The River We Remember: A Novel

AN EDGAR AWARD NOMINEE

In 1958, a small Minnesota town is rocked by a shocking murder, pouring fresh fuel on old grievances in this dazzling novel, an instant New York Times bestseller and “a work of art” (The Denver Post).

On Memorial Day in Jewel, Minnesota, the body of wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn is found floating in the Alabaster River, dead from a shotgun blast. The investigation 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 mid-century American life that is “a novel to cherish” (Star Tribune, Minneapolis), The River We Remember offers 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.

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Published Sep 5, 2023

448 pages

Average rating: 7.71

286 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

JennyS
Jun 25, 2025
7/10 stars
3.5
Suzannemc
Jun 23, 2025
10/10 stars
Loved this book; read it soon after I read Demon Copperhead, which this book reminds me of.
WulfLeah
Feb 09, 2025
9/10 stars
A beautiful story.
Amy Bemis
Dec 17, 2024
Hosted by Lisa
KKnutzen
Dec 14, 2024
10/10 stars
What an amazing read from beginning to end!! Told an amazing story.

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