Long Bright River

 

Long Bright River by Liz Moore

Fiction

2020

Finished on June 14, 2026

Rating: 4.5/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

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.

Having read and enjoyed Liz Moore's recent mystery, The God of the Woods, I was excited to pick up Long Bright River. There is something about a great mystery that pulls you in from the opening lines. The pacing is taut, the dialogue engaging, and the pages flew, keeping me reading late into the night. Long Bright River is a few pages longer than my previous read (The House of Special Purpose), but it took half the time to finish reading. I looked forward to returning to Philadelphia, eager to find out what was going on with Kacey, as well as Mickey and her young son, Thomas. I've never been to Philadelphia, but Moore writes as if she knows every street and neighborhood, specifically that of Kensington. There are a few red herrings, and a twist that I never saw coming. As I read, I found myself thinking back to Dennis Lehane's excellent mystery, Small Mercies. Coincidentally, Lehane has blurbed Long Bright River. I concur!

"Long Bright River is a remarkable, profoundly moving novel about the ties that bind and the irrevocable wounds of childhood. A riveting mystery...I loved every page." —Dennis Lehane, New York Times bestselling author 

Long Bright River is not simply a mystery, but also a story about what makes a family, as well as a harsh examination of the opioid crisis.

Highly recommend.

 

The God of the Woods

 

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

Mystery

2024

Finished on June 26, 2025

Rating: 5/5 (Outstanding!)

Publisher's Blurb:

When a teenager vanishes from her Adirondack summer camp, two worlds collide.

Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.

As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances.

Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet, The God of the Woods is a story of inheritance and second chances, the tensions between a family and a community, and a history that will not let any of them go.

I loved The God of the Woods! I was immediately pulled into this captivating book from the first page, and had I been on a flight across the country, I would have ignored everyone around me, reading non-stop until the plane arrived at the gate. As it was, the first two nights I read long after midnight, and finished the book in less than four days. Normally, a book of this length (478 pages) would take me well over a week to complete. I can hardly wait to discuss it with my book group.

There are over two dozen important characters in Liz Moore's treasure of a book, and I kept a running list to keep them straight, as well as to jog my memory for my upcoming discussion. Between eight points of view, and multiple timelines (set during the 1950s, 1961-1962, 1973, and 1975), I was afraid that I'd get lost with the constant back and forth between characters and years, but the author handles these details skillfully. The chapters headings delineating the time periods were also helpful.

As I read, I was reminded of Chris Whitaker's exceptional novel, All the Colors of the Dark. Both authors kept me guessing until the very end, and their use of short chapters propelled their stories in such a manner that I didn't want to stop reading. I was somewhat concerned that Moore's denouement would feel rushed or convoluted, but her conclusion was clear and satisfying. Bravo!

I'm looking forward to reading from Liz Moore's backlist, most especially Long Bright River, about which I've heard great things.  The God of the Woods is a superb page-turner. Highly recommend!