The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger on September 5, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Historical / General, Fiction / Literary, Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General
Pages: 432
Format: Paperback
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At first, The River We Remember took me a little while to get into, but by the time I reached the end, I was completely invested. So much happened in those final chapters that it made the slower buildup worth it!
Synopsis:
On Memorial Day 1958, the small town of Jewel, Minnesota, is shaken when the body of wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn is found in the Alabaster River, dead from a gunshot wound. With old tensions and long-buried secrets rising to the surface, suspicion quickly falls on Noah Bluestone, a Native American war veteran married to a Japanese woman—an easy target in a town still clinging to prejudice and wartime scars.
Sheriff Brody Dern, a man haunted by his own past, is determined to find the truth, but in a place where everyone has something to hide, uncovering it won’t be easy. As the investigation unfolds, the town’s history, its people, and their deepest wounds are laid bare, leading to a powerful and emotional reckoning.
This book is a slow burn, but it’s beautifully written, with a rich, atmospheric setting that pulls you into small-town life. The characters are complex, flawed, and deeply human, which makes their struggles feel all the more real. And while the beginning took some time to hook me, the ending delivered—so much happened in those final chapters that I couldn’t put it down!
If you love literary mysteries with deep themes, historical elements, and a slow, immersive storytelling style, The River We Remember is definitely worth the read.