Long Bright River: A Novel

ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPR, PARADE, REAL SIMPLE, and BUZZFEED

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK

[Moore's] careful balance of the hard-bitten with the heartfelt is what elevates Long Bright River from entertaining page-turner to a book that makes you want to call someone you love." - The New York Times Book Review

This is police procedural and a thriller par excellence, one in which the city of Philadelphia itself is a character (think Boston and Mystic River). But it's also a literary tale narrated by a strong woman with a richly drawn personal life - powerful and genre-defying." - People

A thoughtful, powerful novel by a writer who displays enormous compassion for her characters. Long Bright River is an outstanding crime novel... I absolutely loved it.
--Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Girl on the Train

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.

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496 pages

Average rating: 7.19

318 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

sloanefk
Apr 02, 2025
6/10 stars
An interesting study in siblings, each struggling to overcome the trauma of their upbringing and painful childhood and navigate adulthood, burdened with a lack of options or support. It switches back and forth from the past to the present to provide back story for the primary characters. It is done well and not confusing. But I did think the main character, Mickey, could have been better developed so she did not seem so uninteresting. Two of the supporting characters, Truman and Mrs. Mann, were my favorites. I didn’t care for either of the sisters, which I attribute to the writing, not to their lifestyles or choices. The book seems like it was intended to be uplifting. The book ended so abruptly that the reader is left having to wonder about the fate and future of all,of the characters. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Allyson Ryan. The narrator’s delivery was not enjoyable.
sydneyg016
Feb 26, 2025
7/10 stars
slow to start, picked up really well towards the middle, but kind of fell off at the end. overall a good read but just not how i expected it to end
emroo
Dec 07, 2024
7/10 stars
Listened to the audio book. Good performance. Lots of twists. A little heavy but real and accessible and relevant. Strong female character. Raw examination of a slice of our country and what it means to be a working mother. Touched on many relevant themes. Wasn’t in love with the ending, but would recommend. Clever plot.
SKALDSWE
Nov 21, 2024
Not a bad story but a lot of different topics going on
AlexGJ
Aug 16, 2023
6/10 stars
Good payoff, but the book took a little too long for me to kick off. Could've and probably should've been a lot tighter/shorter book.

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