Karen A brother remembers

Frasier actor Grammer (So Far...) stuns with this devastating memoir about the murder of his younger sister, Karen. In 1975, 18-year-old Karen was raped and stabbed by a gang of teenagers while picking up her paycheck at a Red Lobster in Colorado Springs. Utilizing a stream-of-consciousness style, Grammer discusses how he felt irrationally responsible for the attack, flashes back to his and Karen's childhood, and puts her death in the context of his life's other tragedies, including the murder of his father and the early death of his maternal grandfather. One of the book's core tensions is Grammer's conflicting impulses to ensure Karen's life is not defined by its violent end, and to convey the depths of devastation her murder caused. He stops short of endorsing his grandfather's assertion that the family is "cursed," while acknowledging the unfairness that "the worst of all nights in life gets so much attention" as opposed to "her love, her insights, and her compassion." Grammer's tender portrait of his sister as a sensitive, intelligent soul goes a long way toward correcting the record, and his vacillation between rawness and composure on the page is enormously affecting. This is a gift to readers who've struggled with their own grief. Agent: Adam Griffin, Vault Entertainment. (May)

An actor pays tribute to his murdered sister. Fifty years ago, Grammer's 18-year-old sister, Karen, was kidnapped from the Red Lobster where she worked. She was then raped, tortured, and stabbed to death by killers on a rampage through Colorado Springs. A spirit medium named Esther channeled the voice of Karen from beyond the grave, instructing the actor to write a book about her. The result is a repetitive stream-of-consciousness account marked by metanarrative digressions that try the reader's patience. A letter to the reader on page 84 suggests one put the book down if Grammer's "no affectation or filter" approach doesn't suit. The lack of filter generates jarring moments with regard to women's bodies, World War II war crimes, and current ideas about privilege and race, as well as passages like this: "Dear God, I miss her. I miss my sister. She was so full of joy. She was such a wonderful girl. I loved her so much. That face shining and alive, so innocent and so fun. That was irreplaceable. Thanks for being my sister, Karen." And this: "She led me to this tale and leads me in it. I try to hear her. I try to honor her, climbing to where I see her high above me. Where Karen is today is a lofty place. And I am listening as I climb. She is Legend. Maybe the whole Valhalla thing is true. Maybe our Viking blood carries it." It might have made more sense to present this material in a diary format to more naturally mingle past and present, story and process. But even then, it would have required a firm editorial hand and a sharp pair of pruning shears. A disorganized book about a horrible crime. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.