The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger

I really liked most of this book. It’s a murder mystery, but to me it was much more about unravelling the characters than the murder. I appreciated that most of the characters were very human, a mix of good and bad and the grey area in between. That’s how we all are, I think.

I found the role of secrets and confession in the book interesting. It’s a powerful thing to tell someone about your failings and discover that they still love you, that they still see more good than bad inside of you. Receiving that acceptance from others makes accepting yourself easier, too.

The ending was a bit disappointing to me. The characters, who had been evolving so nicely throughout the book, paused their development for a final, action-packed plot twist that felt unsatisfying. I would have preferred a more predictable end to the murder case with a few more of the characters’ loose ends tied up. Still a good read overall, though.