The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger - Everything You Need to Know About This Upcoming Book

“THE ALABASTER RIVER cuts diagonally across Black Earth County, Minnesota, a crooked course like a long crack in a china plate. Flowing out of Sioux Lake, it runs seventy miles before crossing the border into Iowa south of Jewel, the county seat. It’s a lovely river filled with water that’s only slightly silted, making it the color of weak tea. If you visit the Alabaster at sunrise or sunset, you’re likely to see the sudden small explosions of water where fish are feeding. Stirring and breathtaking story introduced Jimmy Quinn, a mysterious character to the readers.” – (An Excerpt from Chapter 1)

Overview of the book

A captivating historical mystery, titled, The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger takes readers on a  journey of adventure, mystery, and thrill. Deeply immersed in an exciting story, the audience gets lost in a world of secrets and suspense. Stepping into a world of conspiracy, suspense, uncertainty, and doubts, the author begins the historical fiction in a mystifying manner. The story begins with a community gathering in a small town, in Minnesota on May 30th, 1958. It was a memorial day, people from nearby towns and other Native Americans gathered there to remember and commemorate the sacrifices made by chauvinistic warriors during past wars.  To pay homage to their services, a commemoration ceremony was organized by the community. The townspeople were busy celebrating, and honoring the dead and did not notice a suspicious activity going on at that moment. While engaged in a memorial day event, some people observed a half-clothed body moving in the river, adjacent to the place where the celebrations occurred.

The story gains momentum from the first page; the atmosphere is filled with suspense and excitement as Minnesota town people see a body floating in the Alabaster River. Curious and surreptitious questions filled their minds as the inhabitants began exploring the unknown.

The complex, spellbinding mystery moves forward with a suspenseful driven plot, sensational scenes, and adventurous fictional characters that unfold the mystery.

Let’s move on to read the exhilarating storyline that sends chills down your spine.!

Unexpected Plot twists  Filled with Horror enthused the reader’s curiosity to learn more about the mystery!

As the audience began reading the opening scene, it completely engrossed them towards the mysterious events happening one after another. Suspense book writing, executed by seasoned authors or through the assistance of professional book writing services, keeps readers on the edge of their seats from the very first page. The opening scene of this thriller novel introduces the significant character, Jimmy Quinn, to the readers. A war hero and wealthy landowner, his life takes a mysterious turn as his body is discovered floating in the Alabaster River.

The detailed investigation followed; a veteran war officer, Sheriff Brody Dern was commanded with gathering the possible evidence to identify the mysterious killer. While performing the post-mortem examination, people of Minnesota town accused Noah Bluestone of committing this loathsome crime.

The story further elaborated that  Noah Bluestone, a Native American was also a WWII veteran. He got married to a Japanese woman and arrived in the town in recent times when this mysterious event took place. As the murder investigation was underway, the rumor of suspecting Noah Bluestone as a killer spread to every corner. Many townsfolks believed these falsifying rumors and developed animosity against the veteran hero. It further leads to violence and aggression in the city. Conversely, other Native Americans showed their utter disinterest in the lingering rumors. They anxiously waited to hear the hidden truth that would be disclosed by the investigation procedures. Moreover, the writer provided some significant clues in the books that help mystery lovers to build their assumptions to identify the murderer and reveal the truth.

Action-adventure thrilling themes bring pleasurable fascination combined with inquisitiveness to explore unidentified events

The captivating mystery reveals multiple themes. The small-town people developed hostility and prejudices during the investigation process. Detective fiction writing also emphasizes the theme related to the mental health conditions of the protagonist. The theme covering costs and the aftermath of the wars builds physical and emotional intensity in the story. The novel demonstrated that the wounds of the battles and other horrifying incidents developed severe psychological disorders in the leading characters. The protagonists worked on them to overcome obstacles and challenges they suffered throughout the story.

William Kent Krueger also discussed the theme of innocence, peace, and stability throughout the novel. The story describes the adverse impact of warfare on society. Warfare makes societies more complex as it developed post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety in people. Moreover, the upsetting war incidents developed intense emotions in communities such as hatred, and resentment. To overcome the devastating effects of war,  the author highlights an idealized vision that promotes peace, prosperity, and general well-being in the community. As the story reached its climax, the author masterfully revealed the truth to bring an end to the traumas of the war. Propagating the message of truth, love, forgiveness, and redemption, the author aspires to create a society that promotes values and integrity and changes animosity into love and compassion.

The climax of terror leads to  rising action and excitement

The rising climax in the book, The River We Remember indicates the sequence of events that build tension, trials, and conflict. The climax comes up as the most exciting part of the novel as the author explicated the investigation of  Quinn's death.  A different course of events builds the pace of the story writing such as Noah's arrest and recurring violent acts by community people. The climax in William Kent Krueger’s fiction kept the readers engrossed till the end as they desired to know the truth, whether the mysterious death of  Quinn was a suicide,  a deadly accident, or a cruel act of assassination.

Moreover, the complex scenes demonstrated social discrimination and physical and emotional trauma from World War II. The aftermaths of war were severe and added grievances to the community people.  Increased racism, intolerance, and ignorance broke people's lives and brought terrible memories. In addition, the communities of that era also suffered psychological issues and faced exploitation, violence, and bigotry.  The suspenseful story ended in an epilogue that portrays an environment fostering love, trust, and compassion among communities.

Strong and Powerful characters Let Audience Experience a World of Adventure and Thrill

The book comprises different characters with distinct characteristics. The author related that the leading characters suffered severe ware effects. Such as the natives got mentally hurt by physical and emotional wounds that the horrifying war brought to their lives. Moreover, prevailing racism,  abuse, loss, and PTSD led to different psychological implications.  For instance, Felix, a reasonable, law-abiding citizen became drunk and acted cruelly. Brody, another fictional character also got affected by consistent warfare events. He saw terrifying deaths and the pain of people in his surroundings. He believed that the effects of war are unending that struck the Native Americans' lives desperately.   The author has aptly woven different stories of characters that suffered long-lasting effects. A widow has a teenage son with a damaged heart. A helpless woman residing near the riverside continued weeping for the loss she suffered. While other characters experienced incidents of sexual abuse, suicides, racial discrimination, and serious diseases. 

 Available Platforms to Buy the Novel

Mystery Fiction, The River We Remember can be purchased through numerous platforms. Hardcover and e-book editions are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Atria Books. Readers who desire to read the online version of the book marketing services can opt for the Kindle version of the novel. Booklovers can view the book on Goodreads or buy the book through Amazon. The popular upcoming mystery fiction comprises 432 pages. The book will soon reach the market. It is expected to be released in September  2023.

Publisher’s Description

The River We Remember will be published by Atria Publishing Group. They have outstanding experience in publishing books of various genres such as fiction, non-fiction writing, and mystery books. William Kent Kreuger’s captivating book took readers to a small village in Minnesota in the era of the fifties. The audience observed frightening incidents of war that led to severe consequences such as fear, insecurity, racism, abuse, loss, and PTSD. The story began with the incident of Memorial Day. The townspeople of Minnesota gather there to remember and honor the sacrifices of the warriors. Amidst the ongoing ceremony, some inhabitants observed a mysterious body floating in the Alabaster River. The investigations followed to detect the cause of this suspicious death and to find the real culprit. The death of Jimmy Quinn remained mysterious till the end. The readers remained engrossed to read every page with intense passion and excitement to learn the truth.  The in-depth characters, the thrilling plot, the setting, and the themes made it a magnificent read.

About The Author

Born in Torrington, Wyoming, The United States, the outstanding author William Kent Krueger got engaged with freelance journalism, and His detailed analysis regarding children's book writing, particularly on the development, was conducted at the University of Minnesota. He is now a full-time author and has come up with a series of mystery novels set in Minnesota. If you're looking to create captivating children's literature, considering the expertise of children's book writers for hire can be a valuable step towards producing engaging and age-appropriate content for young readers. His novels are considered New York Times bestsellers. His unique and outstanding works have received numerous awards including the Minnesota Book Award, the Loft-McKnight Fiction Award, and the Anthony Award. He mostly wrote short stories, some of which were published and read extensively.

Conclusion

The mystery fiction written in 1958 describes the horrors and prejudices of WWII. The thrilling story began with a commemorating event that was attended by the people of Minnesota to honor the warriors who lost their lives in the wars. During the ceremony, people noticed the body of a wealthy landowner, Jimmy Quinn floating in the river. He was assumed to be shot dead and his body was thrown into the Alabaster River. A detailed investigation followed to seek the truth. The suspenseful novel clarifies the adverse impact of the war on veterans and civilians. William Kent Krueger investigates themes of racism, abuse, loss, and PTSD. The story demonstrates a continued struggle to change enmity into empathy and diminish the impact of rising racial discrimination acts, and intolerance in the society.