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Broken Pledges: A Murder Mystery
"...this fleet-footed novel will keep you rooted to your seat until the closing pages...Broken Pledges promises a killer good time!" - Indies Today
Full Review at indiestoday.com/broken-pledges-by-kev...
In this gripping murder mystery, tragedy finds its way to a fraternity at a small town university in Southeastern Pennsylvania. When Scott Dempsey is accused of murdering his pledge brother, he soon learns that he and his Father are related by more than just blood.
"Broken Pledges drops you immediately into the thrilling drama and doesn’t let up."
"One of the best, riveting books I've read in a while. Hard to put down once you start. 5STARS!!"
"Kilgarriff’s balanced and concise writing style creates a fast-moving story that keeps the reader turning the pages to solve the mystery."
_______________
In 1993, while attending South Cuthbert University, Chase Dempsey made the decision to pledge the Kappa Chi Rho Fraternity. It was an enjoyable experience, until a hazing event gone wrong changed his life forever. His pledge brother, Chris Wilbanks, was now dead, and many believed that Chase was to blame. Even after he was cleared of all wrongdoing, the stigma would follow him for years.
Nearly thirty years later, Chase is now a Homicide Detective in Philly, and has put the events of that night behind him, or so he thought. One phone call would thrust Chase back into a world that he hoped to never see again.
His son, Scott Dempsey, now himself a student at SCU and pledging Kappa Chi Rho, has found himself fighting the same battle that his Father fought so many years before. Scott is being investigated for the murder of his own pledge brother. The odds seem staggering. But it soon becomes clear that Scott is being framed.
Chase is now working the most important case of his life - a case that will lead him right back to the one responsible for the death of Chris Wilbanks.
Full Review at indiestoday.com/broken-pledges-by-kev...
In this gripping murder mystery, tragedy finds its way to a fraternity at a small town university in Southeastern Pennsylvania. When Scott Dempsey is accused of murdering his pledge brother, he soon learns that he and his Father are related by more than just blood.
"Broken Pledges drops you immediately into the thrilling drama and doesn’t let up."
"One of the best, riveting books I've read in a while. Hard to put down once you start. 5STARS!!"
"Kilgarriff’s balanced and concise writing style creates a fast-moving story that keeps the reader turning the pages to solve the mystery."
_______________
In 1993, while attending South Cuthbert University, Chase Dempsey made the decision to pledge the Kappa Chi Rho Fraternity. It was an enjoyable experience, until a hazing event gone wrong changed his life forever. His pledge brother, Chris Wilbanks, was now dead, and many believed that Chase was to blame. Even after he was cleared of all wrongdoing, the stigma would follow him for years.
Nearly thirty years later, Chase is now a Homicide Detective in Philly, and has put the events of that night behind him, or so he thought. One phone call would thrust Chase back into a world that he hoped to never see again.
His son, Scott Dempsey, now himself a student at SCU and pledging Kappa Chi Rho, has found himself fighting the same battle that his Father fought so many years before. Scott is being investigated for the murder of his own pledge brother. The odds seem staggering. But it soon becomes clear that Scott is being framed.
Chase is now working the most important case of his life - a case that will lead him right back to the one responsible for the death of Chris Wilbanks.
315 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 4, 2021
35 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Kilgarriff
2 books1 followerKevin Kilgarriff is a fiction writer and the author of Broken Pledges©,
Available Now
.
He currently resides in Bucks County, PA with his wife and daughter, two cats, and two hamsters, whom he has had no success in telling apart (the hamsters, that is). Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, he was the youngest of three brothers.
With his closest sibling being five years older than him, and the other seven years older, Kevin would often be forced to “use his imagination” when it came to entertaining himself, and he often found himself visiting strange worlds within his mind. It would be these worlds that would end up being the foundation for his writing today.
He currently resides in Bucks County, PA with his wife and daughter, two cats, and two hamsters, whom he has had no success in telling apart (the hamsters, that is). Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, he was the youngest of three brothers.
With his closest sibling being five years older than him, and the other seven years older, Kevin would often be forced to “use his imagination” when it came to entertaining himself, and he often found himself visiting strange worlds within his mind. It would be these worlds that would end up being the foundation for his writing today.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 11, 2021
BROKEN PLEDGES was a wonderful crime thriller with two mysteries to solve, set decades apart. Chase Dempsey is pledging a fraternity at a university in rural Pennsylvania. He’s part of a small pledge class with only two pledge brothers. When they are taken out into the woods in the middle of the night, something goes terribly wrong. His pledge brother Chris winds up dead. And Chase is accused of murder.
Thirty years later, Chase is a homicide detective in Philadelphia and his son Scott is heading off to the same college… and winds up pledging the same fraternity. When a night of partying results in one pledge dead and another unconscious in the hospital, Scott is the key suspect. Chase has to work to clear Scott, who he believes is being framed because of what happened to him over 30 years ago. I really enjoyed this book, which was richly detailed, included touches of campus life, was well paced and was an enjoyable crime thriller. There were some good twists as all three members of the Dempsey family plus Scott’s girlfriend Sydney worked to figure out the two mysteries—what happened 30 years ago, and what happened in the present day, and how they were connected. I had my suspicions, but I still wound up being surprised by one of the mystery threads! I enjoyed the ending. An excellent thriller.
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
Thirty years later, Chase is a homicide detective in Philadelphia and his son Scott is heading off to the same college… and winds up pledging the same fraternity. When a night of partying results in one pledge dead and another unconscious in the hospital, Scott is the key suspect. Chase has to work to clear Scott, who he believes is being framed because of what happened to him over 30 years ago. I really enjoyed this book, which was richly detailed, included touches of campus life, was well paced and was an enjoyable crime thriller. There were some good twists as all three members of the Dempsey family plus Scott’s girlfriend Sydney worked to figure out the two mysteries—what happened 30 years ago, and what happened in the present day, and how they were connected. I had my suspicions, but I still wound up being surprised by one of the mystery threads! I enjoyed the ending. An excellent thriller.
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
September 12, 2021
I was hooked from page one! A great murder mystery that begins with Chase in the early 90's. A pledge brother is murdered and he is the last one to see him alive, only problem he was blindfolded and has no idea who did it. Fast forward nearly 30 years, his son, Scott, is now pledging the same frat at the same college. The unthinkable happens, another murder of a pledge brother. His son is now the main suspect. How could this happen, is it a pure coincidence or do father and son share some dark secrets? Great characters you instantly bond with. The setting was so well described, you felt like you were going to school there. The mystery is deep and there are several you think might be involved, but it's written well enough, that you have to keep guessing. I loved it and read it in a day! Wonderful first novel, can't wait to see what else he writes in the future.
January 22, 2022
My college experience was atypical. As such, I was never in a Greek fraternity, but several of my friends from high school were. I’d heard stories from them, but I suspect there were a lot more that were left out. I have been fascinated with the Greek life, however, and Broken Pledges by Kevin Kilgarriff certainly satiated my need to know more.
The novel begins with a history lesson, one that I was most appreciative of. You can skip that part if you’re already super knowledgeable about Greek fraternities and sororities, but I do not recommend it. I believe the introduction sets the scene perfectly and immediately immerses the reader in the Kilgarriff’s world so that when first chapter kicks off, we’re already there.
Broken Pledges is a mystery/thriller novel, one of the few genres I enjoy which are not rooted in speculative fiction. The story follows two paths which intersect right away: the false accusations of murder suffered by a fraternity pledge and the mirror accusations levied against his own son twenty-eight years later. The set up is nicely done and left a mystery that stayed with me until the end.
Unlike some mystery novels, I was not able to guess the ending until, well, the ending. To me, this is the hallmark of a good mystery novel. If I figured it out by the middle, I’m left skimming to the end. I did not do that with Broken Pledges. I had to know what really happened and I had to have a resolution I was satisfied with. Kilgarriff weaved in enough red herrings for me to keep wondering about who did what and, more importantly, why.
The only story fault I could find with the novel had to do with the town police and the reporter While it is not always necessary to fully flush out side characters, these were too one-dimensional and not as convincing as I would have liked. Nevertheless, it did not detract too much from the story.
Overall, Broken Pledges is a quick, engaging and exciting read, one that I fully recommend to fans of straight-forward mystery novels. I look forward to more from Kilgarriff in the future.
The novel begins with a history lesson, one that I was most appreciative of. You can skip that part if you’re already super knowledgeable about Greek fraternities and sororities, but I do not recommend it. I believe the introduction sets the scene perfectly and immediately immerses the reader in the Kilgarriff’s world so that when first chapter kicks off, we’re already there.
Broken Pledges is a mystery/thriller novel, one of the few genres I enjoy which are not rooted in speculative fiction. The story follows two paths which intersect right away: the false accusations of murder suffered by a fraternity pledge and the mirror accusations levied against his own son twenty-eight years later. The set up is nicely done and left a mystery that stayed with me until the end.
Unlike some mystery novels, I was not able to guess the ending until, well, the ending. To me, this is the hallmark of a good mystery novel. If I figured it out by the middle, I’m left skimming to the end. I did not do that with Broken Pledges. I had to know what really happened and I had to have a resolution I was satisfied with. Kilgarriff weaved in enough red herrings for me to keep wondering about who did what and, more importantly, why.
The only story fault I could find with the novel had to do with the town police and the reporter While it is not always necessary to fully flush out side characters, these were too one-dimensional and not as convincing as I would have liked. Nevertheless, it did not detract too much from the story.
Overall, Broken Pledges is a quick, engaging and exciting read, one that I fully recommend to fans of straight-forward mystery novels. I look forward to more from Kilgarriff in the future.
April 23, 2022
Kevin Kilgarriff’s “Broken Pledges” is an unforgettable reading experience; a fast-paced murder mystery in a college town over two generations. The book’s title suggests a double meaning: human pledges who get broken and verbal pledges that get broken.
Kevin hooks the reader from the beginning with many events authentically described in the story - college life and pledging a fraternity. But this story unveils much more and is for anyone who likes fast-moving and complicated mysteries and “who done its."
The novel’s premise involves a father and son, Chase and Scott Dempsey who attend the same college and pledge the same fraternity although twenty years apart. The similarities continue as both have been or are accused of murdering fraternity pledge brothers. The first murder remained unsolved with many townspeople still believing Chase’s guilt. The outlook for Scott looks like a “Yogi Berra” moment -deja vu all over again and the evidence appears compelling.
Although the murders seem unrelated to each other, the author weaves a riveting tale of intersecting motives involving friendship, jealousy, revenge, conflicting interests, and dark secrets. Unexpected alliances form as the father/son team face investigation by the police, college administrators, journalists, and other interested parties. All these persons have their motives for punishing the Dempsey family.
To add complexity, the father, a detective, vows justice for his son. Chase (with his wife and Scott’s girl friend as allies) under take the mission to save Scott. But many obstacles stand in their way - jurisdictional challenges, lingering suspicions both past and present, appearance of old enemies and new ones who want to punish both the father and son for their alleged crimes. At times, the reader suspects that one or both are guilty and the truth will never be known. The only persons who can identify the the actual murderers are either medically unable or unwilling to divulge their secrets.
There are no dull or slow moments as the novel races to the end with amazing surprises, discoveries, and unexpected plot twists and turns. You will not be disappointed in reading this mystery and see why it deserves a five star rating. Hopefully a sequel is in the works for the Dempsey family.
Kevin hooks the reader from the beginning with many events authentically described in the story - college life and pledging a fraternity. But this story unveils much more and is for anyone who likes fast-moving and complicated mysteries and “who done its."
The novel’s premise involves a father and son, Chase and Scott Dempsey who attend the same college and pledge the same fraternity although twenty years apart. The similarities continue as both have been or are accused of murdering fraternity pledge brothers. The first murder remained unsolved with many townspeople still believing Chase’s guilt. The outlook for Scott looks like a “Yogi Berra” moment -deja vu all over again and the evidence appears compelling.
Although the murders seem unrelated to each other, the author weaves a riveting tale of intersecting motives involving friendship, jealousy, revenge, conflicting interests, and dark secrets. Unexpected alliances form as the father/son team face investigation by the police, college administrators, journalists, and other interested parties. All these persons have their motives for punishing the Dempsey family.
To add complexity, the father, a detective, vows justice for his son. Chase (with his wife and Scott’s girl friend as allies) under take the mission to save Scott. But many obstacles stand in their way - jurisdictional challenges, lingering suspicions both past and present, appearance of old enemies and new ones who want to punish both the father and son for their alleged crimes. At times, the reader suspects that one or both are guilty and the truth will never be known. The only persons who can identify the the actual murderers are either medically unable or unwilling to divulge their secrets.
There are no dull or slow moments as the novel races to the end with amazing surprises, discoveries, and unexpected plot twists and turns. You will not be disappointed in reading this mystery and see why it deserves a five star rating. Hopefully a sequel is in the works for the Dempsey family.
April 26, 2022
This book needs more development. For starters, it was hard to tell some of the characters apart. The story features college students and alumni who have been out of college for 25-30 years, and the years don't seem to make a difference in how they think and talk. In some cases, the characters act or think inappropriately for certain situations, like awaiting word on whether a student will survive an attack in a hospital. The book is more than halfway through when the characters realize an obvious lead they should have been following. And some of the situations are very contrived in an attempt to build suspense and intrigue. The solution to the mystery is somewhat anti-climactic and has some holes in it. It could be so much better if the author polished the story more. It has potential and could be a great read. As it stands now, it is a mediocre read. The author has promised future stories involving these characters, and I hope he takes more time to hone plot and characters.
August 13, 2022
So I thought reading a book by a male author would change the writing technique. I was so excited to find out. Well.... same old! Cut and pasted at least 3 times the same sentencee. I actually went back to see where the statement was the first time and I was correct, the same sentence. The book itself was boring. Explanations were left unsolved. Why did Coleman have to die???? No one said why. Leading Chris to his death cause Sully wanted some "alone" time with him? How ridiculous. AND serioulsy, Chase is going to forgive Sully after 28 years of being falsely held responsible for the death of Chris? This whole book doesn't make much sense. I am glad this was an Amazon first read and did not have to pay for it. I am pretty sure all the first reads are this bad. Have not had good luck.
July 19, 2021
A page turner
First time author, Kevin Kilgarriff, set the bar high for himself. Broken Pledges is an easy to read murder mystery that you don’t want to put down. I can’t wait for his next release.
First time author, Kevin Kilgarriff, set the bar high for himself. Broken Pledges is an easy to read murder mystery that you don’t want to put down. I can’t wait for his next release.
August 1, 2021
Great Read!
I enjoyed the local connection of this book-also the inter woven stories from the past. I'm looking forward to Kevin's next book!
I enjoyed the local connection of this book-also the inter woven stories from the past. I'm looking forward to Kevin's next book!
January 17, 2022
Excellent writing!
Great powerful characters and their stories are strong and memorable! I could not put this down. Awesome writing with plot twists and plenty of action!
Great powerful characters and their stories are strong and memorable! I could not put this down. Awesome writing with plot twists and plenty of action!
May 11, 2024
This story has potential--even though I had guessed who the killer was and why they did everything, it at least kept me reading--but it also requires a lot of polishing and fine-tuning to make it a great book.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews