Family Tree

by Kerry L. Bringman

Tony Bantini has had a lifetime of bad luck. He lost his mother during childbirth. He lost his older brother in a tragic accident when he was only a boy and his father during a camping trip a few years later. Death continued to follow Tony into high school and then on through college. He was told that his family was cursed. He was told that there were mental health issues with his mother that may be genetic. He discovered that both his dad and his uncle had drinking problems…and maybe so did he. Eventually the truth came out and it was nothing like the stories he was told. A chain of events that shook Tony to his core and made him question everything AND everyone, he believed in.

“One coin…One death.”

Genres: Mystery

314 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 22, 2025

Reviews

[Terri Palermo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book because it was written by a man who grew up near where I did and he mentioned he had published his first novel in a post on Facebook.

I found this book strangely compelling to read. Some parts of it were a bit clunky, where the words didn't flow quite smoothly enough....but I can be very critical because I used to proofread documents for part of my career.

To my surprise, part of the book takes place in Washington State, another place I've lived, and it was fun to recognize some details.
When the story moved to Florida, there were many more details with which I was quite familiar, so that was pretty cool :)
The storyline in itself was very intriguing and I liked the way the author built the story and brought it to its conclusion. There was quite a surprise at the end of the book, one I hadn't been expecting at all!

There are certain sections of the story that could have been fleshed out with more detail and it would have been even more interesting but for a first novel, I think the author did a good job. I love seeing someone pursue their passion and if the author moves on to a sophomore project, my advice might be to get a bit of help with copywriting and editing but to definitely go for it!

[Cheryl Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family Tree by debut author Kerry Bringman is a supernatural thriller that keeps you enthralled and yet very unsettled at the same time as you try and figure out the meaning of the deep mystery surrounding Tony Bantini and his entire “Family Tree.” The story unfolds with precision and care as you come to understand the family curse surrounding Tony and his family and the deeply spiritual battle surrounding him both in the real world and the spiritual realm as well. There are a lot of important themes in this book that had me in tears at times-grief, mental illness, alcoholism, need for control -to name a few. The last third of the book was page turning, spine tingling and had me racing to see how things turned out! If you are a fan of a dark supernatural thriller that keeps those pages turning quickly, then pick this one up- a great read!
Well done to this new author, I’m excited to read more of his books in the future!
5 stars