This is definitely a slow burn, literary thriller. The writing style was engaging and interesting. The story is sprawling, and I think that is exactly where it falls short - it drags and takes too long to get where it's going.

Knife River is an atmospheric blend of mystery and family drama that dives deep into the impact of trauma on sisters Jess and Liz after their mother’s disappearance. The tension between the sisters is raw and believable, with layers of grief and unresolved resentment slowly unraveling as new evidence emerges. While the story's pacing and time shifts can be disorienting, the red herrings and eventual revelations kept me engaged. A poignant exploration of loss, identity, and rebuilding relationships.

The mysterious disappearance of a mother haunts her daughters many years later in Knife River. Champine explores sisterhood, relationships and loss as the daughters unravel the night their mother never returned.

I longed for more suspense and mystery, and less of Jess's romantic escapades since leaving the town. This storytelling could've been tightened-up to make this a page-turner instead bits were boring and NOT important to the story.

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group - Random House | The Dial Press

This book was such a tragic tale. The mother left one day and was never seen again. The one sister ran and the other stayed stuck. The way this book was laid out it was like I was standing there witnessing every scene. The characters were very well developed. I started this book and could not put it down. I wanted to know everything going on and what would be done next.

I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this advanced reader copy. This is my honest opinion.

This book is a murder mystery/thriller but is much more as it focuses more on themes such as grief and relationships. The main character, Jess returns to her home town after more than a decade when her missing mother’s remains are discovered. Jess is a young woman who can’t maintain long term relationships and appears to be a wanderer with very few possessions. Her sister, Liz lives like a recluse in the childhood home and has few friends. As the story progresses, we learn that Liz was only nineteen when their mother disappeared and had to put her life on hold to finish raising 13 year old Jess. Both sisters’ lifestyles seem to be directly related to their grief and parental absence. The story is also heavily focused on the sister relationship and the growth by both women in learning to understand how their mother’s disappearance and the possibility that she was still alive has affected each of them.
I enjoyed this story for being much more than a murder mystery and appreciated the relationship complexities that the author explored and was able to portray as long as the book was carefully read. Once I realized that this was not an action packed, quick read thriller, I slowed down to try and capture all the nuances and themes. This did make the book more of a slog at times. Another problem that I had with the writing style was the author’s tendency to switch time frames with no warning or introduction and I often had to go back and reread to figure out what timeline I was reading about. So, I both liked and disliked the different style of this book and think I would have enjoyed it more with better separation and chapter headings “then” and “now”.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

An interesting mystery that centered around 2 sisters whose mother disappeared years ago. Their story was interesting but it was mostly small town living and how it is when you live in a small town. The police are slow moving and I just wanted to find out what happened. The ending tied up some ends but I think I just wanted more.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Set in a small northern New York town near the Canadian border, Knife River is the story of thirty-something Liz and her younger sister Jess who are are seeking closure to their mother's disappearance fifteen years ago. Liz chose to remain in the house when she grew up and continues to work as a bank teller. Jess left her family's home and has couch-surfed her way through multiple relationships, never really establishing a new home. When Liz is notified by the police department that her mother's remains may have been found, Jess returns to Knife River to await the medical examiner's results. The novel is told from Jess's observations and her thoughts on being raised by her teenage sister. The novel is a long, thoughtful, compelling read with subplots involving the sisters and their relationships. Recommended for fans of small town fiction

This was an interesting book and not what I was expecting. I found the story to be a very slow burn and that's just not something that I vibe well with. Unfortunately this one just wasn't for me!

Knife River by Justine Champine offers a captivating blend of mystery and emotion. The setting is beautifully depicted, immersing readers in its atmospheric landscape. Champine's writing shines in her vivid descriptions and character development, drawing you into the lives of her protagonists.

However, the pacing felt uneven at times, with some sections dragging while others rushed to a conclusion. A few plot points also seemed a bit predictable, which detracted from the overall suspense.

Despite these flaws, Knife River is an enjoyable read that keeps you invested in the characters' journeys. I appreciated its depth and emotional resonance, making it worth the read!

This is labeled a mystery/thriller, but it's really more of a novel about the effects of a murder on the survivors. It's a slow read, and at times it was easy to put down and hard to pick back up. Labelling this ia thriller does a disservice to the book.

I really enjoyed this book, it was a murder mystery with a queer main character and messy family dynamics.

I thought that all the red herrings of who the killer was were very well executed. I also really appreciated how messy all the characters were, Jess ane Liz just never really recovered from losing their mom so seeing them finally get to have some closure and work on being sisters again was a very raw and hard experience.

I think this story does a great job of showing long lasting trauma and vicitimization.

Knife River just was not the book for me. I tried to pick it up several times but I only got to 60%
I was really bored and it just seemed to drag on.

Knife River is a haunting exploration of grief and resilience that delves into the complexities of family relationships against the backdrop of a small, rural community. The author effectively captures the stark beauty of the landscape, which mirrors the emotional struggles of the characters. While the narrative offers poignant moments and insightful reflections, the pacing can be uneven, and some plot points feel underdeveloped. The themes of loss and healing resonate deeply, but at times, the characters' motivations lack clarity, making it difficult for readers to fully connect with their journeys. Overall, Knife River presents a compelling premise but falls short of delivering a fully satisfying emotional impact.

Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest opinion. This is a story that digs into the complicated relationship between mother, daughters and sisters. Liz and Jess's mom went out for a walk and never returned. Once grown up, Jess moves away from Knife River and her sister. Fifteen years later, there is new evidence in the disappearance, so Jess returns to Knife River. As I was reading this, I thought I had the entire mystery figured out, but I was so wrong.

The writing is a bit hard to follow at first as it seems to go back and forth in time. I enjoyed the way that the relationships between sisters was written, but I found the relationship between Jess, her old friend, Eva, and the detective a bit odd. It almost felt like it didn't need to be the detective didn't need to be intertwined in it.

Overall, I did enjoy this book.

This story was deeply heartbreaking. Knife River is the hometown of Jess and Liz, two sisters that lost their mother when they were very young, 13 and 19 years old, respectively. Natalie, their mother, disappeared without trace. After years of having no clue of what happened, not even knowing if she was alive or dead, Jess moves away to start a new life. She falls in and out of love, moves in and out of her girlfriends' houses, and settles for a job she is good at but doesn't like. Liz stays in their house just in case her mother is found. Fifteen years after her disappearence, Natalie's bones are found, so Liz asks Jess to come home. Reading about all the details of the case and how the authorities do close to nothing to find a murderer, the sisters grieve their mother all over again. I loved the ending, it was very well written and I liked that the sisters' future looked hopeful.

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. i think the author excels at writing beautiful, well-planned out stories that keeps you engaged until the last page. i definitely think it was a slow burn right to the end and pays off.

When Jess was thirteen her mother went for a walk and never returned. Jess and her older sister Liz never found out what happened. Instead, they did what they hoped their mother would do: survive.

This novel is a poignant exploration of the imperfect but profound bonds that women share—be it in romantic relationships, intergenerational friendships, or the unique sisterly connection. The story unfurls with tension and intimacy, painting a vivid picture of the complexity of love and loss.

This book is definitely a slow burn, which is why it took me so long to get through. I lost sight of the point about 55% through and wasn't going to finish. I'm glad I did, though, because it was wrapped up quite satisfyingly.

When Jess was thirteen, her mother left to take a walk and never returned. Her older sister Liz took care of her as they tried unsuccessfully to find their mother. Naturally the loss of their mother with no idea about what happened to her left the girls emotionally scarred.

Jess left her community of Knife River as soon as she was able and led a wandering life and had a string of same-sex relationships. Liz, stayed in the family home and continued to find answers about their mother, while she held down the same job at a bank for the next 15 years.
Liz rarely dated and her best friend was a much older woman that she might have seen as a surrogate grandmother.

When her mother’s remains are found 15 years later, Jess returns to Knife River to be with her sister and bury their mother. The remains have left little evidence behind to provide answers as to why she died.

The story was a bit too slow for my taste, but I will say, the ending more than made up for it. I am glad I stayed the course and finished the book. I also loved that the girls seemed to be able to move on from this tragedy and make a fresh start.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group, Dial Press for allowing me to read a complimentary copy.

A mother who went missing, two sisters with very different recollections of their mother and childhoods and a lot of questions. When many years later her bones have been found, Jess goes home to her sister Liz and they’ve got so many questions. It's a bit of a slow read, but an emotional and well written story. The ending was not at all what I was expecting. I look forward to what comes next from this author.

intriguing and well-written work with a strong sense of internal identity and good inner motivation. tysm for the arc