The third and final installment in Brian McGilloway's thrilling novel Someone You Know!
Want to dip into the story before you decide? Start reading Parts One & Two of Three now (chapters 1 – 49). It is not the whole book.
Love what you've read? You can buy Part Three (chapters 50 – 64) or the full-length book on May 20, 2014.
An unforgettable and moving thriller for fans of Tana French and Elizabeth George, from the author of the New York Times bestseller Little Girl Lost.
Just before Christmas, the body of a sixteen-year-old girl is found along the train tracks on the outskirts of a small town. As Detective Lucy Black investigates the teenager's tragic last hours in search of clues to her death, she realizes that some of the victim's friends may have been her most dangerous enemies—and that whoever killed her is ready to kill again. Haunted by the memory of a case gone wrong, and taunted by a killer on the loose, Lucy finds herself pitted against a lethal opponent hiding in plain sight.
From an author described by John Connolly as "a major force" in suspense literature, Someone You Know is one of the most atmospheric, powerful thrillers you'll read all year.
Brian McGilloway is an author hailing from Derry, Northern Ireland. He studied English at Queens University Belfast, where he was very active in student theatre, winning a prestigious national Irish Student Drama Association award for theatrical lighting design in 1996. He is currently Head of English at St. Columb's College, Derry. McGilloway's debut novel was a crime thriller called Borderlands. Borderlands was shortlisted for a Crime Writers' Association Dagger award for a debut novel.
Someone You Know by Brian McGilloway is a 2014 Witness Impulse publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
This is the second book in the Lucy Black series.
I knew I was going to like this series and this second book solidified my feelings. This is a police procedural that starts off with the murder of a young woman Lucy had encountered in her work with the PPU (public protection unit) previously. The usual suspects are rounded up which includes the perverts and pedophiles in the system. When a second girl goes missing the case kicks up a notch. To round out the story, Lucy still deals with bureaucracy, the typical jockeying for position, her mother, and her own demons.
While the plot in this one is a familiar one for most crime readers, the author turns in a complex twist to the tried and true procedural. Some of the pieces leftover from the first book are once again addressed and I was blown away by this turn of events. Lucy's relationship with her mother has not improved a great deal, although there was a surprisingly tender moment, but of course Lucy's mother can't maintain that level of parental emotion for too long.
The lowliest of creeps are all under the microscope and once more the novel points out the vulnerability of young women who fall victims to these predators. If you have a daughter this story will keep you up a night. It was also a sad portrait of a couple of young women whose parents couldn't be bothered to be there for their kids because their own needs came first. I thought that was sort of an ironic parallel to Lucy's own childhood. The story is creepy, atmospheric, understated in someways, but there are still some pretty large action scenes too. I think I have found a series I will made a special effort to stay up date with. 4.5 stars
Brian McGilloway returns to Derry, Northern Ireland for the second Lucy Black thriller to be published in this country this year, after Little Girl Lost. In Someone You Know (HarperCollins/Witness Impulse, digital galley), Lucy's assignment to the public protection squad again brings her into a murder investigation when an at-risk teen is killed, her body tied to the railroad tracks. If the train hadn't been delayed, it would have destroyed the crime scene, and the death slated as a suicide. But someone is preying on Derry's girls, even as they escape their dysfunctional homes to party with their friends, unaware just how close the enemy lurks. The daughter of two cops -- one her chief superintendent boss, the other now suffering from dementia -- Lucy has an affinity for the vulnerable that serves her well. A third book is on its way.
After reading his previous books, I found these new ones featuring Lucy Black disjointed and surprisingly passionless. The characters are all engaging, but there are so many individual stories going on that it takes away from what should be the focus--the disappearance of young girls. The resolution feels forced, to prove a moral point. Hope for better things to come from a truly gifted writer.
The is my second read from this author. And it was quite the book. DS Lucy Black in investigating the murder of a young girl found on the train tracks. There is still tension between her and mother. And her relationship with her father has now changed.
Lucy of course get down to business. You will go over the river and through the woods with this book. Nothing seriously challenging but it will hold your interest.
I thoroughly enjoyed the three part installment of the Lucy Black thrillers. Characters are so real they jump out at you. McGilloway is is a skilled storyteller who drops just enough tidbits of information to keep the reader guessing till the end. A must read for murder mystery lovers.
I actually read this as the whole book as one but I can see how it would be good as a serial novel as well. It grabs your attention and keeps it. I can't wait until I can read the next Lucy Black book.
I enjoyed this book just as much as I did the first one I read of the Lucy Black series. Engaging characters that make you want to read about them and good plot.
It was all right. Not really gripping enough to make me want to read the first two books in this series. Or, maybe I will, sometime this summer. Yeah, it's like that.
Another random 99 cent Amazon deal I stumbled across. This one a much more pleasant surprise. The mystery was actually mysterious. The story moved quickly and the characters were interesting.