Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger Narrator: CJ Wilson
Published by Atria Books, Simon & Schuster Audio on September 5, 2023
Genres: Mystery, Suspense, Historical Fiction
Pages: 432
Length: 13 hours, 33 minutes
Format: Audiobook, eARC
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
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On Memorial Day, as the people of Jewel, Minnesota gather to remember and honor the sacrifice of so many sons in the wars of the past, the half-clothed body of wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn is found floating in the Alabaster River, dead from a shotgun blast. Investigation of the murder falls to Sheriff Brody Dern, a highly decorated war hero who still carries the physical and emotional scars from his military service. Even before Dern has the results of the autopsy, vicious rumors begin to circulate that the killer must be Noah Bluestone, a Native American WWII veteran who has recently returned to Jewel with a Japanese wife. As suspicions and accusations mount and the town teeters on the edge of more violence, Dern struggles not only to find the truth of Quinn’s murder but also put to rest the demons from his own past.
Caught up in the torrent of anger that sweeps through Jewel are a war widow and her adolescent son, the intrepid publisher of the local newspaper, an aging deputy, and a crusading female lawyer, all of whom struggle with their own tragic histories and harbor secrets that Quinn’s death threatens to expose.
I have come to appreciate this author’s work greatly. He has a long running series which is a police / investigator procedural that seems current time. His independent books like this one seem more a look at historical times and attitudes.
The setting is a rural community of Jewel, Minnesota in Blue Earth county, starting in 1958. As far as I can tell this town doesn’t exist. The county is not unlike where I grew up in the next generation and only about 100 miles from my hometown in Iowa.
While it is at least 12 years after the war, the characters here are all dealing with the impact. Everything mentioned seems to be World War 2, although the Korean War was most recent. There are war veterans who saw horrors and are haunted by them. Other veterans have physical effects remaining. There are war widows who are single mothers.
One man, Noah, a Native American who grew up here, and ancestors were pushed off this land years ago, had a distinguished military record. He was a star of the local sports teams. He is the expected culprit when a wealthy landowner, Quinn, is murdered. Quinn was not liked, also a heavy drinker, and he was Noah’s employer.
The area is rife with prejudice because Noah is a Native American and has a Japanese wife. Those who are most prejudiced seem to be laborers who are white men who drink too much and have too many guns. The sheriff is the second son and his brother got the education and land, while he went off to war. He was a successful soldier but has horrible memories.
The people in charge, like the sheriff, are flawed. They bend the rules, which doesn’t always work. As I read, I had a feeling of heartbreak. There were good, honest, hard-working people who were struggling or being hurt. Some others were entitled and disrespectful of others, expecting things to go their way. I appreciated the people of integrity who supported others showing compassion and kindness. The story is powerful, and sad.
Narration:
I wasn’t familiar with this narrator and it looks like he only has 3 titles on Audible. I was comfortable with his voices. There were some accents for characters which sounded appropriate but I’m not knowledgeable enough to know if they were accurate. The performance kept me engaged and feeling the emotional tones of the characters. I was able to listen comfortably at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About William Kent Krueger
Raised in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, William Kent Krueger briefly attended Stanford University—before being kicked out for radical activities. After that, he logged timber, worked construction, tried his hand at freelance journalism, and eventually ended up researching child development at the University of Minnesota. He currently makes his living as a full-time author. He’s been married for over 40 years to a marvelous woman who is an attorney. He makes his home in St. Paul, a city he dearly loves.
Krueger writes a mystery series set in the north woods of Minnesota. His protagonist is Cork O’Connor, the former sheriff of Tamarack County and a man of mixed heritage—part Irish and part Ojibwe. His work has received a number of awards, including the Minnesota Book Award, the Loft-McKnight Fiction Award, the Anthony Award, the Barry Award, the Dilys Award, and the Friends of American Writers Prize. His last five novels were all New York Times bestsellers.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 23-COYER
This sounds like a thoughtful one and I like the way it delves into a community’s history even if there are main characters.
yes and for rural Minnesota it seems like a lot of cultural groups. I can tell you in the rural community where I grew up barely 100 miles away. It was a homogenous group of all WASP, all white all Christian. So my experience with other cultures would have been very limited if my parents hadn’t taken us traveling some.
These characters really sound interesting.
They are interesting. They are not all likeable and they each have their own flaws. The only one I couldn’t find flaws with was Noah who got persecuted the most because of his heritage and his wife’s heritage.
An excellent review, Anne. This sounds like a thoughtful, well-written book that straddles the line between mystery and literary fiction. I’m intrigued, but also leery; it sounds sadder and more difficult (emotionally) than I think I’m up to right now. However, I know you really like this author, and I think I may try that long-running detective series someday.
yes, it was very well done but sad. I hate to think these kinds of things were happening in this time period. The thing is they were, and it just wasn’t as publicized with no Internet and tv just starting. The bad deeds were easier to hide.
I’ve only read a few of Kreuger’s books, but I really like the way he writes. He always seems to bring his characters to life.
He’s a very favorite author of mine. It doesn’t hurt that he writes about areas where I spent most of my life.
I ordered this from BOTM, but now I’m not sure I want to read it. I don’t like reading sad books even if they are well-written. We’ll see.
Well it’s a very good book. I was just sad reading it. I may have been more affected because it is an area where I lived most of my life and I thought people were better than some of the things which happened. Also I didn’t think it was so divisive as now but this is before I was born. Plus where I grew up people were all white, all Christian. This was only about 100 miles away but it was an Native American area. I think the bad things were happening but without tv or Internet, we didn’t know or could ignore them more.
I love Krueger’s honesty and authenticity which you’ve captured beautifully, Anne💜
Thank you Jonetta. I want to read all of his work. He’s writing more stand alones like this one.
I enjoy this author. Lovely review Anne
Thanks Kimberly. He’s one of my very favorites.
I have heard nothing but good things about this author’s writing so I really do need to give his books a try.
Yes he’s a must read for me and I highly recommend him.
BEAUTIFUL cover!
yes he is one of my favorite authors also.