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Christian Dittus
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English
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THOSE WE LEFT BEHIND (Serena Flanagan 1)

Stuart Neville

Ciaran Devine, who made Belfast headlines eight 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; his testimony mitigated the sentence of his older brother Thomas, who was also found at the crime scene, covered in blood. But DCI Serena Flanagan, the only officer who could convince a young, frightened Ciaran to speak, has silently harbored doubts about his confession all this time.

Ciaran's release means several things: a long-anticipated reunion with Thomas, who still wields a dangerous influence over him; the call-to-action of a man bent on revenge for his father's death; and major trouble for Ciaran's assigned probation officer, Paula Cunningham. Meanwhile, Serena 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 left behind by a retiring officer. But she will soon discover that even closed cases can unleash terror on the streets of Belfast.

Stuart Neville is the Edgar Award–nominated author of The Final Silence, Ratlines, and three previous novels set in Belfast: Collusion, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize; Stolen Souls; and The Ghosts of Belfast, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Spinetingler Award for Best First Novel, and a finalist for the Macavity Award, the Barry Award, and the Anthony Award for Best First Novel.
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Book

Published 2015-09-01 by Soho Press

Comments

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

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.

...seering, deeply affecting psychological thriller... (...) Neville demonstrates once again that he's a literary force to be reckoned with. (starred review)

Deeply chilling but full of tenderness, this multi-stranded story is utterly compelling. The best book yet from a hugely talented writer.

France: Rivages

Those We Left Behind is a great, brawling ache of a novel. Filled with both prickling suspense and fiercely wrought emotion, it's a tale of the burdens of family and the weight of the past. And at its center, holding it all together, is DCI Serena Flanagan, the bruised and compassionate hero for whom we've all been waiting. - Megan Abbott

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. (starred review)

Holland : Bruna; Israel: Sendik Books; Spain; Navona

UK: Harvill Secker

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)

...Neville delivers a standalone set in Northern Ireland that ought to earn him another place on the Edgar Award shortlist. (Fall 2015 announcements)