The premise of the story is interesting with Micki a female cop whose drug addicted younger sister, Kasey, has disappeared. The story is told in the voice of Micki and alternates between the present and "then", the time when she and Kasey were growing up. Facts about the family and their relationships are slowly revealed through the arc of the story, which helps move the story along, especially when Micki keeps acting on faulty conclusions.

My only complaint about the writing is the awkward writing of the dialogue: "I said..." "...she said" over and over again. I'm not sure if the author was doing that to demonstrate Micki's awkward way of speaking or if it's a limitation of the author. ( )

This was a beautifully crafted, poignant page turner. I LOVED how Liz Moore surprised me over and over with progressive revelations, and kept me engaged in each of the characters' stories. I found myself taking an extra 5 min here, skipping lunch there, staying up way too late the last 2 nights to read as far as I could.

It's my first time reading Moore's work, and I'll make sure to read more from her. ( )

I am not sure what in the description of this book that led me to choose it as my Book of the Month selection several months ago. I have seen it called a crime thriller or a police procedural, but I don’t think those terms are accurate, or at least they are only partly correct, because it is much more complex and layered. This book packs in a lot. Dysfunctional working class family. Gritty urban landscape — in this case, the Kensington area of Philadelphia. Addiction and prostitution. Corrupt, criminal cops. People who abuse trust, predators on the most vulnerable people. Social commentary on poverty, addiction, gentrification. And a tale of two sisters who take very different paths away from their chaotic childhood. The narrator, Michaela “Mickey” Fitzpatrick, is a single-mom Philadelphia cop. Her younger sister, Kasey, descended into the underbelly of the city. Liz Moore grabbed my attention from the first page and propelled me on her flowing prose to the end. A nice surprise. ( )

Kept me up late reading. Dark and sad.

I’m from Philadelphia so I know the area she describes and I grew up not too far from there. I know the neighborhoods and people she’s describing and I know people who have died from their addictions.

Did not guess who the bad guy was (I never do though!) ( )

This is so sad and frustrating, but I imagine that's life with an addict and a broken system. I was furious for our main character when she found out her whole extended family lied to her about her sister. What a side to take. ( )