Saturday, March 7, 2020

Long Bright River, Liz Moore



AUTHOR:  Liz Moore
PUBLISHER: Penguin Audio
PUB. YEAR: 2020
SETTING: Philadelphia, PA

FORMAT: audio
RATING: - 4/5

The city of Philadelphia (Kensington) comes alive in this story of two sisters. Mickey is a 30-something police officer and single mother to a 4 year old boy. Kacey is her younger sister.  Mickey has always been protective of her younger sister, often taking on a parental role. When Kacey loses her battle with addiction, all Mickey can do is watch from the sidelines. She tries to keep tabs on her sister while on duty, watching her sister prostitute herself to pay for her next fix.

Soon it appears a possible serial killer has been targeting homeless, addicted women in the area and Kacey hasn't been seen in while, Mickey is desperate to try and find out whether Kacey is alive or a new victim.

This book is rather long and at times slow moving. There are lots of unnecessary details about the streets and neighborhood places of Philadelphia. Despite that, I loved the way the story moved back and forth in time which created an important look at the strong bond between these sisters and the earliest role that their parents had played.  I'm guessing many readers might go into this book thinking its a thriller/mystery, but, it's really more like a police procedural and family saga IMO.  Although there is not a lot of action in this novel and the subject matter is tough at times,  it's a timely story about the Opioid crisis and its effects on the victim and their family.  The audio was well done.

11 comments:

  1. I agree with your assessment. I liked this book, but it isn't one of my favorites. I did like that it was different from many of the thrillers out there right now.

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  2. I've read some good comments about this book. Apparently, the story is compelling.

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  3. I like stories about sisters. I haven't read anything by this author.

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  4. It really is a timely story with the opioid crisis going on.

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  5. I have been fascinated by the opioid crisis and didn't know that's what this book is about. I've got the audio and will try to get to it soon.

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  6. I love a good police procedural. Although I enjoy thrillers, my preference is for an intriguing puzzle and good characters, even if a little slow moving.

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  7. Second blog this morning carryingthis review. Thanks.

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  8. The sisters and their relationship make me want to check this one out.

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  9. I can usually handle the extra detail when I'm listening. For some reason, I get frustrated when I'm reading. I think it's because I consider my audio books"bonus" reading... This one sounds like something I would enjoy. Thanks.

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  10. Yeah I plan to get to it ...but I think perhaps it could've used some editing with the slow parts. I read the author's previous novel The Unseen World .... and thought it needed shortening too.

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