Long Bright River, publishing January 7 2020, is the story of two sisters- Kacey and Mickey. Kacey has been addicted to drugs since her teenage years and has led quite the risky lifestyle. She wanders the streets, lives in abandoned houses, and spends time around sketchy men. She even starts working as a prostitute. Mickey, on the other hand, is a police officer working the same streets of Philadelphia that Kacey frequents. In fact, the two of them have had a few run ins, resulting in Mickey arresting Kacey.

Then something happens- a mysterious string of murders. The victims are alarmingly similar to Kacey: addicted to drugs and sex workers. Each time a new woman is found dead Mickey fears it will be her sister. Even more alarming, no one has seen or heard from Kacey in months.

Mickey becomes obsessed with figuring out these murders and finding her sister.

Long Bright River is told across two timelines, the chapters are divided up as “then” and “now”, with “then” being Mickey and Kacey’s childhood and “now” being the present. I’m fond of this format. I like learning about the characters past as the current timeline progresses. The author integrates the “then”chapters seamlessly into the story.

The writing is so clever and impactful. The author deals with some heavy themes in this book, and she does so with respect and compassion.

I strongly recommend this book, it is definitely one of my favorite reads this year. Long Bright River has so much going for it; there’s a mystery aspect, sprinkled in with some family drama, and even some suspense. I’m sure this book will be a huge hit when it is published in January 2020!