January 2020

Mickey is a police officer who patrols the streets of Philadelphia, always on the watch for her sister, Kacey, who has an opioid habit and has been missing for a while. She is used to using Narcan to bring someone on a drug trip that went wrong back to life; it is all too familiar on her beat. She has seen Kacey almost die more than once. And she also has seen her on the street waiting to turn tricks for johns who cruise the neighborhood. Mickey’s past haunts her, but her love for her son drives her to stay safe and sane no matter what surrounds her. But then she starts to realize that things she believes in may not be true, and this well-plotted tale whips readers back and forth in many directions.

Liz Moore’s LONG BRIGHT RIVER is a story of the love between two sisters, who have grown up with a shattered world around them. And it is a look at the dark and stark reality of what the opioid crisis has done to so many families in this country. I was drawn in from the first page, but as the story unfolded, I was even more riveted. And as the mark of a really good book, there was a lot that surprised me.

Book groups should take note of it, as it could spark a great discussion.