The Long and Faraway Gone

A Novel

By: Lou Berney

Narrated by: Brian Hutchison, Amy McFadden

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 PRIZE

With 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 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?

Brilliant novel, beautifully read

Berney’s book is both a compelling story, a page-turner that I could not put down, and a deep meditation on what it means to be a survivor. Brilliantly write, beautifully performed.

Loved this book, awesome narration

Loved this book, kept me guessing the whole way. Really liked the characters. Awesome narration

Beautiful, compelling, gripping

This is a work of art. The intricate storytelling, the vivid detail, the depth of character--I cannot say enough about how amazing this book is. The two narrators are masters of the trade. You won't regret this.

One of my favorite books of all time

This is such a good story with so many different facets. I’ve read the book twice over the past couple of years and just listen to the audio and I really enjoyed the narrators.

Not as good as November Road

This book sorta drive me crazy. Two different stories that are not even related- hated the female lead in this book - so annoying that I almost could not finish the book