This was an engrossing read. The book had a chilling tone to it. No wonder as Jess lost her mother when she was thirteen. Well, they never found out what happened to her. She just disappeared. Jess and her sister have made the best of the past fifteen years. And now, their mother’s remains have been found. The story is about how the two sisters have dealt with their loss during the past years. And how they will deal with this new part of their lives.

This is a SLOOOOOOOOWWWWW burn. It is more about a woman's personal growth especially in relationships. Can she overcome her past traumas to finally find love in a small, sometimes unforgiving town? The "mystery" of the mother's remains being found is WAAAY back burner and really doesn't make a difference until literally the last chapter when the author rushes to wrap things up. I did enjoy the LGBTQ aspect and the sister definitely has neurodivergent tendencies.

I think if I had different expectations going in, I would have enjoyed it more. It is not a mystery/thriller by any stretch. It is more a coming of age story with a smallish, tiny dash of long drawn out mystery thrown in.

I would like to thank NetGalley and The Dial Press for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

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. As soon as she was old enough, Jess fled their small town of Knife River, wandering from girlfriend to girlfriend like a ghost in her own life, aimless in her attempts to outrun grief and confusion. But one morning fifteen years later she gets the call she’s been bracing herself for: Her mother's remains have been found.

I had mixed feelings on this book. On one hand I liked it but it was just really slow for me. The beginning and the end were the best parts. The middle is where it was really slow. The characters were great.

Liz calls Jess saying they found bones and she thinks it's their moms. Jess comes back to Knife River and she then has to deal with her crap. We find out the killer isn't who we think it is. Like I said great beginning and ending just kinda slow in the middle.



I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Knife River tells the story of a young woman named Jess who returns to her hometown, Knife River, fifteen years after her mother first disappeared. While Jess has been dealing with the family tragedy by leaving home and dating girlfriends, her sister Liz has been stuck in their small town, relentlessly trying to solve missing person cases. Jess' return forces the sisters to examine the complex depths of their relationship with each other and their relationship with their mother, even as they navigate the past and all it has to hide. This was an intoxicating read that pulled me in. I enjoyed the portrayal of the small town atmosphere and the claustrophobia that goes with it, and the unanswered questions kept me turning pages far into the night. If you enjoy true crime and family drama, you will enjoy Knife River.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review.

This was a slow-moving literary mystery that just didn’t work for me. The prose was so beautiful and gorgeous but in service of such a lackluster story.

Some of my favorite mystery novels are slow-burns so I was not unprepared but Knife River really took it to the next level and unfortunately, I do not mean that in a good way. I honestly struggled to stay focused throughout the entire story because it felt like absolutely nothing was happening. I understand that probably was supposed to be the “point,” to show a “realistic” cold case investigation in a small town. But I felt totally unmotivated to continue reading after about the halfway mark when there had been absolutely 0 progress made in the central mystery.

I really loved the dynamic between the sisters and the close look at how their mother’s disappearance changed them in such different ways. I liked the depiction of their initial discomfort and even distrust of each other after being out of touch for so many years.

However, I really struggled with Liz and Jess’ insistence on a certain suspect being their mother’s killer. It made absolutely no sense but they were so dead-set and certain. I could understand Liz being fixated on this suspect but it did not make sense for Jess’ character and really took me out of the story.

This novel skillfully weaves a compelling mystery around the long-standing disappearance of Jess and Liz's mother, drawing readers in with its exploration of grief, family dynamics, and small-town secrets. The author's vivid portrayal of Knife River and its inhabitants creates a palpable atmosphere of suspense, while Jess's journey of self-discovery adds depth to the central mystery. However, despite the strong buildup and engaging narrative, the final revelation fails to match the intricacy of the plot, leaving readers with a sense of anticlimax that doesn't quite live up to the story's initial promise.

This novel is compulsively readable and I was really moved and impressed by the author's work here. I love queer stories, so I was automatically interested, but the story and pacing had me hooked from the beginning. I love the prose, the movement of this book, and its willingness to look at grief, what it means to have a missing parent, to live with yourself when you're haunted. Definitely recommend!

"Knife River" is a brilliant debut from Justine Champine. It is very character driven with an interesting twist. I also felt that this novel was about more than solving the mother's case, its also a story about sisterhood and forgiveness despite trauma.

- KNIFE RIVER is a murder mystery that’s mainly a character study of two sisters forced into a life they never wanted.
- I loved the dynamics in this book, with both sisters being prickly and loving in their own ways.
- There’s honestly so much at play in this book. Small towns, queerness, familial relations, leaving vs staying, being forced to grow up too soon. And all of this as the women begin to uncover what might have really happened to their mom all those years ago.
- Also, it isn’t named in the book, but Liz reads as autistic to me. I loved that Jess simply knew this was the way her sister was and met her there.
- I did figure out whodunnit before the end but not the how, and the how was so devastating I lost my breath for a moment.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - The Dial Press for a free digital copy of Knife River by Justine Champine in exchange for an honest review. First, I thought the writing was completely beautiful. Second, I really liked the sister's relationship. The problem for me, was I felt like the story really dragged. I would read a chapter thinking it's going to pick up now and it never really did. It's really hard to rate such a beautifully written book that dragged. I would love to read something else by this author in the future.

Knife River was a thrilling and interesting read. I appreciated the exploration of the sisters' relationship. The writing was propulsive.

Knife River is a book of renewal of family, growth to understanding, and the acceptance of loss.
Full review on Murder in Common: https://murderincommon.com/2024/07/21/two-summer-reads-knife-river-lucky/

Liz and her mom have an argument over her going to colleague away instead of near by and their mom leaves to go for a walk. Unfortunately, that is the last time Liz and Jess see their mom.
Liz is left to take care of Jess until she’s able to move away. Jess just ends up coasting through life jumping from girlfriend to girlfriend - never really finding a purpose or home in life. After 15 years their mom’s remains are found and Jess runs home to find her sister still stuck in the past. The house and everything inside is still the same as when their mother went missing. Throughout the investigation Liz is stuck on one theory that a certain man in town did it but the small town cops keep telling her they don’t have the evidence to arrest him. Liz and Jess are frustrated at every turn for many different reasons. Liz makes Jess realize what really happened when they were growing up and not just the shiny image of the mom she remembers and Jess rekindles a relationship from high school in secret.
The mind-blowing ending takes the cake and just makes your jaw drop… it’s never who you think, is it…

Cold Case - Small Town - Thrilling - Psychological Twist - keeps you engaged and reading / I didn’t want to put it down

This novel follows Jess's journey which begins with her mother’s mysterious disappearance, leaving her and her sister Liz to navigate the uncertainties of life alone. As Jess grows older, her attempts to escape the grief by drifting through relationships only highlight her deep-seated pain and confusion. It is a book about the bond of family and sisters and a bit of mystery intertwined.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this book.

I loved how the small town setting was captured and the way the sisters Jess and Liz and their very different lives were used to portray different reactions to incredible trauma.
One day when Liz was still in high school with Jessica a couple of years behind their mother simply disappeared. Since no indication of a crime was found she was assumed to have left them behind and Liz has been “stuck“ waiting for her return while Jess herself has been flitting from place to place - relationship to relationship.
Now, 15 years later, they need to come together and stay together in their house once more - their mother‘s remains have been found nearby.
This story was definitely slow burn as far as the mystery goes and more of an exploration of the ripple effect of this kind of trauma on a small population - Liz was always convinced one man was responsible for her mother’s disappearance, can she even move from that suspicion and open her mind to other possibilities? What about the others who clearly stopped investigating way too early years ago? And Jess who doesn’t even want to be in this sad and desolate small town where lost jobs and bad weather seem permanent fixtures? Can you trust your neighbors or are small towns oppressive when everyone knows everyone‘s business ?
I liked the final twist but even more I loved to see the character exploration of both sisters and the way their different recollections of the past shaped their relationship. It is so hard to see that your „truth“ may not be the only „truth“ out there…

DNF - The book is so slow moving with no clear focus, and after the initial introduction of the bones the story just meandered and never became the real mystery the set-up provided. I did not feel a real connection to any of the characters and lost interest in the story.

Thank you The Dial Press #partner, for the advanced copy of Knife River in exchange for my honest review.

This is the type of book I absolutely love to read and I’m so glad I not only had the chance to read it, but also participate in an online book discussion for it. It’s one of those books that stays with you long after you finish reading…it’s haunting and heart-wrenching all at once and for a debut novel, that’s pretty impressive.

This is an atmospheric slow-burn mystery that is also a complex family saga of sorts. I love stories about sisters and we see how these two sisters, Jess and Liz, have grown since the disappearance of their mother fifteen years ago. The strength in this story lies in just how well these characters are developed. We not only see the sisters as they are now, but get glimpses of them from the past, including the day of their mom’s disappearance.

While there is a mystery with the bones of the mother finally being found, at the heart of the book this really is a character study and it is so beautifully done.

I cannot recommend this one enough. I haven’t stopped thinking about it and will be quite eager to see what this talented author writes next!

This book is slow paced. I kind of felt like it was going to take me forever to read. That being said, it was a good story. Slow burn for sure.
Jess and Liz’s mother disappeared when they were young girls. Never having closure Liz never leaves Knife River, while Jess couldn’t leave fast enough. When remains are found 15 years later, that are suspected to be their mother, Jess returns hopeful to find out the mystery of her missing mom.
I did figure it out. But I still enjoyed the story. This book felt long winded and sometimes seemed the have unnecessary plot points. Solid 3 ⭐️
Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

3.5. Enjoyed the read. Although this book featured the unsolved 15year old murder of two teenagers' mother, it was really an insightful character exploration of the impact of this event on the two young daughters. Both girls handled the tragedy differently - one leaving town as soon as she could, and the other staying in the family home, waiting and hoping for the mother's return. Story explored themes of life in a small town, homophobia, family loyalty, and murder investigation. Enjoyed the read, and the unexpected twist at the end. Recommend the book, although it could have benefited from better editing of some of the introspection of the main character.