An Unbeaten Man (Downeast Books Nov. 2015) is my first thriller and recently was named Best Crime Fiction of the Year at the 2016 Maine Literary Awards. I was the only debut author among all the finalists in the various categories. Finalists included former Sen. George Mitchell for Memoir, Monica Wood for Drama, Paul Doiron for Crime Fiction, and Michael Paterniti for Nonfiction. Recent MLA winners include Richard Russo, Richard Ford and Richard Blanco (being named Richard is not a requirement, however). And I have just finished a draft of Book #2 in the MIchael McKeon series!
I am a member of International Thriller Writers and the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance and studied advanced fiction writing while attending Notre Dame Law School. I wrote for the Brunswick Times Record, Bowdoin Orient and the American Journal while attending Bowdoin College and published a tongue-in-cheek guide to parenting in Notre Dame Magazine. Praise for An Unbeaten Man includes rave reviews from New York Times bestselling thriller authors Doug Preston, Gayle Lynds and Steve Berry. "...a first-class thriller"—Douglas Preston. "If you like spy thrillers, this is your cup of ricin."—Gayle Lynds. "...sit back, strap yourself in, and enjoy the thrill ride."—Steve Berry. I also co-founded Books in the Brook, monthly book readings by regional authors in an art studio in Westbrook, Maine.
I am a partner at Jensen Baird, where I have practiced since 1996, and chair my firm's litigation department and probate litigation practice group. I am an active member of the Maine bar, have appeared in state and federal courts, including the Maine Supreme Court and the First Circuit Court of Appeals, and have received numerous honors, including SuperLawyers, Best Lawyers, and Lawyer of the Year for 2015.
I live with my wife and three children in our hometown of Westbrook, Maine, where I have served on the City Council since 2001 and as City Council President since 2005. I coached soccer for more than ten years, taught religious education, and am active in many civic and community organizations, like the Westbrook Performing Arts Center Board and the Westbrook Children's Cabinet, a United Way-sponsored organization dedicated to helping at-risk children. I am a former president of the Westbrook Education Foundation and of Rebuilding Together-Greater Portland, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to renovating houses for low-income individuals and families.
I studied Government and Russian at Bowdoin College, graduating with high honors in 1992 and briefly considered a job in Siberia monitoring the disarming of Russian nuclear weapons, but instead chose law school over Siberia. I have traveled extensively including to many of the sites in my books like Moscow, Barcelona, Paris and Normandy.
I am the slacker (last published) in three generations of writers. My father, Edward Rielly, has written numerous books, particularly nonfiction and poetry. My son, Morgan Rielly, had his first book published as a senior in high school! Neighborhood Heroes: Life Lessons Learned From Maine's Greatest Generation, a collection of his interviews with Maine WWII veterans.All three generations have been featured on WCSH6's 207 program and Blogtalkradio, and in Bowdoin Magazine, Notre Dame Magazine, the Portland Press Herald, the American Journal, The Bowdoin Daily Sun, George Smith's Maine, and The Big Thrill.
From Riyadh to London, Boston to Moscow, An Unbeaten Man is a nail-biting race against time. When a secret scientific breakthrough to convert oil to gas can be weaponized, an international group of spies and traitors decides to steal it. This is a story bristling with intrigue and rich with insider detail. If you like spy thrillers, this is your cup of ricin.
Gayle Lynds
New York Times bestselling author of The Assassins
An Unbeaten Man is a first-class thriller that starts with a fascinating premise—that a microbe can destroy petroleum stocks—and spins into a story of international intrigue, suspense, and maximum mayhem. This well-crafted novel offers compelling characters, believable science, exotic settings, and plenty of surprises. Highly recommended!
Douglas Preston
#1 bestselling author of The Kraken Project and Blue Labyrinth
Calling Brendan Rielly’s book, An Unbeaten Man, a “thriller” doesn’t do it justice. What a plot! From the United States to Saudi Arabia to Russia, you’ll careen around the world in the midst of a cast of characters that are at times intriguing, frightening, confusing, and compelling.
If you enjoy spy novels, as I do, this one’s for you. But please be forewarned: An Unbeaten Man may keep you up at night. Two nights in a row, I was up an hour beyond my usual bedtime because I could not stop reading.
It’s not easy for a first-time novelist to get published by a major publisher, so that alone will tell you that An Unbeaten Man is something special. The scary premise of An Unbeaten Man is that a microbe has been discovered by the main character, Michael McKeon, that can destroy petroleum stocks. Perhaps, given the challenges of climate change, we should wish this were true!
McKeon and his family are kidnapped and he’s forced to assist a secret organization of spies and traitors intent on using McKeon’s discovery to destroy the oil stocks in Saudi Arabia and Russia. Although McKeon’s discovery was meant to convert oil to gas, a positive development, it becomes a weapon and tosses him into an electrifying race in which, if you don’t pay attention, you may confuse the good guys with the bad guys. In fact, that changes as the story progresses. Yes, there is a lot of suspense and an amazing array of twists and turns that will challenge you to keep reading.
George Smith
Outdoor writer, newspaper columnist honored with awards from the Maine Press Association, television show host, and former executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, the state’s largest sportsmen’s organization.
. . takes readers on an electrifying race to stop a conspiracy guaranteed to tear the world apart. Ripped from the headlines, An Unbeaten Man delivers a tight, no holds barred international thriller—a masterful web of twists and turns guaranteed to delight the most discerning technothriller reader.
Steven Konkoly
Author the bestselling Black Flagged thriller series
This one delivers on every level and will hold you tight until all is revealed. So sit back, strap yourself in, and enjoy the thrill ride. I definitely did.
Steve Berry
Bestselling author of the Cotton Malone series
HOLY CATS within the first few paragraphs, the story grabbed me by the throat (in a good way!) and never let go, AN UNBEATEN MAN sucked me into this race-against-time of global proportions. I’m surprised the main character Michael McKeon survives either physically or emotionally, after what he goes through, and the reader continues to root for him all the while knowing he simply can’t overcome the odds…and yet someone “keeps on ticking.” And guess what? the satisfying ending makes it clear that this is just the beginning of what promises to be a fantastic series. BRAVO!
To read the full review, go to http://amyshojai.com/thrillers-thursday-brendan-rielly-an-unbeaten-man/
Amy Shojai
Amy Shojai is a certified cat & dog behavior consultant and the award-winning author of 30+ pet-centric books and Thrillers with Bite! Oh, and she loves bling!