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My Brother's Keeper
Someone is playing games in the wealthy suburbs of Miami, using the people of Coral Gables as their chess pieces and murder as their checkmate. When Reggie Bainbridge, the owner and director of The Country Club of Coral Gables, dies unexpectedly, his sons are left to deal with the the daily operation of the Club and an unwelcome police investigation into his death. When the brothers realize that someone will be going down for old Reggie's murder, they find themselves playing the game, wondering who to trust and trying to stay out of danger, even if it means playing the game to the end.
157 pages, ebook
First published July 1, 2009
1 person is currently reading
360 people want to read
About the author
Abigail Roux
37 books4,973 followersAbigail Roux was born and raised in North Carolina. A past volleyball star who specializes in sarcasm and painful historical accuracy, she currently spends her time coaching high school volleyball and investigating the mysteries of single motherhood. Any spare time is spent living and dying with every Atlanta Braves and Carolina Panthers game of the year. Abigail has a daughter, Little Roux, who is the light of her life, a boxer, four rescued cats who play an ongoing live-action variation of 'Call of Duty' throughout the house, a certifiable extended family down the road, and a cast of thousands in her head.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
August 23, 2010
Ok, let me start off by saying that this is not a romance book. There are a few very sweet moments in it at the end, but differently not full of love, whipped cream, and all things in between.
What it was though, was a pretty kick-ass murder mystery! I spent the entire book wracking my brain, attempting to figure out who the perpetrator was. I ended up being partially right, which is so not the same as being entirely right! The fact that the book was written in a way that kept me guessing all the way to the very end, in and of itself, is a testament as to how good it was.
What it was though, was a pretty kick-ass murder mystery! I spent the entire book wracking my brain, attempting to figure out who the perpetrator was. I ended up being partially right, which is so not the same as being entirely right! The fact that the book was written in a way that kept me guessing all the way to the very end, in and of itself, is a testament as to how good it was.
July 30, 2009
Very clever mystery. However, beware that this isn't a romance by any stretch of the imagination.
February 28, 2010
With a fabulously appropriate cover, this is an incredibly clever and sly story that must be read twice to catch all the subtleties included and often missed on the first reading. The entire story rests on the mystery and the twist at the end, which is both good and bad. Due to this, the story starts very slow and doesn’t gain speed until the last 60 pages when the various elements of the mystery and players start to come alive and show themselves. The twist is unique, stunning, and absolutely wonderful ~ a real mystery that keeps you guessing. Mystery lovers will definitely want to check this out as it is less romance and almost entirely a whodunit.
Reggie Bainbridge, the wealthy owner of a local country club, dies suddenly at a well-publicized party. His heirs and sons, Addison and Brayden, disagree on what happened to the old man. Addison believes Reggie killed himself while Brayden believes the old man died of alcoholism. The police also have their own theory and they start to hone in on one of the brothers as a suspect. The death becomes a complicated game as the mystery deepens with each new fact instead of being clearer. Eventually the police arrest a suspect, but the game merely heightens at that point. In a web of money, lies, and deceit set against a southern Florida backdrop, the real answers are just as important as the reasons behind all actions.
As I’ve said, the entire story hinges on the mystery that is created ~ was Reggie murdered and if so, who did it? This classic question becomes a complicated maze of answers, misdirection, and game playing. The end twist is wonderful and shocking, although upon a second reading a majority of clues are present if you know what to look for. However, I suggest going along with the ride the story offers as it makes for a more fun and delightful tale. This is a great mystery that involves several different elements and complicated relationships involving some romance but very little. There is a solitary explicit sex scene but this scene is essential to the story and characters, displaying important information alongside the titillating erotica.
One of the major problems with the book however is the incredibly slow start. Due to the complexity of the final resolution, the first 90 pages or so are all setting up the characters, relationships and various details alongside the day to day activity following Reggie’s death. This creates a somewhat boring and staid narrative where many elements make no sense and seem completely superfluous. At one point, I started to wonder what the book was about since it seemed to have no direction or purpose. Unfortunately here, the author knew where the story was headed and didn’t successfully translate that to the page with enough energy and interest. However, once the story starts to weave together the various far-reaching elements it becomes riveting. The best advice I can give is to stay with the story as the creative resolution makes the story worthwhile.
Additionally there is considerable pronoun confusion within the story. Although told in third person from alternating point of views, the pronoun confusion almost appears as head hopping. It’s not, but easily could be confusing. Similarly, there are numerous details and subtlety that is often too subtle and indirect in the first reading. Several of these hints that are essential to the resolution are lost in the mundane conversation or roller coaster of emotion. This is part of the reason the majority of the book is so slow, the author knows these details are important to include but hides them almost too well and thus the various scenes and conversations seem random without context or connection.
Overall this is a decent story that starts incredibly slow but picks up towards the end. The twist on the mystery and large cast of important characters all combine to create an inventive and fun story. The writing and language can be unimaginative at times, which is odd considering the mystery itself is clever, but quirky revelation is well worth reading. As a mystery this ranks high and fans of the genre will enjoy this story if they can stick with it. It’s definitely worth the time and effort.
Reggie Bainbridge, the wealthy owner of a local country club, dies suddenly at a well-publicized party. His heirs and sons, Addison and Brayden, disagree on what happened to the old man. Addison believes Reggie killed himself while Brayden believes the old man died of alcoholism. The police also have their own theory and they start to hone in on one of the brothers as a suspect. The death becomes a complicated game as the mystery deepens with each new fact instead of being clearer. Eventually the police arrest a suspect, but the game merely heightens at that point. In a web of money, lies, and deceit set against a southern Florida backdrop, the real answers are just as important as the reasons behind all actions.
As I’ve said, the entire story hinges on the mystery that is created ~ was Reggie murdered and if so, who did it? This classic question becomes a complicated maze of answers, misdirection, and game playing. The end twist is wonderful and shocking, although upon a second reading a majority of clues are present if you know what to look for. However, I suggest going along with the ride the story offers as it makes for a more fun and delightful tale. This is a great mystery that involves several different elements and complicated relationships involving some romance but very little. There is a solitary explicit sex scene but this scene is essential to the story and characters, displaying important information alongside the titillating erotica.
One of the major problems with the book however is the incredibly slow start. Due to the complexity of the final resolution, the first 90 pages or so are all setting up the characters, relationships and various details alongside the day to day activity following Reggie’s death. This creates a somewhat boring and staid narrative where many elements make no sense and seem completely superfluous. At one point, I started to wonder what the book was about since it seemed to have no direction or purpose. Unfortunately here, the author knew where the story was headed and didn’t successfully translate that to the page with enough energy and interest. However, once the story starts to weave together the various far-reaching elements it becomes riveting. The best advice I can give is to stay with the story as the creative resolution makes the story worthwhile.
Additionally there is considerable pronoun confusion within the story. Although told in third person from alternating point of views, the pronoun confusion almost appears as head hopping. It’s not, but easily could be confusing. Similarly, there are numerous details and subtlety that is often too subtle and indirect in the first reading. Several of these hints that are essential to the resolution are lost in the mundane conversation or roller coaster of emotion. This is part of the reason the majority of the book is so slow, the author knows these details are important to include but hides them almost too well and thus the various scenes and conversations seem random without context or connection.
Overall this is a decent story that starts incredibly slow but picks up towards the end. The twist on the mystery and large cast of important characters all combine to create an inventive and fun story. The writing and language can be unimaginative at times, which is odd considering the mystery itself is clever, but quirky revelation is well worth reading. As a mystery this ranks high and fans of the genre will enjoy this story if they can stick with it. It’s definitely worth the time and effort.
January 15, 2020
I was going through my list of unread books and realized I hadn't picked up this one before- which is ironic considering Roux is one of my favorite authors. I forgot how exciting it was to read her standalone books, I was wracking my brain almost every few pages trying to figure out how it was going to turn out.
April 7, 2010
An exciting and thrilling read that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through... and then still managed to completely blow my mind when the who-done-it was revealed. Never saw that one coming!
This is my first book by this author and is just the beginning. If the rest of her books are anything like My Brother's Keeper I've got some catching up to do.
This is my first book by this author and is just the beginning. If the rest of her books are anything like My Brother's Keeper I've got some catching up to do.
April 27, 2010
3,5 stars
July 5, 2010
Recommended not so much for the romance, but rather the twists, turns, and character plotting. I just *had* to keep reading to the end!
October 23, 2010
More like 3.5 stars. Nice who dunnit, with twists and turns. Pawns...fabulous chess analogies. I just wanted more....which is a good thing.
October 25, 2010
The mystery was excellent! I wouldn't necessarily characterize it as a romance, but a good story!
September 6, 2014
This one almost had it. So very close.
April 24, 2011
i have to say it was an interesting read. it was different, for me at least.
first of all, i didn't like the characters, not one of them. the story seemed kinda dull, but i kept reading because i liked the title and wanted to find out which one of the brothers was the other's keeper. i guessed, and i was right, but still there were some things in the end i haven't anticipated.
i actually liked the fact that the bad guy got away with his deeds. i know it's not right, but in a real life it happens more often than not. and strangely, after finishing the book i found myself with an evil smile on my face.
it isn't a love story. it's not even a story of a murder. it's a story of a genious mind.
first of all, i didn't like the characters, not one of them. the story seemed kinda dull, but i kept reading because i liked the title and wanted to find out which one of the brothers was the other's keeper. i guessed, and i was right, but still there were some things in the end i haven't anticipated.
i actually liked the fact that the bad guy got away with his deeds. i know it's not right, but in a real life it happens more often than not. and strangely, after finishing the book i found myself with an evil smile on my face.
it isn't a love story. it's not even a story of a murder. it's a story of a genious mind.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2015
I have to say I wasn't at all like I expected.
At first I thought it was going to be more romance than mystery of suspense - not much romance though haha, which should have turned me off the book but this book was the exception. It kept me hooked.
All the way through this novel kept me guessing; whenever I felt as if I had it cracked, something else would happen.
I was impressed with the ending
At first I thought it was going to be more romance than mystery of suspense - not much romance though haha, which should have turned me off the book but this book was the exception. It kept me hooked.
All the way through this novel kept me guessing; whenever I felt as if I had it cracked, something else would happen.
I was impressed with the ending
June 8, 2012
Definitely kept me guessing! The romance is really a side-note, but the chess game is fascinating. Kinda like Billionaire's Row, I guess, except that somehow I don't feel as betrayed or disappointed. Mostly bemused.
June 24, 2015
Okay, first off, this is NOT a romance. There are gay characters in the story and one sex scene but it's not a romance. Just don't go into it expecting that because you'll be disappointed.
Now that you know that it's not a romance, the plot was brilliant. I didn't see that ending coming at all. Very well written.
Now that you know that it's not a romance, the plot was brilliant. I didn't see that ending coming at all. Very well written.
May 5, 2017
My Brother's Keeper is yet another amazing work from Abigail Roux. All the twists and turns kept me guessing until the very end; just when I thought I'd finally solved the murder mystery, something else cropped up to prove me wrong. I enjoyed all the characters as well, but especially Addison, the adorable little mastermind. This book...so fantastic. Loved it from start to finish!
March 9, 2011
This was a difficult story to rate. It was well-written, with a very interesting plot. I especially loved the closeness the brothers shared. But I'm not sure how much I liked this story itself. Clever and fascinating as it was...
July 8, 2012
The idea of the story was good but the reader doesn't have all the information to be able to solve the mystery. It left too many unanswered questions for me to be able to have a satisfying conclusion.
May 1, 2013
First i was OK then i was like Yeah and then i was like What just happened. And then i was like figures. If u like to solve a mystery go ahead solve this one show. U never see it coming mayb u will but i sure didnt. That much i will say... Not full on mystery but still one.
October 1, 2011
Inventive and chesslike, and I love chess.
March 30, 2012
What a great book!
The way these guys handled their conniving plot was genius.
This would make a great Masterpiece Mystery.
The way these guys handled their conniving plot was genius.
This would make a great Masterpiece Mystery.
July 2, 2012
Clever twists in this crime story, nice read, but not amazing.
November 7, 2012
This was quite disturbing, actually. But as it put me through an array of emotions, I quite liked it! And this will teach me to trust my instincts! >:D
August 6, 2014
Love this author's writing. This is a twisted plot that will have you admiring those who commit a really bad crime. Great book!
February 13, 2013
This was well written and mildly interesting. However, I had a hard time connecting to the story. Not my favorite book by this author.
May 19, 2014
Not nearly up to her standard. Very hard to suspend disbelief.
June 26, 2013
your intelligence amazed me but, at the same time it's frighten me to death! you are amazing...
December 22, 2013
Didn't expected the murder scheme to be so diabolical!
October 24, 2013
A very skillfully constructed mystery that keeps you guessing till the end. And the chessboard cover is just perfect!
December 20, 2013
I love abi!! But this book just wasn't for me!!
March 30, 2014
3.5
^Because this wasn't extraordinarily epic.
Nor did it have lots 'o sexy times to devour.
But because it kept me fully ensconced in the 'WTFery' to the very end!
^Because this wasn't extraordinarily epic.
Nor did it have lots 'o sexy times to devour.
But because it kept me fully ensconced in the 'WTFery' to the very end!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews