The Brothers Kenny
Adam Mitzner
240 pages
Mystery
“you’re going to run with your heart…you’re going to be unstoppable”
This is the story of the unbreakable bonds between brothers. Sean Kenny, a thirty-seven-year-old former Olympic track runner aspirant, is depressed after not qualifying. From childhood, Sean’s dream has been to make the Olympics. Sean and his wife are divorced, he is alienated from his family. He returns home after receiving word his oldest brother, Michael is dead at his own hand by gun shot. He died on his thirty-ninth birthday.
He has fences to mend with his sister’s family, his children, his ex-wife and a former girlfriend. He is inundated with memories of when he ran track in high school. He must face the role running track played in his life. Sean was envious of his older brother at the same time he respected him. Sean does not believe his brother committed suicide. He wants to remove the tarnish from his brother Michael’s name. He begins investigating on his own although his family disapproves. He is sure his brother was murdered. The police have already decided it was a suicide. If Sean is wrong, he is jeopardizing his renewed relationship with his family; even his sister, Kate, and his brother’s wife, Jenny, will not even consider Michael’s death could have been anything other than suicide.
There is always a deep connection between family members even when there are disagreements. This tale is told through Sean’s perspective. There are several sensitive subjects discussed such as suicide, rejection, broken dreams and damaged family bonds.

Thank you NetGalley for the review copy.

By Tom Mayer
tmayer@cullmantimes.com

Review
If you missed the recent, rocketing surges of AI stocks such as Nvidia or Advanced Micro Devices, you might be a bit late for the party. But not so Mark Greaney. Greaney’s 13th Gray Man novel, “The Chaos Agent” (Berkley), dropped just as things were heating up on Wall Street in late February with a thriller that couldn’t be more prescient.

With the premise of a tech company and its mastermind billionaire building on artificial intelligence platforms to create lethal autonomous weapons — complete with rocket-launching cyber watchdogs, humanoids and other artifices of destruction — the denouement was always going to be a HAL 9000-esque brain threatening to gain sentience.

Like the dozen Gray Man novels before — Court Gentry is the Gray Man, a covert freelance operative once trained by the CIA whose modus operandi falls somewhere between shades of white and black — Greaney handles all of this masterfully, moving us around the underworld with a … love interest (check) … best friend (check) … master nemesis (check) and … national arch enemy (check), in a cinematic scope that feels all too real.

The author is known for getting the details just right — guns in hand are real-world guns, boots on the ground are real-world boots — so the wonder isn’t that the novel brings us to today’s near-precipice of man versus machine, but how quickly we’re actually getting there. So quickly, in fact, that in early March, Vatican News published this story: "Holy See urges ethical oversight of lethal autonomous weapons" on the same day that the Wall Street Journal published the story, "The Pentagon’s Plan for More Ambitious, Affordable Jet Fighters: AI Pilots."

Given that novels are a year or longer in production before publication, and written even earlier, now, that's prescient.

Roundup
Other new titles worth your time (and dollars) this month conveniently adhere to a theme (and you won’t need ChatGPT to help figure out what that is).

“Almost Surely Dead” (Mindy’s Book Studio) by Amina Akhtar is part stalker, part ghost story and all psychological thriller. Akhtar is the author of the best-selling novel “Kismet,” and here offers a story about an extraordinary life that turns into a true crime podcast.

“The Lady in Glass and Other Stories” (Ace) by Anne Bishop collects shorter works set in the author’s most cherished, fantastical worlds, transporting us over a 25-year career of dark fantasy.

“A Haunting in the Arctic” (Berkley paperback) by C.J. Cooke is a dual timeline story with the main thread taking place after an early 20th century, haunting attack aboard the whaling ship Ormen. The wreck washes up a century later on the remote coast of Iceland, bringing to the present a dark past of cruelty and murder.


“Ghost Island” (Berkley) is Max Seeck’s fourth book in Ghosts of the Past, a series that has been building suspense and thrills since the author’s 2020 U.S. debut, “The Witch Hunter.” An atmospheric mystery, the novel is a driving Nordic procedural from the first Finnish author in seven decades to make the New York Times bestseller list.

Reveal
Some the titles I’ll be working on for next in "Review, roundup, reveal and rewind," with the books' scheduled publication dates, include:

“Hello, Alabama”(Arcadia) by Martha Day Zschock, March 4.

“The Unquiet Bones” (Montlake) by Loreth Anne White, March 5.

“I am Rome: A novel of Julius Caesar” (Ballantine Books) by Santiago Posteguillo, March 5.

“Murder Road” (Berkley) by Simone St. James, March 5.

“The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry” (Holiday House) by Anna Rose Johnson, March 5.

“The #1 Lawyer” (Little, Brown and Company) by James Patterson and Nancy Allen, March 18.

“Lilith” (Blackstone) by Eric Rickstad, March 19.

And, watch for a couple of interviews that are also scheduled for March, including “After Annie” (Random House) by Anna Quindlen and “Crocodile Tears Didn’t Cause the Flood” (Montag Press) by Bradley Sides.

Rewind
Finally, in case you missed a few notable titles from earlier in the year:

“Unbound” (Blackstone) by Christy Healy is a tale of betrayal and unrequited romance, with the author bringing Celtic myths into a gender-bent reimagining of “Beauty and the Beast.”

“The Devil’s Daughter” (Blackstone) by Gordon Greisman is solid PI noir and gets a screenwriter’s touch — the author earned an Emmy Award nomination for his NBC mini-series “The Drug Wars: In the Belly of the Beast." Tempering period characters (Thelonious Monk, Marlon Brando) with private investigator Jack Coffey’s search for the daughter of an uptown financier presents a dark story about redemption.

“Masters of the Air” (Blackstone) by Donald Miller isn’t a new book, but it gets a new audio treatment with the addition of narration by veteran raconteur Joe Barrett. Not just for the World War II aficionado, you can find a visual complement to the story with a recently launched Apple TV+ series by the same name.

https://admin-chicago2.bloxcms.com/cullmantimes.com/tncms/admin/action/main/preview/site/opinion/columns/review-roundup-reveal-and-rewind-novel-variations-on-a-theme/article_5fbfe7f8-f703-5dd1-99ae-1ba0b29f2948.html

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Audio for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Stacy Carolin narrates this and does a great job! I recommend the audio book!

Sean Kenny receives news that his brother has committed suicide. He and Michael had a falling out two years ago, but Sean is certain that Michael would never do this. So, he starts to dig.

For me, this was more of a family drama/saga than mystery, which was disappointing. The story does touch on some interesting themes like how people cope with missing out on professional success in sports and the complex relationship between siblings. Also the writing and characters are strong, likable, and enjoyable. The author is very talented and I will definitely continue to read his books. However, there is no mystery here but a contrived fantasy, and the final twist was not believable at all. I think that the story would be improved if the resolution was rooted in reality especially since the initial premise of familial relationships, regrets and remorse was so relatable.

3.5 rounded up.

Sean and Michael Kenney are track stars in their New Jersey hometown. Sean is a U.S. champion, state champion, etc. He goes to the Olympic trials and doesn't make the team. It sends him on a downward spiral such that he moves to Louisiana where he works construction. Until his sister shows up to tell him that his beloved, but estranged brother, Michael has killed himself. Sean doesn't believe it. He spoke to Michael for the first time in two years, on the day Michael died. Sean knows he was murdered.

And so begins they mystery of what really happened to Michael Kenney. Will Sean lose all his remaining family and friends to prove his theory? Is he crazy? Delusional? The answer come and leave you shocked.

I have read most of Adam Mitzner's books and I really enjoy his writing. There is always a twist and always a resolution you never saw coming. This book was no exception. It's very well-written, though a bit of a slow burn at times. If you stick with it, the ending is worth it.

Former star athlete Sean Kenney is brought home from New Orleans by his sister. He has been estranged from everyone in a purgatory of his own making but tragedy has struck the family. His older brother appears to have taken his own life ... Sean for reasons entirely his own is not convinced and sets out on a mission to find either a convincing reason or a clever killer.
I read Adam Mitzner's previous book with a bookclub @getredprbooks #getredprbookclub last year and
"Love, Betrayal, Murder" was engrossing and the author chat moderated by @k2reader was awesome so when I saw the audio for "The Brothers Kenney" | requested it immediately and I was not disappointed-I listened to it in a day inventing chores just to keep listening. The pacing is perfect, and the captivating plot had me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was listening to the audio.
Without giving any spoilers, the twist is most likely going to be different from what you expect, it definitely managed to surprise me and it worked without being completely out of left field! I loved how Sean even got some character growth in and I was rooting for him in the end.
I loved the narration by Stacy Carolan - I saw the story developing before my eyes.
If you enjoy domestic suspense type stories, you will most likely enjoy this one too - this book was out last week - August 13th !
Sean is a runner who shows so much promise everything rides on that special skill and when his hopes and ambitions are not fulfilled he spirals ...

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* kept me on the edge of my seat! great read, didnt want it to end lol

Adam Mitzner's THE BROTHERS KENNEY follows a family with two sons who are runners in school, one of whom has a chance at the Olympics! Thank you to @blackstonepublishing & @netgalley for this title that came out on August 13th.

This is really a story about Sean, the younger brother and his quest for the truth about his older brother's death. Ruled a suicide, Sean doesn't buy it, even though he and Michael are relatively estranged over the years. We see glimpses of the family dynamics as Sean pursues his hunches, all while no one else seems willing to challenge the narrative. What he discovers will continue to push his loyalties to the max.

I found this to be a good story that touched on sibling relationships/rivalry, identity (specifically when wrapped around sports), and a bit on forgiveness. As a 2nd born and the 5th in a family clan, many topics felt familiar to me.

The ultra athleticism did not!

I am good with walking my dog every day. We do not run.

But this is not about running, so even if you don't like running but like family drama mysteries, check this one out! The audio was a great way to enjoy this story while you do your athletic or non-athletic activities!

The Brothers Kenney is a family drama and a mystery. My two favorite genres! I love twofers! A former track star is called home when his father dies. The estranged family member arrives home to find his father who is very much alive. However, his extremely successful brother has committed suicide. Sean delves into the circumstances of his brother's death. I could tell you the rest, but then I'd have to kill you. I am a huge fan of Adam Mitzner. He never disappoints.

This was just okay. Others might be more surprised by the twists at the end but I wasn’t.

If it wasn’t for the twists (that I’d seen coming from the first chapters) I would have described this as a slowish family drama or women’s fiction that happens to be about a male MC.

I have rated this author highly in the past but this one was just so-so for me. I didn’t like any of the characters and it wasn’t as page turning as I hoped. Will still read this author as his books are usually 5-stars for me