The Second Son
GENRE
SUSPENSE / THRILLER ACTION DRAMA
Core Theme
THE CONSEQUENCES OF INVASIVE TECHNOLOGY
TIME PERIOD
Contemporary
COMPARABLE TITLES
SEARCHING, RUNNER RUNNER, LIMITLESS, THE SOCIAL NETWORK
CHARACTER LIST
• ETHAN STONE: 30. LEAD. ENTREPRENEURIAL, DRIVEN LEADER IN SILICON VALLEY.
• JACK STONE: 30. ETHAN’S BROTHER. LONE WOLF, UNDERDOG, CHARMING.
• BROOKE SHAW: 29. ETHAN’S GIRLFRIEND.
• CLINTON GODEAUX: 29. BROOKE’S POWER-HUNGRY BROTHER.
Logline
Young tech entrepreneurs build the ultimate transparency app — Stalker — and one of them is forced to use it when his twin brother and fiancé disappear. The secrets he reveals about them are more twisted than he ever could have imagined, and he has to choose between his faith in people he loves and the technology he designed.
Target Audiences
Age: 18-34
Target Gender: Universal
Setting
California, from Silicon Beach to Silicon Valley
Based on a True Story
No
Publishing Details
Status: Yes: with a Publisher
Publisher: Rare Bird Books
Year Published: 2018
Starting Description
When Ethan Stone's girlfriend dumps him and his twin brother bails for their biggest competitor, he is convinced they ran off together. He uses the Stalker technology he designed to find out, and the secrets he reveals are more twisted than he could ever imagine.
Ending Description
As the story unfolds, we see how truly different the twin brothers are, proving that even the slightest genetic variances make us all completely unique. In the end, the hero learns who to trust and finds true love, but it begs an even bigger question: can we ever know anyone completely?
Group Specific
Information not completed
Hard Copy Available
No
ISBN
Information not completed
Mature Audience Themes
Information not completed
Plot - Other Elements
Twist, Meaningful Message, Philosophical Questions, Happy Ending
Plot - Premise
Quest
Main Character Details
Name: Ethan Stone
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Role: Protagonist
Key Traits: Aspiring, Engaging, Faithful, Funny, Selfless, Sexy, Aggressive, Charming, Heartthrob, Masculine, Romantic, Confident, Educated, Empathetic, Leader, Strong Moral Code, Complex, Skillful
Additional Character Details
Name: Jack Stone
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Role: Skeptic
Key Traits: Complex, Lone Wolf, Perseverance, Underdog, Charming, Educated, Empathetic, Funny, Secretive
Additional Character Details
Name: Brooke Shaw
Age: 29
Gender: Female
Role: Emotional
Key Traits: Beautiful, Charming, Complex, Educated, Engaging, Lone Wolf, Secretive, Adventurous, Strong Moral Code, Visionary, Sexy
Additional Character Details
Name: Clinton Godeaux
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Role: Antagonist
Key Traits: Power-hungry, Seductive, Skillful, Aggressive, Aspiring, Badass, Complex, Crazy, Sophisticated, Unapologetic, Charming, Criminal
Brief
When his twin brother and girlfriend abandon him within a day of each other, a Silicon Valley tech
entrepreneur uses a stalking app he developed to find them, but discovers shocking truths he
never anticipated.
What We Liked
- Clear, consistent thriller tone;
- Expertly intertwines multiple storylines while still remaining true to a single, relatable
protagonist that drives the narrative forward with decisive action.
- Exciting with several twists the audience won't see coming;
- Twins are an intriguing and unique aspect of the narrative;
- The subjects of privacy and technology are extremely timely;
- The ending is satisfying and all questions are answered.
Synopsis
Young tech entrepreneur Ethan Stone is devastated when his twin brother and business partner,
Jack, and Ethan’s British girlfriend, Brooke, leave him within a day of each other. Determined to
find them and suspicious they ran off together, he uses the tech he has developed to track them
down; but he discovers truths about his brother and his love that he never anticipated - including
that the anonymous angel investor of his own company is Brooke’s brother, Clinton. From afar
and unbeknownst to Ethan, Clinton has used Ethan’s tech to find Brooke and order a hit on his
sister.
When Ethan asks his CFO, Bailey, to meet with Clinton in an attempt to help him find Brooke,
Clinton shoots and kills Bailey. Ethan reconnects with Jack. Jack reveals a profound secret that
brings the brothers closer. Jack and Sean help Ethan uncover that Brooke is connected to one of
Sean’s former employees. Brooke has been remotely running her own secret, complicated, and
fascinating tech operation helping people disappear, an independent witness protection type
program.
The bounty hunters that Clinton hired mistake Jack for Ethan. Jack accidentally kills one of them
and goes on the run from the cops. Ethan is arrested and learns the FBI is after Brooke Shaw, a
woman using a false identity to hide from shocking murder charges in the UK. They release him
and clear Jack's name as long as Ethan will help them find her.
Ethan realizes he has to disconnect from all his technology, trust his gut, and trust that Brooke
still loves him in order to find her. He follows clues she leaves behind for him, until he finally
tracks her down at her family’s unclaimed estate in Napa. Jack, Sean, Clinton, the cops, the
bounty hunters, and the FBI all converge upon the estate by the end in a suspenseful, high
tension confrontation that reveals Brooke and Clinton are twins, leaves Clinton dead, Brooke
exonerated, Ethan engaged to Brooke, and Brooke pregnant with twins. What a night.