The River We Remember

The River We Remember ~ William Kent Krueger

Set in 1958 in the town of Jewel, Minnesota, The River We Remember is a murder mystery where the victim is so disliked, almost anyone in town could have done it. The prime suspect, however, is Noah Bluestone, a Native American army veteran who came home from the war with a Japanese wife, Kyoto. I’ll give you 1 guess as to why he’s the prime suspect. (If you said ‘racism’, you win.) The main characters are Brody Dern, the town sheriff, who still suffers the effects of his time at war; Connie Graff, who used to be sheriff, and is now sort of a deputy; Scott Madison, the son of Angie, who owns a local diner; and Charlie Bauer, the attorney who takes Noah’s case, though he at first refuses counsel.

I liked this book. It unfolded nicely, with some gorgeous writing. There were some genuinely scary scenes where I was very worried for some of the characters. Themes of racism, violence, heartbreak, justice, and forgiveness all run through the book. I liked the characters in this book, and found the ending satisfying. Recommended.

What’s with all the book reviews? I’m participating in NaBloPoMo this month, writing a post a day. I decided that I would write about the books that I have read this year. For more NaBloPoMo participants, check out San’s list.