WINNER OF THE EDGAR AWARD, THE MACAVITY AWARD, THE ANTHONY AWARD, AND THE BARRY AWARD FOR BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL NOMINATED FOR THE 2015 LA TIMES BOOK PRIZEWith the compelling narrative tension and psychological complexity of the works of Laura Lippman, Dennis Lehane, Kate Atkinson, and Michael Connelly, Edgar Award-nominee Lou Berney’s The Long and Faraway Gone is a smart, fiercely compassionate … The Long and Faraway Gone is a smart, fiercely compassionate crime story that explores the mysteries of memory and the impact of violence on survivors—and the lengths they will go to find the painful truth of the events that scarred their lives.
In the summer of 1986, two tragedies rocked Oklahoma City. Six movie-theater employees were killed in an armed robbery, while one inexplicably survived. Then, a teenage girl vanished from the annual State Fair. Neither crime was ever solved.
Twenty-five years later, the reverberations of those unsolved cases quietly echo through survivors’ lives. A private investigator in Vegas, Wyatt’s latest inquiry takes him back to a past he’s tried to escape—and drags him deeper into the harrowing mystery of the movie house robbery that left six of his friends dead.
Like Wyatt, Julianna struggles with the past—with the day her beautiful older sister Genevieve disappeared. When Julianna discovers that one of the original suspects has resurfaced, she’ll stop at nothing to find answers.
As Wyatt’s case becomes more complicated and dangerous, and Julianna seeks answers from a ghost, their obsessive quests not only stir memories of youth and first love, but also begin to illuminate dark secrets of the past. But will their shared passion and obsession heal them, or push them closer to the edge? Even if they find the truth, will it help them understand what happened, that long and faraway gone summer? Will it set them free—or ultimately destroy them?
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This story follows two characters who were left behind to pick up the pieces while the tragedies of their past continue to haunt them. Twenty-five years later we find that Wyatt the sole survivor from the movie theater incident has left Oklahoma City behind. He even changed his name, he simply wants to forget. At the same time, Julianna has been trying to figure out what happened that night at the fair two decades ago. Was her sister alive? Was she dead? Neither character meets each other on this journey of finding answers but I thought it was a beautifully written story. I loved how their stories paralleled each other. The ending was definitely not what I was expecting. I even had to rewind to make sure I did not miss anything.
Narrators:
Brian Hutchison and Amy McFadden
Both Brian and Amy did an amazing job. The richness of their voices kept me tuned in throughout the book.
Pretty good! Worth the money.
It was truly deserving of all of its awards. Well done.
Starts slow but hang in there. It is worth the read and halfway through your become hooked. The author connects two story lines which at first seem unrelated.
An amazing story. I love all his books.
Two different mysteries that collide in several events. I didn’t figure the plot until I read it.
This was a good mystery and kept you guessing to the end
Unusual storyline and good character development. Many times when reading the “who done it” genre, it’s easy for me to predict what’s coming. Mainly this is due to what I consider a fall out of conceivable events and/or actions. I find it irritating that a Author would think we readers would really buy some issues presented. A personal view re some of the Grisham books.
This book kept me intrigued to the end. Also, really funny at times. Actually had quite a few LOL’s, which is unusual for me. Recommend if interested in a lighter read that is well written.
I cannot recommend this novel enough!! Ten stars! Some writers become the best, the ones you remember parts of their books forever. Stephen King for horror, Alice Hoffman for magic realism, Louise Penny for mysteries. BUT take them out of the catagories and look at their writing…humanity, depth, the small moments, the overly dramatic, the memories…..that is what they have in common. And Lou Berney belongs with them because although it is a mystery on so many levels, this is a novel first and foremost about people and how they live after tragedies or not. And the whys they ask themselves are the whys we sometimes ask when things happen to us.
Wyatt and Julianne are two people dealing with moving on and yet pulled by the past. And like in life, six degrees does separate them. And their thoughts are there for everyone to feel in a crisp, clear writing style that still evokes the depths of memories. AND proves that time is not a straight line but intertwines and a memory pops out and you are in it now, not as it was, but as it is the smells, the damp air, the noise….you are living it.
Julianne survived and thinks she has moved on from her sister going missing at a country fair. Wyatt moved away from Oklahoma but is back on a case and reliving the massacre of his friends at a movie theater. Their lives will interconnect briefly. And they march on but the past is never far away in their minds. The ways they deal with the now and the past are a tribute to them. Their struggle is real and the will to try and keep upright and have a life is real. The mysteries are perfect, small at times, bigger at others but they add, not detract from the stories of these two people.
I can’t pick up another book today as I am still living in this one. It is inspirational.
Interesting story and memorable characters
Thought provoking and realistic
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Didn’t want to put it down!
Best book I read last year, and I read a lot.
A deep dive into Oklahoma culture. Compelling, with rounded characters and fine detail.