Those We Left Behind
Stuart Neville
ISBN: 9781616956363
Published: September, 2015
Pricing
Paperback $15.95
More books by Stuart Neville
Description
Ciaran Devine, who made Belfast headlines seven years ago as the “schoolboy killer,” is about to walk free. At the age of twelve, he confessed to the brutal murder of his foster father. But DCI Serena Flanagan, who was the officer to take young, frightened Ciaran’s confession, has silently harbored doubts about his guilt all this ti...
Ciaran Devine, who made Belfast headlines seven years ago as the “schoolboy killer,” is about to walk free. At the age of twelve, he confessed to the brutal murder of his foster father. But DCI Serena Flanagan, who was the officer to take young, frightened Ciaran’s confession, has silently harbored doubts about his guilt all this time. Juvenile detention has left Ciaran ill-prepared for life on the outside; with the strength of a man, the maturity of a child, and seven years’ worth of prison life under his belt, Ciaran is both vulnerable and dangerous. Meanwhile, Flanagan has just returned to the force from her battle with breast cancer, only to endure the pitying looks of her coworkers and a mountain of open case files. She will soon discover that even closed cases can unleash terror on the streets of Belfast.
Media
“In the world of modern crime fiction, Stuart Neville is a supernova. I buy his books the day they’re released because I can’t wait to see where he takes me next. And I’m never disappointed. ”
–Dennis Lehane
“Neville’s novel is a coldly lucid assessment of the fragility of the Irish peace ... A rare example of legitimate noir fiction. ”
—The New York Times Book Review
“Stuart Neville has a lock on dread ... Full-bodied and credible. ”
—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“Deeply chilling but full of tenderness, this multi-stranded story is utterly compelling. The best book yet from a hugely talented writer. ”
–Sunday Mirror on Those We Left Behind
“A must read. ”
–Irish Times
“If crime connoisseurs take only one book to the beach this summer they should make sure it is Those We Left Behind by Stuart Neville, in which the absolute master of Belfast Noir delivers a sustained crescendo of creeping menace. ”
–Irish Independent
“His best novel since his debut, [The Ghosts of Belfast]... Flanagan is a compelling character, professionally capable and hard nosed but emotionally vulnerable in her private life, although it’s young Ciaran Devine who is the most haunting character. ”
–Declan Burke, The Irish Times
“[A] gripping tale of two brothers and one policewoman in Northern Ireland fighting to come to terms with peacefully living in a land still torn by the divisions of religious intolerance, and the deep scars it has left on its people. ”
–Herald Scotland, Pick of the Week
“Psychologically astute. ”
–Booklist
“[A] searing, deeply affecting psychological thriller ... Neville demonstrates once again that he’s a literary force to be reckoned with. ”
–Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review, on Those We Left Behind
“Neville has the gift of making us care about the fate of each of his creations, whether they are convicted killers, cops, or innocent bystanders. Another winner, this is fast-paced and intriguing to the very end. ”
–Library Journal, Starred Review on Those We Left Behind
“Chilling ... Stays in the upper levels of intensity that drive the best of its genre. ”
–The Longest Chapter on Those We Left Behind
“In Stuart Neville’s Belfast, the police are not icons of virtue, just less flawed than the criminals they are trying to help. Neville creates a sense of menace that jumps off the page, but with an underlying poetry that keeps you hoping innocence will prevail. ”
–Salem Macknee, Raleigh News & Observer on Those We Left Behind
“Stuart Neville is one of the most distinctive of the new crime writers from Ireland and Northern Ireland. ”
–The Life Sentence on Those We Left Behind
“Stuart Neville has been masterfully capturing the mean streets of Belfast in a series of thrillers, each arguably more powerful than the last. His latest, Those We Left Behind, in which he ups his game by about 10 notches, is a robust police procedural that also impressively plumbs his varied characters’ psychological vulnerabilities. ”
–The Boston Globe on Those We Left Behind
“Neville brings to the table his trademark powers of characterization and storytelling, sharply honed, in this tale of consequence and revenge. ”
–Bookreporter.com on Those We Left Behind
“Neville's books are dark but elegantly written case studies of the roots of violence, and here he writes thoughtfully, about children who come from the streets, go through the foster programs and prison systems, and are either reborn or dragged back into the sorrows that are their inheritance.”