The Long and Faraway Gone: A Novel

Excellent book for the first 400 pages. Very compelling, with some strong characters that you really invest in. Then... (**Spoiler Alert**) Oh dear. The last 40 pages tie everything up neatly, with just a few pages devoted to each loose end. And in no direction that you would expect. The premise for both the conclusions are a suddenly remembered phrase, followed by a quick google of the person involved, then an almost instant confession of guilt, completely volunteered. Did the author just realise he had only 40 pages left, and hadn't thought of the end? I have to say it was so tame, weak and disappointing in the last 10%, particularly as the first 90% was so good.

I loved the time I spent with this book. It had everything I look for in this type of crime novel: an unpredictable, twisting plot, memorable characters who were skilfully fleshed out, and plenty of humour. There were also many quotable one-liners woven throughout this wonderfully constructed tale. I particularly liked the way the author focuses on two main characters, Wyatt and Julianna. The only connection between them is that they are both originally from Oklahoma City. Wyatt presently lives in Las Vegas, where he works as a private detective. Julianna is a nurse, who has lived in Oklahoma City all her life. Twenty-five years earlier, as a teenager, Wyatt was caught up in a tragedy where six movie theatre employees were brutally murdered by masked robbers. During that same year Julianna's sister, Genevieve mysteriously went missing whilst on a night out at a fairground. Lou Berney does a superb job of bringing Wyatt and Julianna to life. They became characters who I soon started to care about, people whose lives had been battered and scarred by their experiences, and I wanted them to succeed in their individual quests to seek some kind of resolution to the traumatic events in their earlier lives. It's also worth mentioning that there are a number of interesting, sometimes eclectic peripheral characters in this story who, dip in and out of the narrative, but each have their role to play in this cracking story. This is written by a relatively young author who is at the top of his game. Don't hesitate, get your hands on a copy ASAP. I've already placed my orders for Gutshot Straight, and the sequel, Whiplash River...... TOP TIP: If you don't like to read Kindle books, and you're on a tight budget, consider purchasing some of your novels second-hand from the independent booksellers on Amazon. I purchased this book in 'very good condition' for less than half the RRP (inc. p&p). It arrived a week later direct from the USA, and it turned out to be a signed copy in almost perfect condition!

Great Read!!! SYNOPSIS There is a lot going on in this book, in fact, three plots/subplots all woven together by time, place and a couple of characters crossing paths. Wyatt, a Las Vegas private detective, is asked to help out a client by taking a small, short job in Oklahoma City. While flying to Oklahoma City isn't exactly glamorous, Wyatt has deeper reasons to try to pass on the favor. As a teenager growing up in OKC, he survived a traumatic incident which has effected his whole life. His family moved shortly after the incident and he hasn't been back since. Against his better judgment, Wyatt decides to help his friend unravel the mystery of who has been harassing his sister-in-law (sub plot #1); while dealing with unanswered questions from his past trauma (sub plot #2) and crossing paths with Julianna, a nurse who is still trying to come to grips with her older sister's 1986 disappearance (sub plot #3). While Wyatt tries to figure out who has been harassing Candace, he and Julianna try to come to terms with their past trauma in order to move forward with their lives. WHAT I LOVED Loved Wyatt as a character. He was funny, quite a smart ass. At times he seemed to really have it together, other times... not so much. I think he was really good at pretending to have it all together. He was the kind of character you just want to pull for. Loved OKC as a setting. You don't see that very often; most books are either based in either big, glamorous cities or small towns. I grew up in Tulsa Oklahoma, mid sized cities like that just seem left out of modern literature. I now finally feel represented. Lol. I loved the way the three subplots wove together but without making each rely on the other. All three could have stood alone as a story, yet having the three together made the story richer. The flashbacks to 1986 did a great job of representing teenagers of that time and teenagers in general. Author, Lou Berney, kept the story going. There was never a dull moment and the wit and humor brought just the right touch of lightness. WHAT I DIDN'T LOVE I couldn't find much to complain about. I did the immersion reading with both the book and audio. I liked that there was a female voice for Julianna's chapters and a male voice for Wyatt, but the female narrator made everyone in her portion of the book sound completely Midwestern. No one from Oklahoma talks like that!! It really bugged me! It sounded like they were all from Minnesota or Wisconsin. There is nothing wrong with sounding like you are from those states but these characters were supposed to be born and bred in OK. I can understand doing no accent, but a heavy Midwestern accent? I think not. That rant was really my only complaint. OVERALL Great read. I'll be adding Lou Berney to my list.

I have been a Clinical Psychologist for 47 years and have seen many cases of domestic violence or abuse. The vast majority of the patient's I have seen have been women. Unfortunately, most of them have been trying to recover from the tremendous damage done by the abuse and many of them still find themselves stuck in an abusive relationship. This is an excellent book for people who have suffered or are suffering from domestic abuse and for clinicians who need to organize their thinking and understanding of abuse and its many faces. The book is concise and inclusive. It is very readable and appropriately aimed at readers who are not likely to read many of the books written about domestic violence and abuse. It helpfully breaks abused into several categories with cogent examples. It illustrates well how people are sometimes charmed (hoodwinked) into unhealthy relationships because they do not know how to look for the red flags or gloss over them in the belief that things will change. It illustrates how the abuser erodes his or her partner's self-esteem and confidence over time and leaves them feeling worthless and trapped. It should help victims develop a better understanding of what happened in a way that helps them deal with any guilt over having allowed themselves to be fooled and trapped. It should also help with understanding why it is so difficult to leave an abusive relationship. I was introduced to a new concept-financial abuse. I have seen it occur many times, but have not labeled as such and further enlightened me about how financial abuse is woven into other forms of abuse and makes it even more difficult to leave. In just the last several weeks, I have seen at least three patients who were not allowed access to bank accounts without permission, forced to live on an allowance and ask if they needed additional money, had details about income and expenditures hidden from them, and had their own paychecks diverted into an account to which they had no access. Every time I felt like a particular facet of abuse needed to be detailed, I found it included at some point shortly after my thought or in the next chapter. One of the strengths of the book is its brevity. It made me think of detective Joe Friday (Jack Webb) of the TV show Dragnet. Only those of you who remember black and white TV will remember a frequently repeated phrase: "Just the facts ma'am." The book concludes with information about how to get out of an abusive relationship, including methods of documentation, reporting without risk to the victim, and steps to take in leaving such a relationship. I highly recommend this book as a resource for people who have experienced or are experiencing domestic violence or abuse and clinicians to increase their understanding of the breadth of abuse. I believe that it will prove a useful teaching tool for victim of abuse because it is so readable.

Book 24 of 2022 — The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney This was my choice for “set in Oklahoma” on library bingo. It was recommended on their Instagram and then it was “available now!”, so off I went! What an awesome read. Pros: The storytelling is exquisite. I found it mildly terrifying that it was set in my home area. Everything involving the crimes felt more real somehow. Wyatt is incredibly brilliant. His jokes and one-liners are witty and disarming. Julianna is a less sympathetic character. Her entire life is shaped by the tragedy that happened as a child, where Wyatt has worked against his. As the story progresses, the interplay between the seemingly unrelated characters is fascinating. Cons: I felt like this was a slow burn for the first 60%. It wasn’t until things started to come together near the end that I became riveted. I slogged through a bit at the beginning because I hate to not finish and I’m very glad I did. I was somewhat disappointed in the ending, but only because I wanted something different. No spoilers! A really interesting read. I liked the multiple view points. The unsolved crime portion was terrifying and I found myself constantly thinking ahead to try to put the pieces together. 3.5⭐️/5 rounded up to 4