Someone You Know by Brian McGilloway

Someone You Know by Brian McGilloway - 384 pages
Lucy Black Series Book 2

Detective Lucy Black of the Derry, Northern Ireland police force is called in when the body of a young girl is found on the railroad tracks north of town.  Black investigates the girl's last hours and discovers that the girl's so called friends may have turned out to be her worst enemies as she uncovers a web of sex, drugs and kidnappings that reach back into the past to rip apart families, including Black's own. 

Little Girl Lost by Brian McGilloway

Little Girl Lost by Brian McGilloway - 329 pages

DS Lucy Black has returned home to Derry, Northern Ireland to take care of her ailing father.  She starts work in a new position with the police and is quickly drawn into a missing persons case involving both a found girl and a lost girl.  The case quickly consumes her and brings to light both the hidden past of the community and also that of Lucy and her family.  This book is very atmospheric and the city itself is a very strong character in the story.  I'm looking forward to reading more of this series. 

Those We Left Behind by Stuart Neville

Those We Left Behind by Stuart Neville - 368 pages
Belfast Novels Book 5

DCI Serena Flanagan is returning to the police force after an extended medical leave.  She is immediately thrown into conflict with her colleagues when Ciaran Devine who killed his foster father while only 12 in a horrific past case are finally being released from prison.  Ciaran's probation officer suspects there is more to the case than meets the eye and approaches Flanagan to explore if Ciaran was ever truly guilty in the first place.  The suspense is excellent but the depictions of the side characters can ring a little flat.  Flanagan's husband and police colleagues have every right to be angry with her based on her behavior but they aren't really given any credibility in the story.  Plus the side story of the tragedy from the cancer support group seems a bit tacked on.  I didn't realize this was part of a series so I'm sure I would have benefited from the back story of seeing the relationships in the earlier books to feel a deeper connection.