The River We Remember

 

The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger

Mystery

2023

Finished on August 27, 2024

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

In 1958, a small Minnesota town is rocked by the murder of its most powerful citizen, pouring fresh fuel on old grievances in this dazzling standalone novel.

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.

Both a complex, spellbinding mystery and a masterful portrait of midcentury American life, The River We Remember is an unflinching look at the wounds left by the wars we fight abroad and at home, a moving exploration of the ways in which we seek to heal, and a testament to the enduring power of the stories we tell about the places we call home.

The River We Remember is another lyrical work by best-selling author, William Kent Krueger. I first read one of Krueger's standalone novels (Ordinary Grace) a decade ago, and I thought that was an exceptional story, so I'm always happy to read more of his works. A few years ago, I read This Tender Land, and while that novel failed to impress me as much as Ordinary Grace, The River We Remember is quite splendid. With lyrical prose and fully realized characters, I was immediately drawn in, eager to return to my reading every evening. Krueger's ability to draw vivid settings of time and place is impressive.

He drove away from Inkpaduta Bend, drove the threads of back roads and gravel lanes that knitted the farms and hamlets of Black Earth County together in a loose fabric of commerce and community. It was a lovely summer day, the sky a blue blade that seemed to cut off the rest of the world along a green horizon. Occasionally the approaching rattle of his pickup flushed a pheasant from the tall grass and weeds at the roadside. The flight and cackle of the birds made him think of Myrna and those days when he'd ride with her on horseback down these country roads and the pheasants would fly up at their coming and take to the safety of the tall corn. She'd been born a city girl, but she knew how to sit a horse proud. God, he missed her. 

and

A breeze came through the window screens in Brown's office. On a telephone wire outside, two cardinals sat, a brilliant red male and a drab female, calling to each other with a few lilting notes. Randy Swope, the boy Brown paid to keep the grounds neat, was cutting the front lawn. As the reel of the push mower spun and paused and spun, the rhythmic sound reminded Brody of breathing. To folks in Black Earth County, the seasons were living things, and each had its own peculiar voice and smell and personality. Early summer in Jewel was a season that usually breathed promise.

In addition to the author's well-defined characters and strong sense of place, the sense of foreboding was ever present as the story progressed. I grew increasingly anxious for the safety of two young boys as Krueger's foreshadowing hinted at danger.

And so it was agreed, and the course it would eventually take Scott Madison and Del Wolfe down was set and the sun went on rising and the morning went on around them as if the world either had no idea of the sorrow ahead or did not care.

Ordinary Grace remains my favorite novel by William Kent Krueger, but The River We Remember is a deeply affecting and ultra-satisfying read. I would love to see more of Brody, Charlie, and Scott in another novel. This story would make a great TV series. Highly recommend!