mad and oh so sad. Unfortunately, stories like that are all too true.
Maria worked with child soldiers, trying to rehabilitate them; she was an U.S. aide worker, very passionate about her job. While others looked at these young men and saw only cold blooded killers, she saw children whose childhoods had been completely stolen away. They and their families were victims of a terrible war. It is no wonder Danny fell head over heels for Maria. She was beautiful, strong and independent, not afraid to stand up for what she believed in.
I liked Danny right from the start. He was troubled and flawed. He was never cocky, just confident. He was smart and thoughtful. When he had first arrived in Sierra Leone during the war, he was still a bit idealistic and caught up in the euphoria of a new experience, not to mention being in the middle of a situation that was a constant adrenalin rush. Even the more experienced journalists were not immune to it. Paul Harris captured that so well in his writing. The author also painted a realistic picture of an older Danny. He’d lived a lifetime during his short time in Sierra Leone. The weight of his experiences was heavy on his shoulders, and Harris made me feel that. I felt Danny’s confusion and grief as well as his rage.
Another aspect of the novel that especially interested me was the setting of Sierra Leone. I was not too familiar with Sierra Leone until I saw the movie Blood Diamond. After seeing it, I researched the country and its history, trying to find out what was true and what was fiction, and to try to gain a better understanding of what was really going on there. It was interesting to read about Harris’ Sierra Leone in The Secret Keeper. I could feel the heat beating down on me just as Danny could. I especially liked the juxtaposition of the old Sierra Leone with the new, as Harris weaved the past with the present throughout the novel.
There is so much I want to say about this novel. There was so much to it, but then you might not want to read the book if I give it all away! It is not just a mystery thriller. There is certainly mystery and plenty of suspense, but I think the underlying stories of the characters, their relationships and their personal struggles are very much a part of what makes this book great. I loved how the author demonstrated that nothing in the world is black and white. Nothing is as simple as it may seem. People are complex as are the situations they may find themselves in.
Paul Harris has earned a place on my must read list. I wish he’d hurry up and finish his next book so I can read it.
March 18, 2017
Danny must be the worst journalist ever. He gets back to Africa to investigate Maria's death, and he spends all of his time getting drunk at Ali's or at the bar. When he's not drinking he confronts and threatens the ex-military leaders of the new government. Finally Kam introduces him to Maria's former co-worker, Rose. Wouldn't an investigative reporter START with her co-workers and friends?
The constantly switching timeline between 2000 and 2004 was very confusing. Since 2000 wasn't a flashback, the book would have been better told in straight chronological order.
Maria being CIA was totally unbelievable. It was completely unrealistic and not in keeping with her character.
Starting out the book with the torture scene felt kind of cheap because he didn't pick it up again until the book's very final pages. I kept waiting for him to resume at that point and was put off by how long it took. The opening would have been perfect with just Maria's letter.
He's a good writer, but this book had several flaws.
The constantly switching timeline between 2000 and 2004 was very confusing. Since 2000 wasn't a flashback, the book would have been better told in straight chronological order.
Maria being CIA was totally unbelievable. It was completely unrealistic and not in keeping with her character.
Starting out the book with the torture scene felt kind of cheap because he didn't pick it up again until the book's very final pages. I kept waiting for him to resume at that point and was put off by how long it took. The opening would have been perfect with just Maria's letter.
He's a good writer, but this book had several flaws.
August 25, 2017
This story takes place in Sierra Leone as Danny Kellerman is a war correspondent. He falls in love with a child aid worker named Maria. He returns to London and receives a letter from Maria saying that she is in trouble and needs his help, and so the story evolves. Full of sad events that war brings.
May 10, 2017
Read for a challenge, it was okay.
January 17, 2020
Paul Harris definitely surprised me! I could not believe this was his first book. It read as though a seasoned writer wrote it.
July 4, 2023
Page turner
Sierra Leone civil war
Sierra Leone civil war
June 22, 2013
THE SECRET KEEPER opens with a torture scene and quickly grabbed my attention. Not that I like torture, but the fact I wanted to know the why and the who and the what had me up late turning the pages.
British Journalist Danny Kellerman was sent to Sierra Leone four years ago. A place where rebels rule, it was simplistic and cruel. There, he fell in love with American Maria, a relief worker who aids and rescues children. But when the fighting was over, Danny returned to England without Maria.
Four years later, Danny is happy playing house with his girlfriend Rachel until he receives the letter. It's from Maria and she begs for his help. Danny is unsure of what to do, so he googles her name on a whim and is stunned at the results. Maria has been killed by a band of bandits. Danny uses his journalistic connections to be sent back to Sierra Leone, promising a story on his return.
But what Danny finds on his return there is not as it was when he left. The area may seem like it has moved forward into the new century with less fighting and more technology, but Danny digs deeper sensing something awry. Those he counted as friends he finds are corrupt and those that led the rebellion four years ago now hold high ranks in politics. Danny is determined to investigate Maria's murder, but can find no help in any quarter.
A thrilling page-turner set against the backdrop of Africa lends details and credence to the plot that has a shocking, yet satisfying ending. Obviously Mr. Harris's own work as a journalist lent credibility to his first work, as the details are very authentic. For a debut novel, it is simply a stunning and haunting work. I finished it a few days ago, and still the story is fresh in my mind. The politics took me a little while to wrap my head around and get straight, but Mr. Harris lead the path in a simple way for me to understand that really added a punch to the storyline. Wonderful characters, a thrilling adventure, and romance blend together perfectly for THE SECRET KEEPER.
British Journalist Danny Kellerman was sent to Sierra Leone four years ago. A place where rebels rule, it was simplistic and cruel. There, he fell in love with American Maria, a relief worker who aids and rescues children. But when the fighting was over, Danny returned to England without Maria.
Four years later, Danny is happy playing house with his girlfriend Rachel until he receives the letter. It's from Maria and she begs for his help. Danny is unsure of what to do, so he googles her name on a whim and is stunned at the results. Maria has been killed by a band of bandits. Danny uses his journalistic connections to be sent back to Sierra Leone, promising a story on his return.
But what Danny finds on his return there is not as it was when he left. The area may seem like it has moved forward into the new century with less fighting and more technology, but Danny digs deeper sensing something awry. Those he counted as friends he finds are corrupt and those that led the rebellion four years ago now hold high ranks in politics. Danny is determined to investigate Maria's murder, but can find no help in any quarter.
A thrilling page-turner set against the backdrop of Africa lends details and credence to the plot that has a shocking, yet satisfying ending. Obviously Mr. Harris's own work as a journalist lent credibility to his first work, as the details are very authentic. For a debut novel, it is simply a stunning and haunting work. I finished it a few days ago, and still the story is fresh in my mind. The politics took me a little while to wrap my head around and get straight, but Mr. Harris lead the path in a simple way for me to understand that really added a punch to the storyline. Wonderful characters, a thrilling adventure, and romance blend together perfectly for THE SECRET KEEPER.
February 23, 2009
The Secret Keeper[return][return]Harris doesn t waste any time shocking you into a compelling need to continue as the opening chapter captivates your attention to read on. The Secret Keeper is a transcontinental consummate adventure thriller traversing between London and Sierra Leone. In London, Danny Kellerman receives a cryptic letter of desperation from his ex-lover Maria. He is a journalist who four years earlier reported on the political upheaval in Sierra Leone where he met Maria. The postmark is three weeks earlier and all sense of reality disappears when he discovers that he is too late and Maria is dead, a victim of a robbery and murder while driving in the country. [return]He manages to convince his boss their is a story lurking behind the letter he received and he is soon on board a plane to Freetown. As his plane takes off his thoughts are on everything but his current relationship with Rachel.Kellerman finds a vastly changed Sierra Leone, peace has won over the war torn countryside, but in its place a sea of secrets, corruption, collusion, mistrust and an endless struggle for power by a host of candidates emerges. Further, Danny uncovers distressing information that indicates Maria may have been keeping secrets. Faced with a soul searching decision in the first chapter, Harris revisits the scene in the end where Danny is held captive. He is forced to decide whether revealing the truth, printing the truth-is worth the potential wretched ramifications of his obdurate actions. [return]Harris s poetic prose style lends itself to a one night read. You will see as I did putting this book down for even a moment is quite difficult. His prolific use of carefully placed similes, paints a vibrant palette of imagery bringing the reader into the story. [return]This debut novel, will cause a few white knuckle moments, you won t want to miss it. Paul Harris is a novelist to watch and anxiously await his next book. [return][return]Wisteria Leigh
September 29, 2012
A journalist gets a letter requesting his help from a girl he had fallen in love with in Sierra Leone in 2000, back when he was covering the war. Abandoning his current girlfriend and family, he sets out to help her, only to discover that she has been killed. Her death leads him on a hunt for the truth in Sierra Leone, where bad people are in control. This book was hard to put down. I never knew what was going to happen next - incredible flow during the chapters. There is a lot of back and forth action between when they met in 2000 and what happened before he was captured in 2004. That was hard to keep up with. I had to keep going back to the beginning of the chapters or the end of chapters to piece it together. Still, this was an incredible book! (Lot of bad language though.)
June 21, 2013
The book jumps back and forth between the past and present so one has to pay attention to what is going on. Having read quite a few books about Africa and her wars/power struggles, I was prepared for evil and corruption. There was certainly plenty in this story. Throughout the entire book, the reader is kept on the edge, not totally sure about who is trustworthy and who is behind a façade. The book ending is probably closer to reality than what one would hope...when faced with two bad choices, Danny must pick one and live with it. The author weaves the "evil prospers when good people do nothing" theme throughout. In the end, who is "the secret keeper"? Is it Maria, is it Harvey, is it Danny?
July 5, 2009
This was good, but some of the scenes he witnesses/describes are so disturbing they are difficult to shake. I thought it was pretty engagin, but the bok jumps back and forth between two different times and when reading short sections, it could be difficult to remember where you were. Still I thought it was a very interesting story.
May 3, 2010
This thriller takes place during and in the aftermath of the Sierra Leone civil war. Like the author, the protagonist is a British journalist who gets drawn deeper into the conflict than he would have liked. His obsessiveness and self-righteousness are a bit annoying, but on the whole the novel is a good read with plenty of action, suspense and local color.
May 19, 2010
I can't resist novels about Africa but while this Sierra Leone-based story is an improvement on Blood Diamonds, it continues a tradition of Westerners working out their identity crises in Africa while the Africans get stuck with bit parts and stereoptypical roles. Harris has a great move script here and there are even a few redemptive moments.
February 5, 2010
This was a well-written glimpse into the politics and corruption of Sierra Leone. Engaging story-line. I'd like to think that literary license resulted in exaggerated reporting of events, however I suspect that such things and worse make up the region's history.
Read
July 25, 2011I found this story to be much more compelling than I had anticipated. Harris's story of murder, espionage, and manipulation within war-ravaged Sierra Leone is a real page turner. Not the most elegant prose, but a good narrative plot.
January 13, 2013
A difficult book to read, but well written. I feel an obligation to read literature that expand my understanding of how the world is different from my own experience. The fact that the author himself was a war correspondent in Africa lend legitimacy to his novel.
January 25, 2016
This book takes place in Sierra Leone between 2000 and 2004. The descriptions captured me and felt very authentic. I was constantly reminded of my years in Togo West Africa.
It is a mystery told by a journalist. Very interesting, suspenseful and sometimes moving.
It is a mystery told by a journalist. Very interesting, suspenseful and sometimes moving.
February 26, 2016
This is actually a good story but it is written by a career journalist rather than a novelist. In this case, it leaves nearly every page wanting for detail. I also got the impression that it was written by a man (it was) for men as a target audience. 2 1/2 stars
Want to read
May 28, 2009
April 9, 2009
Read as an ARC for review. The constant shifting of time was confusing. There was not enough difference to allow me to know which year I was in.
May 19, 2009
I'm hosting this book and author on my blog in a couple of weeks. Be sure to visit then to see what I liked and didn't like about this book!
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