Karen

A Brother Remembers

By: Kelsey Grammer

Narrated by: 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.

Understanding that Karen was with the Lord, in her final moments. What did you like to sleep?

I enjoyed the relationship between Kelsey and his sister Karen. This was a powerful book, and it helped me understand.how hard it is to lose someone that you love so much.

Loved!

A heartfelt book of honesty and love for his sister and family. I liked that it was a mixture of so many emotions. I was fascinated by him talking about food. (Secretly wishing for a food adventure book) he gives a glimpse of his sister’s final days and moments of forgiveness and not forgiveness. It’s a battle within. And his sister speaks with him, guides him through this book. I think it’s a unique way of writing in the moment. Taking the reader in different directions and trains of thought. The way we all think. There is no direct path to travel when thinking of the past. The past is scattered in the wind and I am heartened to have sailed a bit with him on this sad and oddly uplifting journey.

love for a sister

love it you made this story heart felt from a brother to a sister..love it