Introducing our February selection Long Bright River by Liz Moore. An intelligent, stylish and compulsive read that will keep you guessing until the very last pages. And sometimes that is exactly the book we all need to read!

Part literary thriller, part family saga, part police procedural, the novel takes place against the gritty backdrop of Kensington - a not-yet-gentrified neighbourhood in Philadelphia that is being devastated by the opioid crisis. Michaela “Mickey” Fitzpatrick is a cop and single mother; her younger sister, Kacey, a drug addict and prostitute. When Kacey goes missing amid a flurry of unsolved murders of women in the area, Mickey commits herself to finding Kasey and the killer, all the while hoping that her sister isn’t the next victim. Propulsive reading ensues!

Hugely affecting and riveting, the book expertly crafts a portrait of a community in suffering by illuminating the realities of drug addiction and the networks that arise around it. The layered plot, sharp prose and complex characters elevate this book to something more than just a whodunnit piece of pulp fiction. It’s smart and sophisticated and has huge amounts of heart. We could not put it down!