The River We RememberThe River We Remember
What it's about
On Memorial Day 1958, in the small Minnesota town of Jewel, the body of Jimmy Quinn, the richest and most disliked man in the county, is found in the river, shot. Sheriff Brody Dern, a Korean War veteran with scars of his own, investigates. Suspicion falls quickly on Noah Bluestone, a Native American veteran who has come home with a Japanese wife, and the town's old prejudices come to the surface.
Why it's worth reading
It was a finalist for the Edgar and the Goodreads Choice awards. Krueger, author of This Tender Land, writes moving small-town stories, and this is a mystery about how war marks everyone.
You'll love it if you liked
The Last Child
The Bottoms
To Kill a MockingbirdGood to know
It stands alone. It deals with racism, war trauma and sexual violence.
By the numbers
- Readers76 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics21 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller37 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz51 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #53 of the 555 mysteries and thrillers we rank
- #118 of the 481 new books we rank
- #654 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Gripping
More by William Kent Krueger
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Quick answers
Is The River We Remember worth reading?
Yes. It was a finalist for the Edgar and the Goodreads Choice awards. It ranks #654 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 76.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The River We Remember about?
On Memorial Day 1958, in the small Minnesota town of Jewel, the body of Jimmy Quinn, the richest and most disliked man in the county, is found in the river, shot. Sheriff Brody Dern, a Korean War veteran with scars of his own, investigates. Suspicion falls quickly on Noah Bluestone, a Native American veteran who has come home with a Japanese wife, and the town's old prejudices come to the surface.
How long does it take to read The River We Remember?
About 11 hours (432 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The River We Remember?
If you liked it, try The Last Child by John Hart, The Bottoms by Joe R. Lansdale or To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.