I enjoyed this book. Kept me interested and I thought the characters were well drawn and dynamic. I would recommend!

As I started to write this review, I took a quick look at what others were saying to be sure I wasn't just losing my focus each night I was reading it (my only time to read is before bed and I admit I can often be too sleepy to absorb what I am reading) but many readers agreed: slow burn. VERY slow burn. Well-written and insightful but for sure not a snappy thriller if that is what you're looking for. Give it some time going into it.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc to review.

Knife River follows the story of sisters Jess and Liz as they live in a small town trying to figure out what happened to their mother years ago. She went out for a walk one night and never came home. This is a very slow burn. Very. You are reading more about the aftermath of how a family is torn apart after a family member goes missing, than the actual crime itself. Jess and Liz have a complicated relationship at times, but their end goal is to have some closure regarding their mother. This is not a thriller, more of a character driven novel.
This is Justine Champine’s debut novel, and she can write. I felt for these characters, and their turmoil. I just wish I didn’t have to wait so long to get to the main point of the story. It all ties up very fast, maybe too fast.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read.

Decent with an interesting twist at the end. I did enjoy the characters and the fact that Jess' sexual orientation wasn't a main focus of the story. Rather than this being a "coming out" story, it revolved around her relationship with her sister and their very different memories of their mother. I found it refreshing to see her challenges shown just like everyone else... No better, no worse. Maybe normalized is the right word?

Overall this story was a bit long winded for me. Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a small town thriller where a single mother leaves her two children to go for a walk only to never return. The girls struggle with abandonment issues as decades pass with no word. The town believes that one man is responsible but there is no evidence to convict him of a crime. Then, her body is found decades later buried in a nearby woods.

This one had lots of potential but it just wasn’t very likeable. I really struggled to like any of the characters and the lesbian relationship that became a large focus seemed gratuitous and included more to be inclusive rather than to enhance the storyline. Thanks to NetGalley for this read.

I tried with this book. I just couldn't get into it it was a very slow paced read. I think that was my problem with it. I have to have something to grab onto and pull me into the story with this one unfortunately I never got that. I would still recommend this one because not every book is for every reader- it's readers are out there. I still gave it a 2 star because it did make me want to at least try a second time.

An engrossing, evocative, suspenseful read that was written with beautiful prose and deeply nuanced characters. I loved the portrait of this small town as well, as well as the broader systemic issues of violence and class that are explored.

I’m still amazed that Knife River is Justine Champine’s debut novel - that’s how good it is. It’s the story of two sisters who’s lives were turned upside down 15 years ago when their mother, Natalie, went for a walk and never came back, leaving 19 year old Liz to take care of 13 year old Jess. Liz gave up her dream of going to college and Jess got away from their small town as soon as she could, following each new girlfriend from place to place and never settling down. When Liz calls Jess one day telling her that she needs to come home because their mother’s remains have been found, the sisters are forced to face each other and try to come to terms with their grief and anger.

This isn’t a typical mystery/thriller at all. There is the mystery of what happened to the girls’ mom, but the heart of the story is the relationship between Liz and Jess and how they were both affected by everything in different ways. Liz has basically never moved on from the day Natalie went missing. The house is untouched, exactly the way it was 15 years ago. Liz is filled with anger that the only suspect ever questioned was let go and keeps going about his life. Jess is unmoored; unable to form lasting connections despite having a revolving door of girlfriends. They both need to know what happened to Natalie so they can move on, but that’s not easy in a small town where the police don’t seem interested in solving the cold case.

We do eventually find out what happened to Natalie 15 years ago. I had suspicions and was right about what happened and it made me furious. But the real story is what happens to these the sisters and the work they must do to rebuild burnt bridges and make peace with what happened to their mother and how it impacted them. It’s about relationships and grief and forgiveness and I really like it.

🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

An unrelenting read that works its way deep inside your head, leaving thoughts and impressions that that have lingered with this reader, beyond the page.

Knife River, a small town in NY, based in a valley between two forests, is the setting for this atmospheric tale of sisters tormented by a family tragedy, and the road they must each travel to resolution.

Jess and Liz, separated since the unsolved trauma of their mother’s disappearance fifteen years ago, are reunited unexpectedly when new events in the case unfold. As Jess, an outwardly tough but deeply wounded longtime escape-artist, returns to the small-town she abandoned years before, homophobia, hatred and fear surface not far from her every interaction. Jess is a complex and sneakily-sympathetic character - increasingly relatable in the gradual exposure of her cracks and vulnerabilities, inexpertly hidden by her bravado and reliance on seriously unhealthy defense tactics.

This is a taut and twisty tale, written with a first-person diary-style eye for the minutiae of everyday life, — the observations, feelings and mostly, fears, Jess experiences as the claustrophobia of her existence, (no longer avoidable by simply running away), closes in on her, and the secrets lurking around every small-town corner struggle to the surface.

A haunting and mesmerizing story, paced as agonizingly slowly as life in the township it reveals, that, (no spoilers here, you must stick with it), builds to a crescendo that is both sastifyingly tidy and surprisingly dramatic.

A great big thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

I really liked this!!! The prologue got me, I was all in from the very first few pages. I mean who doesn't love a child coming across a human skull deep in the woods and thus setting into motion subsequent events to unravel a decade old plus mystery in a small town run by an incompetent, misogynistic police force?

I am not generally a thriller reader-this was way more literary-thriller than thriller-thriller, because there was not much action or movement in the investigation of the mysterious disappearance. Frankly, there was little thrill and I would not have even been THAT mad if there was no resolution because only in fiction can we ever truly know the facts of unsolved mysteries. No, the story here was between two sisters and their love for each other and my golly was I along for the ride.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Knife River had some thought provoking subject matter including how gay people were treated in small towns. I found the story of the sisters, their relationship and how they each handled the mystery of the disappearance pf their mother interesting I found the overall tempo of the story repetitive and too slow moving for my taste.

I thought this mystery novel was so thrilling and heartbreaking at times. This book not only was about trying to solve the disappearance and death of their mom 15 years later, but it was also about reforming the relationship between the two sisters.

I think this book was more about the relationship preteen the sisters but it definitely added to the mystery surrounding their mother’s death.

I really enjoyed this book!

These characters and this story got under my skin, gnawing at me to both solve and seek comfort for these tortured souls. Parental wounds, siblings with different recollection of the past, old loves, history, small town, unsolved mystery disappearance make for a complicated and heart-pulling story. Each character is fighting their own battle - primarily in the dark, hiding the pain and suffering. Several prioritize others, a few believe theirs is the only pain the matters. So many emotions to process and questions to answer as the details emerge. Well done! Look forward to more from this author - Justine Champine!

Jess's mother disappeared with she was thirteen and had left for a walk. With her sister the two sisters had to try to survive and make their way through life. They never saw their mother again and wasnt sure what happened. Once Jess was old enough she fled her hometown and bounced from relationship to relationship until one day she gets the call. They found her mothers remains and they need Jess to come back to Knife River. Upon returning she sees her sister who is living in their childhood home and trying to solve missing person cases. As Jess gets back into her mothers disappearance she starts to discover secrets she never expected. With her sister by her side is she able to figure out with going on?

I really liked this book and the way the story was told. It was a mystery while also bringing in a domestic side and it worked perfectly. I thought the characters all had some depth to them that added to the story and made me want to continue to read. I would recommend.

Knife River is a good literary mystery in a small-town setting. Jess and Liz's single mother disappears in the upstate New York town of Knife River. The girls are only teenagers, left to fend for themselves and the mystery of what happened to their mother. As soon as Jess is old enough, she escapes the small town and only returns 15 years later when a pile of human bones is discovered. The bones do turn out to be part of their mother's remains and the hope is that the pathology lab can uncover clues that might solve this cold case. I love a small-town mystery where everyone knows everyone else and suspicion can fall on almost anyone. There is one main suspect but the police are unable to pin the murder on him.

The writing is very good particularly the description of this once-industrial, small town. Jess, the narrator, is a drifter with no real idea of what to do with her life. The sister is just the opposite, comfortable only in the familiarity of her house and town. The two clearly care for each other despite the tension in their relationship. Of course, it's difficult to condemn them for their personalities when they were forced to grow up too soon, and forced to live with the understanding that they may never know what happened to their mother. Yet, at times I found them so annoying, especially when they were dealing with the local police.

This book was fine. It was entertaining with some beautifully crafted sentences, however, if you've read enough mysteries, you'll probably figure out who is responsible for the murder and the way the author chose to end the book left me with mixed feelings. Still, I would recommend this if you're a fan of mysteries in an atmospheric small town with some interesting characters, including LGBTQ representation.

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House, and The Dial Press for this advanced copy. This book was published on May 28th.

2024 Pride Month

Small town crime gets me every time. In these homogenous places where you leave your doors unlocked and supposedly trust your neighbors, can you trust your neighbors?

Years ago, Jess and Liz's mother went for a walk and never returned. She is presumed missing, possibly dead. Fifteen years later, her remains have been found, and Jess finds herself returning to a northeastern town she isn't sorry to have left.

Jess clearly suffers from abandonment issues. She floats from girlfriend to girlfriend, bringing one bag worth of stuff with her every time she moves. She doesn't sign leases. She just bounces.

Liz suffers differently. She remains in the town she was born in, in their dilapidated family home. She has had one serious relationship, that she ended when he tried to get too close to her.

For most of the book, Liz and a family friend are convinced one party is to blame for their mother's death. He's the obvious choice. He's a drunk. He is known to hurt women. Society fails women as they ignore this behavior from men. It's a very "boys will be boys" scenario. Side note, if I ever hear someone say this irl, I will push back.

So the killer isn't who we think it is. And I won't spoil you, but that idea of trust comes into play again. Where are you safest? In the small town you grew up in, surrounded by everyone you know, or think you know? Or in the big city you move to, where you know no one, and don't care to? Food for thought.

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial Press

surprise ending. had thought that the obvious killer was not to be..had my money on the old friend of the missing woman. also did not anticipate the whole lesbian love connection. how lonely life must be for that population. also great sadness for Liz who lived alone and wanted nothing more than her mother to be found and her killer brought to justice.

Great debut by Justine Champine!

What I loved:
1. It is story of an awkward sister love, redemption, forgiveness, understanding, compassion and perspective (what we remember from our 13-year-old self ....is it accurate?)
2. I love a mystery set in a small town - so many options for the bad guy!
3. I liked the writing style and the characters - watching the sisters go through the experience of the loss is tough at times but well written!

What I wanted to be different:
1. The book is a slow burn which is not typical for mystery - and I was ok with it - but I think the book bogs down a little in the middle. It kind of meandered around the story and then came with a strong finish. Great start, great ending but mushy middle.


Thank you, Dial Press and Net Galley for allowing me to read this ARC

A young mother goes missing and her daughters are left with the rubble of their lives. Years later, her body is found, and the sisters reconvene to find a way to deal with their loss.

This was a slow paced, quiet thriller with a lot of nuance. Not my favorite, but worth reading.
I'd rate it as 3.5 stars, but will round up to 4 on Goodreads and Amazon.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC