I have enjoyed three other books by William Kent Krueger; Lightning Strike and Ordinary Grace as well as one of my all time favorite reads This Tender Land. Today I present his latest – here is my book review The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger

Murder in a Small Town

The theme of a murder in a small town isn’t a new one, but Krueger manages to capture the small town feeling so eloquently in this novel. It’s 1958 and the story begins when the body of the towns wealthy, arrogant and mostly disliked Jimmy Quinn is found in the Alabaster River. But Quinn didn’t drown, he was shot.

Whodunit?

Sherriff Brody Dern begins the investigation, as he deals with his own emotional scars from his time in the war. But he is focused and sees clearly that the murder scene has been set up. But by who? The small town has a surprisingly large cast of characters, given how just about everyone disliked Quinn.

At the top of the suspect list, at least to most of the racist folks in town, is Noah Bluestone, a WWII Veteran and Native American. Bluestone’s Japanese wife, who is also discriminated against in the post-war era is also a suspect.

Throughout the investigation Brody is assisted by a former deputy, an eccentric attorney, and a newspaper editor, each dealing with their own demons and life tragedies. Quinn’s family is also suspect, none of them seeming overly grief stricken about the murder of Jimmy Quinn.

Fairness

Can this highly charged murder get a fair trial in a small town such as Jewell Minnisota? Only a few level headed townspeople as well as two teenage boys can keep an open mind as the investigation comes to a violent end.

Book Review A River We Remember by William Kent Krueger

Although not my favorite Krueger novel, this book captured by attention and was easy to read. Five stars for A River We Remember. See last week’s book review Lincoln on the Verge by Ted Widmer

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