Goodreads says, "Two sisters travel the same streets, though their lives couldn't be more different. Then, one of them goes missing.
In a Philadelphia neighborhood rocked by the opioid crisis, two once-inseparable sisters find themselves at odds. One, Kacey, lives on the streets in the vise of addiction. The other, Mickey, walks those same blocks on her police beat. They don't speak anymore, but Mickey never stops worrying about her sibling.
Then Kacey disappears, suddenly, at the same time that a mysterious string of murders begins in Mickey's district, and Mickey becomes dangerously obsessed with finding the culprit--and her sister--before it's too late.
Alternating its present-day mystery with the story of the sisters' childhood and adolescence, Long Bright River is at once heart-pounding and heart-wrenching: a gripping suspense novel that is also a moving story of sisters, addiction, and the formidable ties that persist between place, family, and fate.
Mickey Fitzpatrick grew up in the rough Philly neighborhood of Kensington which is in the thick of the opioid crisis. Since her mother overdosed and died, Mickey was raised, along with her sister, by her grandmother who still resents the fact that her daughter died and now she has to take care of her grandchildren. Years go by, and Kasey, her sister, takes the same difficult path as their mother, but Mickey, despite some setbacks, ends up working as a Philadelphia cop. Fast forward many years, Mickey is a single mother, and still a cop who often patrols Kensington. She is always afraid she will run into her estranged sister or even worse, find her dead. From time to time, she will see her sister on the streets, but now it has been quite a while since she had sighted her and none of her friends have seen her either. So, Mickey takes it upon herself to try to get some answers, which puts her in a difficult situation at work and a dangerous situation overall. Long Bright River by Liz Moore is such a phenomenal book, not only for fans of crime fiction but for readers who want a well-written novel that presents the opioid crisis realistically.
I really liked Mickey's character from the very beginning of Long Bright River. Although I never considered myself a fan of crime fiction, this book captivated me and made me think about what it's like to be a police officer. Moore did an excellent job developing Mickey's character by incorporating numerous flashbacks to her childhood, her upbringing, and her relationship with Kasey. This approach effectively explained how Kasey ended up in her situation and how Mickey became a single mother.
After reading God of the Woods, I felt compelled to read Long Bright River. Moore's writing and character development are exceptional. Her portrayal of Philadelphia is incredibly accurate—I can attest to this as someone who has lived most of my life just outside the city. Also, Moore presents the opioid crisis in a way that is realistic, heartbreaking, and dark. She demonstrates how this crisis affects all members of a family.
While Long Bright River does focus on the opioid crisis, it's also about family and the search for Kasey, which definitely kept me on my toes. My only gripe was the climax which felt a bit rushed, but overall, Long Bright River is deserving of five stars and an outstanding read. I wish I read it sooner!
I am excited to see it come to life on TV next month. Have you read Long Bright River? Are you a fan of Liz Moore? She is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.
