Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Long Bright River by Liz Moore

59 reviews

grimdark_dad's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy

secondhandreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is not really a book I would ordinarily pick up based on content. But after reading God of the Woods I was starving for more of Liz Moore's way of constructing prose and articulating stories. The characters are so believable, there's so much depth and reality to the people and stories she creates. This book did not disappoint. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Toxic relationship, and Murder

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Police brutality

mikaylapeterson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

What a heart wrenching story. The characters are very well developed. Going to be thinking about this one for awhile

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Abortion

gwalt118's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

After reading Moore's newest novel, I immediately wanted to read Long Bright River. Then I learned it made Obama's "Best of 2020" List and the title comes from a Tennyson poem, and I was even more intrigued. Thankfully, I wasn't disappointed. 

This novel is a meaningful exploration of the narcotic abuse crisis in America through the story of two sisters - one who becomes a cop and one who becomes addicted to hard drugs. Mickey and Kasey carry the traumas of their childhood very differently, and they make vastly different choices because of those traumas. Yet, Moore writes this novel in a way that creates empathy in the reader for both sisters and their choices.

Long Bright River is a lengthy book at almost 500 pages, but it moves quickly with short chapters and a fast-paced plot. The element of mystery and the various possibilities for the perpetrator kept me engaged. I started to doubt everyone, believing that the people who were initially portrayed as good might be bad and vice versa. I questioned every character. 

I loved the way Moore breathed life into Philadelphia. Some of the descriptions reminded me of Cincinnati, and what it means to live in and love a city that has profoundly different neighborhoods and people. It's a complicated and beautiful sort of relationship, similar to the one that Mickey and Kasey have with each other. 

If you have read this novel and you want to talk about the ending, let me know. That's all I'll say about that. 

I cannot emphasize enough the compassion and understanding this book created in me. This is one of those novels that reminds me of that particular benefit of reading. I truly believe it makes all of us better people, and this novel is a perfect example of that. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Violence, and Murder

mndscranton's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Violence

Minor: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, and Grief

phoebepaniccia's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, and Murder

atamano's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cursing, Gun violence, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Dementia, and Classism

hailey_alexis's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Murder

eachz's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Pros: The way secrets were gradually revealed kept me very invested in the mystery / plot. I appreciated the compassionate lens of the novel and the research the author did to handle the setting.

Cons: Something about the narrator felt stiff and unrealistic; I found the tone of the narration just ever so slightly annoying. The resolution of the main mystery also felt a little too quick and neat. Edited to add: I read another review that articulated one of my issues with this book well -- despite the heavy/emotional topics this book deals with, the narration style (and frankly the boring-ness of the MC) was such that I didn't really *feel* much reading this other than curiosity about the plot.

Overall I enjoyed reading this; a solid read that kept me hooked for a few days! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Trafficking, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Classism

Minor: Infidelity and Blood

lillypad827's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I held off on reading this book for a long time, I think due in part to the fact that I’m from Philly and work at an agency that works with folks with OUD. Also, in Philly, it was being blasted everywhere for us to read and sometimes that turns me off something. Anyway, wow I’m glad I finally read this book! It was gripping without being a cheesy thriller. The story felt real, almost as if I was reading a memoir. I was a bit annoyed not having quotation marks for dialogue parts but I think it also kept the tone of the book by not having them. Great read, highly recommend!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction

Moderate: Pedophilia, Murder, and Pregnancy