Karen

A Brother Remembers

De: Kelsey Grammer

Narrado por: Kelsey Grammer

Read by the author.

New York Times Bestseller

One of Oprah Daily’s Most Anticipated Books of 2025

People’s Best Books of May 2025

On July 1, 1975, Kelsey Grammer’s younger sister, eighteen-year-old Karen Grammer, was raped and murdered. In Karen, Kelsey reveals their past, celebrates their youth together, mourns her loss, and unearths his struggle for faith and healing in the decades since her death.

Karen by Kelsey Grammer delves into the tragic story of the author’s sister, Karen, who was brutally murdered at the age of eighteen. Kelsey was just twenty years old when his younger sister, a recent high school graduate, moved to Colorado Springs, where she was kidnapped by several men who had intended to rob the Red Lobster where she worked. They instead kidnapped Karen, raped her, and ultimately stabbed her to death.

Through this memoir, Grammer poignantly recounts the memories of his sister and the impact her loss had on his life and family. With raw honesty, Grammer explores the profound grief and devastation that followed Karen’s death, as well as the long and arduous journey toward healing. He bravely confronts the pain of losing a loved one to senseless violence, offering readers a glimpse into the complexities of coping with such a profound loss.

Karen also serves as a testament to Grammer’s lifelong journey with grief and his struggle to defeat the sting of death with the memory of a life filled with joy—irreplaceable joy. In sharing his story, Grammer aims to help others who have experienced similar loss, offering solace and encouragement to cherish the love they knew, however brief, on their own path toward healing.

This book is a moving tribute to Karen and the brother’s love that survives her.

Photos and legal documents can be found in the audiobook companion PDF download.

Bleeding Heart

Thank you for sharing your grief, I in such a beautifully, melancholic way. The flow of words squeezed my heart while also offering a pinch of healing for the loss of my own brother.

Touching

Heartfelt imagery. Full of feeling, love, loss, sadness. I would love to listen again. Thank you.

Brother’s devotion to murdered sister

I went to PC school with Kelsey and Karen. I knew them the best in 8th grade. I graduated with exceptionally talented Kelsey. My sister was in school with Karen at Palm Cove. This book fleshes out his loss of his grandfather, sister, father, step brothers, grandmother and mother. Despite all this loss Kelsey was able to go on and have a marvelous career, a life partner and 7 children.
I feel like I laughed and cried with Kelsey on every page. Kelsey’s magnificent love for Karen, his family and God are on every page. There’s so much pain but also joy. I’m so glad Kelsey wrote this to set himself free from survivor’s guilt and his total helplessness to have done anything for Karen at the time of her death.
“To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” That gives me so much comfort about death and hope it comforts Kelsey.

Karen .

. So heart wrenching, yet warm and loving. Raw and honest. Couldn’t wait to listen. Enjoyed the kindness that Kelsey had shown in his writings.

Touching

I enjoyed this book tremendously, especially because it hits close to home. My name is Karen and I lost a sister, her name was Suzie. I appreciated the author’s honesty. This book was cathartic for me. Thank you, Kelsey Grammer, I’m grateful for your sacrifice.