Favorite Cruise Read

     I got really lucky with the timing of our vacation this year. We went on an 11 night cruise down in the Caribbean and set foot on 7 different islands. The Covid-19 apocalypse was beginning in the USA during the last few days of our trip, and as we all know now, vacations are basically cancelled for the rest of the year. I read three books while on that cruise, one I had started at home, and listened to part of the audio book I had started at home as well. On this cold, dreary day, I am excited to reminisce on that dream of a trip while I write this post.

     So the winner of favorite cruise read is....

Long Bright River by Liz Moore

     Release Date: January 7, 2020

     Read from: 2/25/20 - 2/27/20

     Format: Print (A December BOTM choice)

     My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     Goodreads Rating: 4.15 stars

Goodreads Link

     I wrote my Goodreads review on the notes app of my phone, because we didn't have service very often throughout the duration of the trip. I read the book in two days, while lying by the pool and lounging in our room with a balcony on beautiful sunny days. We had reached the warm southern Florida waters and were chugging towards San Juan, Puerto Rico. I flew through this book despite its length (480 pages) because I not only had the time, finally, but I found the story to be very interesting, and the writing style flowed to the degree necessary to keep you turning pages without feeling major reading fatigue. 

-Northern Caribbean sunset (February 26, 2020)

     I almost didn't pick this one up from the library before I left on the trip. I had placed it on hold, and it came in just prior to us leaving, and I was worried about it's length and getting to it on the trip. But I am SO glad I grabbed it. It was the perfect book to have on hand on a trip like that one.

     Michaela (“Mickey”) is our main character and a police officer in Philadelphia. Her younger sister is named Kacey. She spends her days working the streets and doing heroin. Kacey and Mickey grew up in the Kensington area of Philly without their parents. Their mother died of a heroin overdose, and their father has been gone almost as long, presumably dead. They were raised by their grandmother, struggling to get by. As soon as they were old enough, they both set off on their own to make their own ways. In completely different directions from each other. 

-The "Walmart" of heroin in Kensington, Philadelphia (The NY Times)

     In the present, Mickey is working the same area of town that she grew up in, and she and Kacey haven't been in touch for quite some time. While she works, Mickey uses her patrol time to keep an eye on her sister, still trying to make sure she's safe. Conveniently, Kacey goes missing at the same time that serial murders are taking place in the area where Kacey spends her time. Mickey is so desperate to find her sister that she begins to put her job in peril by abusing her power as a police officer to search for her sister on her own. The police department is investigating the murders as well, but Mickey doesn't feel that it's enough. She goes out of her way to question family members she hasn't spoken to in years, who in turn don’t trust her because she’s a cop, since they don’t exactly follow all the laws themselves. She also puts herself and her young son in danger when she gets too heavily involved with people on the street, trying to get more information.

     The book goes back and forth between past and present to paint a picture of Mickey and Kacey in their younger days, through their many ups and downs. These flashbacks help you try to figure out where Kacey might be and who the serial killer is. If they are connected or not. It throws twists and turns that lead me in different directions. I was constantly changing my mind about what I thought was going on. I wasn’t entirely surprised by the answer in the end, but I can’t say that I had really figured it out myself either. The way we wind up getting our answers in the end was a little bit unbelievable to me, but the scene wasn't drawn out enough to piss me off and ruin the rest of the story for me. 

-Kensington, Philadelphia (PhillyVoice)

     It is not really a suspenseful book. I really wouldn't characterize it as a thriller myself, but it is definitely a mystery. We are obviously searching alongside Mickey for the missing Kacey and the serial murderer, but we are also uncovering secrets from Mickey's own past. Things she was aware of, and things that she is not.

     If you spend too much time over analyzing the book and playing sleuth yourself, maybe you will find out the answer. I don't know. I try not to do that while I read anymore (I used to) and I find it way more fun when I try to just put myself in the position of the character and figure out the story along with them. I'm finding that I am surprised a lot more and enjoying books a lot more that maybe I wouldn't have had as much fun with otherwise. 

     All in all, I definitely agree with the positive reviews on this. I greatly enjoyed my time reading this book and definitely do recommend it to others.