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.

Strong characters and some truly evocative writing.

[T]he twists are clever . . . but it is the novel’s more eccentric, reflective aspects that make it stand out from the ruck.

As with the best crime novels, its scope defies the constraints of genre . . . the result feels startlingly fresh . . . Moore has created a memorable portrait of the devastation created by poverty and addiction, and the compassion and courage that can rise to meet it.

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.

Liz Moore’s stunning Long Bright River works as a vivid portrait of a city (Philadelphia), as an acute study of mothers and daughters and as a psychologically coherent, morally unsettling, incredibly moving broken-family saga. It is by some considerable distance my crime novel of the year.

An outstanding crime novel, bringing to mind the best of Dennis Lehane or David Simon. I found myself eking out the final pages because I didn’t want it to end. I absolutely loved it.

Extraordinary . . . twists, turns and subverts readers’ expectations till its very last pages . . . a sweeping, elegiac novel about a blighted city.

Very moving.