The River We Remember – William Kent Krueger

What could be more comforting than to travel back in time to a place where things were less frightening, American values reigned, people “knew their place,” and Americans were proud?  Well, Krueger takes us back to a small town in southern Minnesota on Memorial Day in 1958. The county bully turns up shotgunned and fish-nibbled, floating in the local river. Suspicion falls upon a couple who never seem to get a break—a Sioux Indian war veteran and his Japanese wife. Inexplicably, the sheriff destroys evidence at the crime scene. It’s a time when the wounds of war are not far below the surface with prejudice remaining towards Germans, Japanese and any local Indians. It’s a page-turning mystery and a heart-warming critique of small town life, showing how a community can bring out the best in people while acknowledging that some are hopelessly flawed.