tfelmey's review against another edition
4.0
Lovely and depressing
A detective/cop novel combined with the opioid crisis of Kensington. Living near there, this was gut wrenchingly accurate. I look forward to reading more by Liz Moore.
A detective/cop novel combined with the opioid crisis of Kensington. Living near there, this was gut wrenchingly accurate. I look forward to reading more by Liz Moore.
teensyslews's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
reillya's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
wellredphd's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
3.5
katekate_reads_'s review against another edition
5.0
Are you looking for a page-turner that also brings some depth? Long Bright River is the book for you. I started listening to this yesterday morning before work - listened as I got ready and on my commute. When I got to work I was about 25% through the story - and couldn't wait to get back to it. I was drawn in right from the start. After work, I started listening again on my commute home and didn't stop until I was finished - it was such a compelling story.
The synopsis - paraphrased from Goodreads:
LBR is the story of 2 sisters - who were very close as kids but are now living very different lives. Kacey is an addict - living on the streets and doing what it takes to get her next fix. Mickey is a single mom patrol officer working in Kensington, the same part of Philadelphia where her sister lives. They haven't spoken in years - even when Mickey sometimes has to arrest Kacey.
Mickey worries every day that the next call of an overdose death will be her sister. But after a string of murders that may be by the same culprit - Mickey is even more worried. Especially when she learns no one has heard form Kacey for a month.
In addition to being a riveting story about finding the killer - there is also the backstory, learning more about how Mickey and Kasey grew up and how they both got to where they are now. I loved the combination of suspense and also going deep into their relationship and the ways addiction impact families. Highly recommend!
Thank you to librofm, Edelweiss and Riverhead for the advance reading and listening copies.
The synopsis - paraphrased from Goodreads:
LBR is the story of 2 sisters - who were very close as kids but are now living very different lives. Kacey is an addict - living on the streets and doing what it takes to get her next fix. Mickey is a single mom patrol officer working in Kensington, the same part of Philadelphia where her sister lives. They haven't spoken in years - even when Mickey sometimes has to arrest Kacey.
Mickey worries every day that the next call of an overdose death will be her sister. But after a string of murders that may be by the same culprit - Mickey is even more worried. Especially when she learns no one has heard form Kacey for a month.
In addition to being a riveting story about finding the killer - there is also the backstory, learning more about how Mickey and Kasey grew up and how they both got to where they are now. I loved the combination of suspense and also going deep into their relationship and the ways addiction impact families. Highly recommend!
Thank you to librofm, Edelweiss and Riverhead for the advance reading and listening copies.
ergilkey's review against another edition
2.0
The plot in itself was good and did an decent job of illustrating the difficulties of having family afflicted by the opioid crisis, but the second half was terribly slow, the main character is annoyingly written as bumbling idiot that has no business being a cop, and much of it is written as though the reader can't remember anything they've just read.
Mickey, the main character, is a cop both searching for her missing, addicted, sister and also searching for the culprit of a series of murders. Despite supposedly being a successful cop colleagues encourage to apply for detective, she manages to epically bumble up every major altercation she's in. She's immediately disarmed and knocked to the ground in a major fight scene, freezes in an attack on her partner, leaves her duty weapon and radio unsecured in a public space multiple times to abandon her patrol shift for personal missions, neglects to answer calls on patrol, as well as committing many other serious rule violations during her shifts that put her and who knows who else in danger. She's got no business being a cop and it's so cringey and frustrating to try and get through the story with this bumbling female lead that didn't need to be written so pathetically.
Beyond that, basic points or elements of the story are constantly reiterated as though the reader is incapable of remembering even prominent characters. At one point near the end of the book Mickey receives a text and the book reads something like, "it was from a number she had saved the day she met him in Mr. Wright's supplies shop" (there is only one person she has ever met there), "Connor McClatchie" (yes we know, he's the only one she's met there and a very central character), "also known as Dock" (ugh yes we know, we don't need the specific circumstance in which she met him, his full name, and nickname to know who this text is from).
For me, this was a good story, that could have been exciting and moving that was ruined by all the eye-roll inducing moments like these.
Mickey, the main character, is a cop both searching for her missing, addicted, sister and also searching for the culprit of a series of murders. Despite supposedly being a successful cop colleagues encourage to apply for detective, she manages to epically bumble up every major altercation she's in. She's immediately disarmed and knocked to the ground in a major fight scene, freezes in an attack on her partner, leaves her duty weapon and radio unsecured in a public space multiple times to abandon her patrol shift for personal missions, neglects to answer calls on patrol, as well as committing many other serious rule violations during her shifts that put her and who knows who else in danger. She's got no business being a cop and it's so cringey and frustrating to try and get through the story with this bumbling female lead that didn't need to be written so pathetically.
Beyond that, basic points or elements of the story are constantly reiterated as though the reader is incapable of remembering even prominent characters. At one point near the end of the book Mickey receives a text and the book reads something like, "it was from a number she had saved the day she met him in Mr. Wright's supplies shop" (there is only one person she has ever met there), "Connor McClatchie" (yes we know, he's the only one she's met there and a very central character), "also known as Dock" (ugh yes we know, we don't need the specific circumstance in which she met him, his full name, and nickname to know who this text is from).
For me, this was a good story, that could have been exciting and moving that was ruined by all the eye-roll inducing moments like these.
rrickman33's review against another edition
5.0
Wow this book tore my heart out, stomped on it, and ripped it apart. This is an uncomfortable read y'all but also one that will stick with me for a long time. The characters and stories in this book are so realistically weaved and played out I felt like I was reading a memoir. I got this for my BOTM in Dec 2019 and I was wrong to put off reading it. DON'T SLEEP ON THIS BOOK!
Mickey and her sister Kacey grew up with their grandma, "gee" after their mother dies. These sisters are tied by so much and have fierce love for each other but as adults, have taken opposite paths. Mickey patrols the streets of Kensington, a neighborhood in NE Philadelphia, as a cop and Kacey lives on those streets using drugs and selling herself. They haven't talked in years but Kacey goes missing and Mickey has to look into it because women are turning up murdered in this neighborhood.
This book is definitely not a thriller but it does have a murder mystery and a missing sister mystery. But it's so much more than that. It's a poignant look at the opioid crisis from the side that is often forgotten about, the human side. I stayed up hours after I should have been asleep to finish this novel and now I don't know how to start another one.
I can't say enough good things about the characters and storylines in this book but I will say the format was a little confusing. It alternates between Now and Then but has no chapter names or numbers just pages. There were also no "quotations" when people were talking it was just built into the sentence and I had a hard time telling if they were talking or thinking something. But this aside I think it's definitely worth the read and it would probably be a great audiobook. Let this book in, be uncomfortable with it, and see the human side to a national crisis.
Mickey and her sister Kacey grew up with their grandma, "gee" after their mother dies. These sisters are tied by so much and have fierce love for each other but as adults, have taken opposite paths. Mickey patrols the streets of Kensington, a neighborhood in NE Philadelphia, as a cop and Kacey lives on those streets using drugs and selling herself. They haven't talked in years but Kacey goes missing and Mickey has to look into it because women are turning up murdered in this neighborhood.
This book is definitely not a thriller but it does have a murder mystery and a missing sister mystery. But it's so much more than that. It's a poignant look at the opioid crisis from the side that is often forgotten about, the human side. I stayed up hours after I should have been asleep to finish this novel and now I don't know how to start another one.
I can't say enough good things about the characters and storylines in this book but I will say the format was a little confusing. It alternates between Now and Then but has no chapter names or numbers just pages. There were also no "quotations" when people were talking it was just built into the sentence and I had a hard time telling if they were talking or thinking something. But this aside I think it's definitely worth the read and it would probably be a great audiobook. Let this book in, be uncomfortable with it, and see the human side to a national crisis.
herbertgroenemeyer's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
3.5
lara0407's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
3.0