Adam Mitzner

Nick Zamora and Clint Broden have been buddies since they were fourth-graders in Astoria, Queens. Nick is an aspiring writer and who dates one beautiful and brainy woman after another. Much to everyone's amazement, he marries Carolyn McDermott after a relatively brief romance. Tragically, approximately a month after Nick and his wife return from their honeymoon, Carolyn drowns in the bathtub. Nick is arrested for murder, and Clint, a criminal defense lawyer, agrees to represent him. Broden show more ignores the obvious reason not to take the case. Where his best friend is concerned, Clint cannot be objective.

The first half of this novel by Adam Mitzner starts out predictably, but later becomes more thought-provoking and nuanced. The courtroom scenes are excellent. Fans of legal thrillers will be mesmerized by the manner in which the opposing attorneys try to score points at one other's expense. Clint fights passionately for Nick and hopes that his arguments will be persuasive enough to exonerate his friend.

Little by little, we learn the secrets, innermost thoughts, and motives of the central characters. The author demonstrates that even well-meaning people may behave badly when it suits their purposes. Mitzner withholds key information for quite a while, and then he springs several juicy surprises on us. The final chapters are particularly engrossing, since they touch on such momentous themes as trust, betrayal, forgiveness, and vengeance. "The Best Friend" satisfyingly explores the flaws in America's criminal justice system and sheds light on the ways in which unanticipated problems can threaten even the most loving relationships. show less

I can't remember the last time I disliked a fictional character as much as I dislike Alex Miller. And "dislike" is too mild a word. I spent most of the book thinking that if he was standing in front of me, I'd punch him in the nose. (Disclaimer: I've never punched anyone in my life, but for Alex, I'd make an exception.)

I just couldn't get past his "poor me" self-pity schtick. He had *everything*: a beautiful, loyal, kind, supportive wife. A sweet, healthy daughter. A great career. And still show more he mopes around, depressed and unhappy, and rather than taking responsibility and working on himself, he decides that making goo-goo eyes at his "incredibly sexy" coworker and then eventually jumping into bed with her would be the way to go.

On top of that douchebag move, he treats his client like shit. He goes from believing in the man's innocence to doing a complete 180 based on -- wait for it -- learning that the man was sleeping with Alex's mother for the past thirty-six years. Can we say "hypocrite"?

Yeah. I turned the last page feeling utterly disgusted. With Alex, sure, but also with myself for reading the whole damn book. show less

An astoundingly first chapter that leads right into an astounding book. Author Adam Mitzner pulls no punches; he gets right to it and sets up the uncertainty, confusion, mystery and suspense that will be with you until the equally astounding final chapter. Sean Kenney’s sister Katie travels to New Orleans to bring Sean home to East Carlisle, New Jersey, where their father has died of Alzheimer’s. But it’s a lie, as Sean quickly learns when his father shuffles into the dining room. show more It’s not a complete lie, though; someone has in fact died. Instead of their father, it’s their older brother Michael who has died. Michael, the big success to Sean’s big failure. Sean and Michael have been estranged for two years and Katie knew Sean would never come home if he knew it was Michael that died, especially once he found out that Michael committed suicide. Sean immediately rejects that idea. Why would Michael commit suicide? He had a great job, loving family, beautiful house, everything Sean lost when he could no longer be the track star he once was. If Michael is dead, it’s because someone killed him. Neither Katie nor anyone else will believe Sean is right. He ran away from East Carlisle, has alcohol issues, stability issues, what does he know. Well, what he knows is that Michael – Kick – called him the night he died and said he would see him again. And Kick never lied to Sean.

With that astounding start The Brothers Kenney envelops you in dark foreboding and keeps you off balance. For several chapters I kept hoping that Kick wasn’t really dead; if their father wasn’t maybe he wasn’t either. But he is dead, and everyone but Sean is ready to accept the verdict of suicide and move on.

No one is off limits for Sean’s suspect list. And author Mitzner makes Sean’s suspicions of each person just plausible enough for you to believe it might be so for a while. Michael’s widow Jenny doesn’t seem to be grieving too hard, and she’s awful friendly with Katie’s husband Ben. Is something going on there and Michael needed to be gotten out of the way? Kick told Sean he was in some kind of trouble and things seem a little fishy with Kick’s work colleagues. Bad business deals? Bad business associates? As Sean digs deeper everything and everyone seem shadier and somehow sinister.

As Sean is fumbling through his amateur investigation his personal life is bumping along. His ex-wife Meghan has remarried but she seems ready and willing for Sean to re-establish a relationship with his daughters if he’s sincere and will put in the work. Michael’s ex-girlfriend Rachel and Sean had a thing for a while after Rachel and Michael split up, and Rachel is suddenly back in Sean’s life and acting as if she wants to pick right up again. Sean is hopeful, more hopeful than he’s been in two years, but is it too good to be true? There’s something vague about Rachel, something that doesn’t quite ring true with her stories and the man Dolev she brings in to “help” Sean find the truth.

The Brothers Kenney speeds along, introducing people to wonder about and threads to pull to try and find out what happened, and dives into family relationships and history and wounds that maybe never heal, and distrust that pops up when you least expect it. The last 45 minutes of the book are almost unbearably suspenseful; you think you’ve found the answers – and peace – but you’re still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing for providing an advance copy of The Brothers Kenney via NetGalley. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is well written, smoothly and believably plotted and completely engrossing. I recommend without hesitation that you read it, and that you read author Adam Mitzner’s backlist as well. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own. show less

The structure of this book is interesting - mainly told from the perspective of Ellen, a lawyer asked to represent Paul who fears he is about to be accused of involvement in the disappearance of a woman he works with (and maybe is also sleeping with), and whose sister Charlotte then also goes missing. However, there are chapters from the novel Charlotte was writing and which she gave Ellen to read, which may or may not reflect real life. Then about 2/3 of the way through chapters from the show more perspective of Charlotte's murderer start, and these revisit (and at times repeat) scenes experienced through Ellen's eyes. I felt his chapters started surprisingly early in the novel, and the repetitions could have been handled better.

However, I liked the writing, and it was well-plotted, although there was one big loose end left untied -

SPOILER

what happened to the first missing woman? Did Paul have something to do with it? show less