The Second Son

Martin Jay Weiss

Book Cover

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.

    About The Author

    Martin Jay Weiss (aka Marty Weiss) is an award-winning filmmaker who has written, directed and produced a vast anthology of commercials and films. He has a BS in Journalism from the University of Illinois and an MFA in Film & TV from New York University. Born and raised in Chicago, he now lives in California with his wife and children.