Long Bright River

 

To call this book a "crime novel" would be shortchanging the story at its heart.

While it begins with a murder victim being found dead, the real story is one of family, poverty, addiction and the opioid crisis tearing apart so many families.

Kacey and Mickey are sisters who grow up in a tough part of Philadelphia. Early on, they lose their mother to an overdose and are raised by their grandmother, who is both grieving and resentful. Kacey follows her mother's unfortunate path to addiction, while Mickey becomes a cop who patrols the streets near where they grew up.

Mickey constantly worries about Kacey and has even had to bring her in from time to time. When women start showing up dead in the neighborhood, she makes her mission to find her sister, no matter the cost.

That would be an interesting story on its own. But, Moore layers in the complicated dynamics of family. The relationship between sisters is most obvious, but it's also about the relationship between Mickey and her grandmother and the rest of their family. It's also a relationship between mother and son, as Mickey tries desperately to give her son the stability she never had.

The book can be dark and a little depressing, but it has so much heart and honesty. There are enough twists and turns to keep the murder story interesting, while also exposing the even more frightening reality facing so many American families.