Those We Left Behind

Starred review from July 13, 2015
At the start of this searing, deeply affecting psychological thriller set in Belfast from Edgar-finalist Neville (Ratlines), 19-year-old Ciaran Devine (aka the schoolboy killer) is released from prison after serving seven years for the murder of his foster father, David Rolston. Det. Chief Insp. Serena Flanagan always believed that Ciaran, then 12, confessed in order to protect his two-year-older brother, Thomas, who was convicted as an accessory and alleged that their foster father sexually abused Ciaran. Try as she might, Serena couldn’t break Thomas’s powerful hold on Ciaran. Now Thomas is also free, and Serena hopes she can put the case behind her once and for all. Meanwhile, Paula Cunningham, Ciaran’s probation officer, is concerned with the media’s rabid obsession with her new charge, as well as Ciaran’s utter devotion to Thomas. Lurking on the sidelines is Daniel Rolston, David’s biological son, who is set on revenge, certain that the wrong Devine brother confessed. Paula and Serena are soon comparing notes as violence escalates around the brothers and secrets from the past come to light. Neville demonstrates once again that he’s a literary force to be reckoned with. Agent: Nat Sobel, Sobel Weber Associates.

July 15, 2015
Two brothers bound by love and need repeat the deadly pattern of a past crime. Ciaran Devine was only 12 when he was convicted of killing his foster father. Seven years later, he's being released from the Young Offenders Centre into a world he's ill equipped to handle. Paula Cunningham, the probation officer assigned to his case, consults with DCI Serena Flanagan, who established a rapport with the boy after the murder. At the time, Flanagan had her doubts about his confession and about the allegations his older brother, Thomas, had made about David Rolston, a prosperous married man with a good home on the outskirts of Belfast, one child of his own, and the willingness to take care of children without families-or perhaps exploit them. Flanagan was never sure who was actually being exploited. She had an inkling of the hold Thomas had over Ciaran and suspected that the younger boy took the fall for the older one. Although Thomas was convicted as an accessory, he drew a shorter sentence, has been out of prison for two years, and is waiting for his brother's release. Flanagan knows Ciaran needs someone to look after him; he's still a child in a man's body, unable to cope with even the simplest tasks on his own. She's not convinced, however, that Thomas is the best choice. Cunningham is trying to help him, though personal issues are keeping her from helping herself. And Flanagan, a cancer survivor, is supposed to be easing back into her job again, not being pulled back into an old crime. But it's not in her nature to take the easy way, especially when Rolston's son decides to make the Devine brothers suffer-and sets off a nightmare that threatens to trap both Cunningham and Flanagan. Flanagan, who had a secondary role in The Final Silence (2014), takes center stage in a grim tale of dependence and obsession.

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April 1, 2016

Irish writer Neville brings Detective Chief Inspector Serena Flanagan back on the job after she has recovered from breast cancer. Her first case involves 20-year-old Ciaran Devine, who, seven years prior, at age 12, confessed to the murder of his stepfather. He is released to a group home and will be under the care of probation officer Paula Cunningham. Flanagan-the officer in Ciaran's original case-is sure that it was Thomas, Ciaran's older brother, who committed the murder, and when a skirmish in the group home brings Flanagan back into Ciaran's life, she reflects on what might have gone wrong in the initial investigation and how to bring Thomas to light as the true murderer. But Ciaran, deeply tied to his sibling, refuses to answer any questions and sticks by his confession. The young men have a stepbrother, Daniel, who has been following their movements from afar and now waits for the right moment to confront them for killing his father. He has been slowly unraveling since his father's death and unknowingly sets into motion the series of events that force Flanagan to work even harder to release Ciaran from the bounds that Thomas has tied. She is thwarted at every corner by stifling rules, as well as the determination of three young men to be left alone with their secrets and their dreams of revenge. VERDICT Teen fans of mystery and psychological thrillers will root for Ciaran, hoping that he can overcome his circumstances.-Connie Williams, Petaluma High School, CA

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2015
At age 12, Ciaran Devine confessed to bludgeoning to death his foster father, but Belfast Detective Sergeant Serena Flanagan didn't believe him. She thought that Thomas, Ciaran's older brother, committed the murder and convinced Ciaran to take the blame. Now, seven years later, Ciaran is released, and probation officer Paula Cunningham must oversee his reentry into society. But the dead man's biological son, who also believes the timorous Ciaran to be innocent, has become obsessed and erratic. Serena, who has just returned to work following surgery for breast cancer, still remains convinced Ciaran is innocent, prompting a clash with her superior, who accepted Ciaran's confession. Further tragedy is imminent. Neville (The Final Silence, 2014) always develops richly complex characters, and Serena, Paula, and the Devines certainly qualify. But Belfast itself, full of violence and tragedy, is also a primary character in his novels. This time, however, Neville devotes most of his attention to a surprisingly compassionate juvenile justice system. Those We Left Behind is psychologically astute, but many of Neville's fans may find themselves looking forward to the next deep dive into gritty, dangerous Belfast.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)