The River We Remember
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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.
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William Kent Krueger writes novels that always impress me. This mystery set in 1958 is masterfully written with beautiful description of the landscape of Minnesota and strong development of an interesting cast of small town characters.
The story is set along the fictional Alabaster River, in which a prominent citizen of the small community of Jewel, Minnesota is found floating dead from a shotgun blast. The investigation leads to Noah Bluestone, a Dakota Sioux, who worked for the victim with whom he had a long-standing antagonistic relationship. While most of the town condemns him as guilty due to this Native-American ancestry, a few members of the community question the evidence and search for an alternative suspect. Through the investigation, many personal secrets are revealed.
This book is very character driven, which I love. The reader gains much insight into the histories and the motivations of these small town characters. Many of them are dealing with trauma from WWII while others are trying to cope with difficult events in their personal lives. Strong bonds are creates between characters during the course of events in the book.
The book explores themes on topics such as prejudice, trauma, coming of age, abuse, and redemption. Krueger handles these topics with sensitivity, but does not shy away from the ugliness and hard truths associated with them.
I highly recommend this book, along with Krueger's other historical fiction novels Ordinary Grace and This Tender Land. All three are excellent.
My first William Kent Krueger read and I'll definitely be looking for more of his to read. I really liked this.
I enjoyed this book and its many characters. Pace picked up at the end and the twists were good.
