Sept. 2019 reread has me upgrading the rating to 3.5*. I still have some questions about how Jethri and his adoption by Clan Ixen affects later events but find that his achieving Balance with Ban Jar che'Gaiben was more riveting this time around.

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While I like Jethri and the story, I don't quite see how it fits into the overall series. Perhaps when I read more of the later books it will all come together! ( )

First off I'm about the biggest fan of the Liaden Universe you're going to find. But I have to say that if you aren't pretty well versed in the Liaden Universe, I think you'd be pretty lost reading this book. That being said I enjoyed it. Maybe not as much as [b:Balance Of Trade|1650409|Balance Of Trade (A Liaden Universe Novel)|Sharon Lee|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1387744045s/1650409.jpg|280168]. The reason being that Lee and Miller's books have been getting more difficult to follow, more convoluted as the years have gone on. There were parts of the action that were not totally clear. Lots of intuitive leaps a reader has to make about Liaden customs or Terran customs or Looper customs. Their stories were mores straight forward earlier on. Example the original series of 5 books (books now listed as numbers 8, 9, 10, 11 and 13) with a lot of fast clear action that was easy for any reader to follow. Now I believe that to follow the most recent books you pretty much have to be a student of Liad.

So I did like this book. I loved Jethri in his first book and he continues to grow and evolve here. The character of Norn his adoptive mother is also one of my favorites. You can just feel her presence even when she is not an active part of the story. The Gobelyn family continues to evolve also and I was pleased to see mention of Korval in this book although just a casual mention. I would love it if in future books in this series, Jethri could actively interact with Clan Korval. There was quite a bit of action taking place in this book, learning taking place, new alliances made, old ones reaffirmed and bad guys getting what's coming to them. Still this story is obviously far from done and I hope we don't have to wait another 10 years before we get more of Jethri's story. ( )

Lee, Sharon, and Steve Miller. Trade Secret. Liaden Universe No. 4. Baen, 2013.
If you like a science fiction setting with a well-thought-out timeline and an obvious reading order, stay away from the Liaden universe of Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. Liaden stories are mosaic pieces: they do not make complete sense on their own, and it is anyone’s guess how many pieces it will take to make the whole pattern clear. For example, Balance of Trade, published in 2004, was a coming-of-age story about Jethri, a young Terran trader, who was adopted into a Liaden trading clan. Seven or eight years later, Lee and Miller give us Trade Secret, a direct sequel that explains some of the things that we wanted to know when we read Balance. It also adds details that must be allusions to elements developed in Liaden stories that were written in between the sequels and, for all I know, that foreshadow books still being planned. Judging from the reviews, many Liaden fans thrive on the chaos. I liked Balance a lot. It was a clearly told story with a well-detailed setting and engaging characters. Secret was less neat. Characters seem to have large back stories that are never fully divulged. 3 frustrated stars. ( )

A bit unfocused.

Normally you expect a book to take off like a rocket. You know the standard: write a good opening line that hooks the reader and never let them go. This book is more like a helium balloon. It starts off slowly and then majestically works its way through the various plot points until, POP! The End. ( )

This is the sequel to BALANCE OF TRADE and tells of the further adventures of Jethri Gobelyn on his journey to become a master trader. A lot of this story concerns politics begun by his father Arin Gobelyn and involves the mysterious Uncle and secrets that have been kept from Jethri all of his life.

When he is returned items he inherited from his father by the mother who threw him off his birth ship and seems to want to forget both Arin and Jethri, he comes into conflict with the Scouts who are devoted to locating and destroying all Old Tech and who would really like to know Arin's secret.

When the logbook and fractins he loaned the Scouts are stolen, he goes off with Scout Ter'Astin to try to recover them and to get Balance in the Liaden way. Of course, he is also dealing with his new partner Tan Sim who was sold off by Clan Rinork in the hopes that he would fail as a trader. Tan Sim drops a number of legal issues into Jethri's lap which requires him to contract the services of a Terran lawyer to sort them out and give Jethri a needed legal education as it relates to trade.

Meanwhile, Bar Jan chel'Gaibin is also busy trying to get Balance from Jethri and from Jethri's sister Khat and the rest of the crew of Gobelyn's Market for perceived slights which brings him into conflict with his mother's secret and probably shady plots and causes all sorts of problems for Jethri.

Luckily, Jethri is making friends of his own both among the Liadens and among the Terran traders.

This was an entertaining story which had a lot of politics in it. I like watching Jethri grow up during this one. ( )