Long Bright River

Long Bright River

an intense family thriller

Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

The New York Times bestseller and
Guardian Book of the Month

KENSINGTON AVE, PHILADELPHIA:

THE FIRST PLACE YOU GO FOR DRUGS OR SEX.
THE LAST PLACE YOU WANT TO LOOK FOR YOUR SISTER.

Mickey Fitzpatrick has been patrolling the 24th District for years. She knows most of the working women by name. She knows what desperation looks like and what people will do when they need a fix. She's become used to finding overdose victims: their numbers are growing every year. But every time she sees someone sprawled out, slumped over, cold to the touch, she has to pray it's not her sister, Kacey.

When the bodies of murdered sex workers start turning up on the Ave, the Chief of Police is keen to bury the news. They're not the kind of victims that generate a whole lot of press anyway. But Mickey is obsessed, dangerously so, with finding the perpetrator - before Kacey becomes the next victim.

'This flawless masterpiece deserves to be a bestseller.' DAILY EXPRESS

'Tough, tense and twisty - but tender, human and deeply affecting, too ... I don't have a sister, but when I finished the book I called my brother, just to hear his voice.'
LEE CHILD

'An outstanding crime novel.'
PAULA HAWKINS, author of The Girl on the Train

'A remarkable, profoundly moving novel about the ties that bind and the irrevocable wounds of childhood. It's also a riveting mystery, perfectly paced. I loved every page of it.' DENNIS LEHANE

'Outstanding . . . an intense family thriller . . . The clever plot and involving characters set a high standard for this new year.' DAILY MAIL

'This is a thrilling and heartbreaking exploration of the strain the opioid crisis puts on families. A masterpiece.' DAILY MIRROR

© Liz Moore 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Reviews

  • Every so often a thriller comes along that is so remarkable that it transcends genre and Long Bright River is one such book. The mystery at its heart is absorbing, thoughtful and perfectly paced and Mickey is a flawed heroine who it’s easy to root for. But the fourth novel from acclaimed American writer Moore is also heartbreakingly profound in exploring the strain put on families and entire communities by the opioid crisis in US cities. It exposes the way addicted parents’ broken promises inflict childhood wounds that never heal. But it also gives hope that familial bonds and community spirit can ultimately triumph. This flawless masterpiece deserves to be a bestseller.
    Daily Express

About the author

Liz Moore

Liz Moore is the author of the acclaimed novels Heft, recently optioned as a feature film, and The Unseen World, which was optioned for television. A winner of the 2014 Rome Prize in Literature, she lives in Philadelphia.
Learn More

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more