THE BROTHERS KENNEY

4 stars out of 5

After reading and enjoying several books by this talented author, I certainly consider myself a fan. Even if I weren't one before, though, this one would pretty much seal the deal even though it didn't end the way I'd have preferred.

Sean Kenney's older brother, Michael ("Kick") died on his 39th birthday - according to the police, a suicide by gunshot. But Sean, once a hotshot track runner who's been estranged from his brother and largely with his ex-wife Meghan and their two daughters, doesn't buy it. Despite having a relatively solid reason for his disbelief, though, nobody else in the family including their sister Katie and Michael's widow, Jenny, will even entertain the notion that he could have been murdered.

Still, Sean persists; basically, the story follows his attempts to prove that he's right. Along the way, he rehooks up with old flame Rachel - who once was involved with Michael and is at least willing to discuss the possibility. She even offers the services of her firm's private investigator to give more legs to Sean's investigation - which includes family members (okay with me since I didn't find any of them to be someone I'd want to go have a beer with).

The devil is in the details, of course, and also of course, I'm not at liberty to explain them. All in all, the story was engrossing all the way to the end, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review it.

The Brothers Kenney by Adam Mitzner (Blackstone Publishing Inc., August 2024); 240 pp.

LOVE, BETRAYAL, MURDER

4 stars out of 5

When I got to the end of this engrossing book, lyrics from an old country music hit sung by Patty Loveless (written by Kostas Lazarides and Harlan Howard) started rumbling through my brain: "Blame it on your lying, cheating, cold deadbeating, two-timing, double-dealing, mean mistreating loving heart."

Hmmm - I couldn't have summed up this book any better, I thought.

Sexual harassment and the MeToo movement are timely topics to be sure, and they take center stage with a court battle between attorneys Vanessa Lyons and Matthew Brooks. While working on a joint project at the law firm at which both are rising stars, they start an affair despite the fact that Vanessa is married with a young daughter. Oh, that and the fact that Matthew was named a new partner at the most recent annual partners' meeting, and now he's technically Vanessa's supervisor. She, meanwhile, will be up for a partnership at the next go-'round. Under those circumstances, such a relationship violates the firm's strict policy on hanky panky between supervisors and subordinates. Given their assumption that Vanessa's partnership will come to be - both she and Matt have been told on the QT that she's a shoe-in - they decide to hide their illicit affair until after they're on equal footing once again; at that point, the policy won't matter, and they'll both claim nothing was going on before that.

But as we all know, there's many a slip between the cup and the lip; and as it turns out, Vanessa's shoe-in suddenly gets the boot - effectively ending her ascension to the pinnacle of success she's worked so hard to achieve. Why the about-face? In Vanessa's eyes, the affair did her in. The firm, she claims, knew nothing about the affair; whether they suspected it or not isn't grounds for their denial of her partnership. Besides that, Matt, already a partner, escaped free and clear; no harm, no foul when it came to his employment. Especially amid the Harvey Weinstein brouhaha and #MeToo movement, then, what better time to file a sexual harassment lawsuit against the firm?

Once that's resolved (no, I won't say how), though, that slip between cup and lip becomes more like a chasm given a  jaw-dropping roadblock that puts Matt in a hot seat of a different sort. And his situation becomes the focus for the rest of the book, which ends with another surprise (well, okay, I guessed the possibility early on, actually, but it was nonetheless satisfying to have it confirmed). All in all, it grabbed my attention from the beginning and held on to the end. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.  

Love, Betrayal, Murder by Adam Mitzner (Blackstone Publishing, May 2023); 330 pp.

THE PERFECT MARRIAGE

5 stars out of 5

Wildly popular big-name authors included, I can't remember reading four consecutive books by any one of them to which I assigned 5-star ratings. Until now, that is; this is the fourth book I've read by this author, and his winning streak continues. My up-front to end-of-story take? Loved it.

Every single character is flawed - most of them seriously so. And that's a huge part of the appeal, especially as they interact with each other and layers of their backgrounds and personalities are peeled back. Jessica Sommers, you see, is experiencing unadulterated bliss with her husband of just one year, art dealer James (oh wait, perhaps unadulterated isn't the best choice of words; she was married to another man - Wayne - when she started an affair with James, who was married at the time). Jessica and Wayne are the parents of teenage Owen, who has serious health issues; James's ex, Haley, is best described as a bitter, scorned royal witch with a capital B.

At the outset, James's friend Reid Warwick convinces James to help him sell a set of extremely valuable Jackson Pollock sketches; "sketch" may be the operative word here, since the provenance sounds more than a little shaky. But along comes a beautiful female art dealer who's hot to trot, so the deal is off and running, with both James and Reid hoping for a big payday. Then, tragedy strikes in a couple of ways, changing Jessica's family dynamic and outlook for the future as well as that of her son and ex-husband.

And herein is the problem in reviewing this book: There's no way to describe what happens from that point on without revealing too much. Suffice it to say it involves revenge, murder, suspense and a whole lot more - all of which kept me wanting to read nonstop from beginning to end (no, not possible, but know that I gave it my all). Thanks to Amazon First Reads for the chance to take it on a test drive before the official launch. It passed with flying colors!

The Perfect Marriage by Adam Mitzner (Thomas & Mercer, April 2021); 292 pp.

THE BEST FRIEND

5 stars out of 5

Wow. Just wow. Not that I'm terribly surprised, mind you - I've read two other books by this author (although not in this series) and loved them both - but this one pretty much blew me away.

In 1986, struggling defense attorney Clint Broden lands an unexpected client: His best friend, Nick Zamora, who's been charged with the murder of his new wife Carolyn, a successful attorney in her own right. Nick, an aspiring writer, insists he's innocent; out of loyalty if nothing else, Clint agrees to serve as his attorney - even though he has a few misgivings. But he makes his living defending people he strongly suspects are guilty; after all, they, too, are entitled to a fair trial.

What happens in the courtroom changes both men's lives; 30 or so years later, Nick has left New York for Los Angeles, realizing his lifelong dream of becoming a respected writer of novels, screenplays and other lucrative assignments. Clint, who gained fame at the conclusion of Nick's trial, is in demand as well; he and his wife, Anne, have two mostly grown daughters (one a talented singer who takes after her mother) and all's right with both men's worlds.

Until it isn't. What are the chances that lightening will strike twice? Nick and Clint haven't spoken since Nick moved to the other side of the country, but now they must as Nick once again is desperate for legal help from his old friend. But many other things have changed, especially in Clint's mind. Old suspicions die hard (pun intended), so will he be able to let bygones be bygones at any cost? Chapters shift from Clint to Nick to Clint's wife, Anne, giving readers insights into what's really going on (including plenty of surprises). I wish I could be more specific, but revealing much more would spoil the excitement for other readers.

So for now, all I can do is profusely thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy. I'm still trying to catch my breath - highly recommended!

The Best Friend by Adam Mitzner (Thomas & Mercer, April 2020); 319 pp.

A MATTER OF WILL

4 stars out of 5

A fun book for sure: Sort of a "Godfather" meets "Wall Street" that pits wet-behind-the-ears stockbroker Will Matthews with a filthy rich rich stranger who met him at a hockey game and made him an offer he couldn't But as Will Matthews soon learns, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

At first, Will - who is struggling to make his quarterly quota of new clients - is puzzled by the out-of-the-blue attention he gets from Samuel Abaddon (and by proxy, Sam's drop-dead gorgeous girlfriend, Eve). After turning over ludicrous amounts of money to Will to supervise, Sam showers the young man with expensive dinners and other high-priced treats - all with no apparent strings attached. Despite a few "why me" moments, Will can't help but think he's died and gone to heaven.

As all this is going on, lawyer Gwen Lipton is trying to make a name for herself in the huge firm for which she works, but she can't escape the reality that she's just treading water. Needless to say, neither Will nor Gwen have much time for a personal life, but they both turn to dating apps once in a while for quickie meetups that both hope might turn into something more meaningful. And surprise (well, not really) - the two meet up and hit it off. Any real romance, though, is destined for the back burner as Sam's demands on Will's time grow by the minute and Gwen suddenly gets assigned to one of the firm's highest profile cases: defending a movie mogul who's charged with murdering his wife. 

As more and more money comes Will's way, he starts to worry about what he's gotten himself into; but the lure of success, his eternally optimistic outlook and the clearance of each deal by his employer's oversight officers convince him that everything is on the up and up. That is, until it's not; seeing a murder happen opens his eyes to some very unpleasant and unsettling truths. But can he do anything about it? And even if he can, will he?

Most of the story focuses on Will's situation, but I really enjoyed the progress and conclusion of Gwen's murder trial (which plays into the book's ending). My own conclusion is that while I wasn't exactly blown away with excitement, this is an easy-to-read, thoroughly enjoyable book that's a perfect accompaniment for a lounge chair on the beach or in front of a cozy fireplace. My thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

A Matter of Will by Adam Mitzner (Thomas & Mercer, June 2019); 304 pp.

THE GIRL FROM HOME

5 stars out of 5

Right off the bat, I'll admit that feeling sympathy for any kind of Bernie Madoff wannabe who, by his own admission, wants what he wants and will do anything to get it, just isn't in my emotional wheelhouse. Honestly, I never really "liked" Jonathan Caine right up to the end of this book (in fact, especially not at the end). But in the final analysis, that matters not a whit; I thoroughly enjoyed this well-written story that held my attention throughout. 

As Jonathan's efforts to turn a few billion bucks in the market turns nasty, he leaves his trophy wife Natasha at their expensive penthouse condo to attend his 25th high school reunion. There, he spots Jacqueline Williams, who (you guessed it), was well out of the reach of Johnny from the 'hood back then. She's still as gorgeous as ever, and the now filthy rich Jonathan decides to try for what he wants despite being married. As it turns out, she's married as well - to a high school football star with a penchant for spousal abuse. 

That fact only increases Jonathan's intent to conquer, and he's delighted when he finds she's receptive to his attentions. Jackie is unaware, though, of Jonathan's pending financial crisis (which he's kept to himself in the fear that she'll dump his sorry butt), so that revelation looms over their affair. Jonathan does, however, share the fact that his father is on his deathbed - after all, that's just another speed bump in his as perfect as he can make it world. But as their relationship intensifies, Jonathan begins to contemplate what's really important and what he must do if he wants to turn his life around.

That, of course, brings up questions: Is he serious, or are his feelings simply another case of this, too, shall pass? If it's real, how can he and Jackie dump the spouses neither of them wants? Can Johnny avoid life-altering fallout from his financial plunders and blunders? And will he get the comeuppance I think he deserves?

To get those answers, you'll just have to read the book. As for me, I thank the author and publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for a review (it's scheduled for release on April 5, 2016). Now, I'm planning to take a look at the three other law-related books by the author, an attorney himself, BTW: A Conflict of Interest, A Case of Redemption and Losing Faith. 

The Girl From Home by Adam Mitzner (Gallery Books, April 2016); 336 pp.