THE RIVER WE REMEMBER

Submitted by Betty Wilson on
Author
WILLIAM KENT KRUEGER
THE RIVER WE REMEMBER

The 1958 Decoration Day celebration of a small Minnesota town is disrupted when the body of its wealthiest and most despised resident is found in the river.  Sheriff Brody Dern hopes he can convince everyone that it was an accident or a suicide so he doesn't have to arrest anyone for a killing that was probably well deserved.  Suspicion soon settles on Noah Bluestone, who worked for the deceased until recently fired.  Most of the townsfolk are already leery of Bluestone; not only is he an Indian, he's married to a Japanese woman.  The little town of Jewel is in for an interesting summer.  I enjoyed this book a lot.  While there is a mystery to solve, the characters all have other things going on, mostly related to the war, which is still fresh in everyone's memory.  This is no police procedural, but the truth comes out in the (rather surprising) end.  Krueger has been on my list, but this is the first one I've read.  Probably won't be the last.