This was a very interesting debut mystery. The writing was unique and I can’t tell if it is the writer’s style or it was based on the odd personality of the main character. This mystery was a slow burn and while I can appreciate a slow burn sometimes, this was slow to the point of me struggling to stay focused on this book. The beginning was wonderful and I liked the ending even if I personally didn’t find everything to be as satisfying as it could have been. Jess was a child when her mother went out for a walk and never came back. This greatly changed the lives of both Jess and her sister Liz. While Jess left Knife River as soon as she could Liz stayed and has tried to push for a resolution to their mother’s assumed death. The book starts with Liz calling Jess to let her know they found bones and they think it’s their mother. This brings Jess home and a lot of the book focuses on her relationship with the town, herself, her trauma and alcohol. The book was interesting but not was I expecting. I definitely am curious at what this author will do next.

Be prepared for some surprises. Two sisters searching for their mother’s killer have to reflect on how they have been impacted. The small town setting makes for an authentic story. The story is easy to read with great characters.

Fifteen years after their mother’s disappearance, remains are found bringing Jess back to Knife River and her older sister Liz who never left. It is a very character driven book and not really a thriller where you’re looking for clues trying to solve the case yourself. Instead we compare the two sisters lives; one who has never settled down, constantly moving and putting Knife River behind her, the other who has stayed and dealt with the aftermath of losing a mother at such a young age, constantly seeking closure.

This is a very slow burn thriller, where almost 3/4 of the way through the book I’m convinced, like Jess, that they’ll never discover what happened all those years earlier. I would have been fine with that frankly. Even after the case if officially closed we get some delicious redemption that left me shocked.

At quite literally the end of the book, Jess finally discovers the truth, it’s sort of an underwhelming conclusion, but both sisters are able to move on finding lives outside of Knife River.

This was a very slow burn mystery, which I typically don’t mind. But in this one, I struggled to get invested in the story and I couldn’t really see how all of the storylines were connected.

I had a hard time really getting invested in this book. The premise of finding bones of a woman that has been missing for 15 years is a great story. I felt very disconnected from these characters. Jess was the primary focus. I think I would have liked to know more about Natalie as a person and mother. I wonder if the author was hoping for the reader to feel disconnected as a way of having the reader feel some of what Jess would feel by losing her mother at just 13. I felt awful for Liz. She spent her life trying to figure out what happened and to get justice for her mom. Liz was stuck. I do think that the author did an amazing job of showing how each girl dealt with the loss of their mother at such important times in their lives.

I feel like there was so much going on. Jess and her love affairs, the dying town, Liz's life being stuck. The desire of Liz to see the man she thought was responsible for Natalie's death to pay. I liked the ending and that we did find out what happened to Natalie but it felt like muddling through. I think this author has a lot of potential but I didn't feel this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House | The Dial Press for the ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Follows two sisters fifteen years after their mother’s disappearance. When there’s finally a break in her case, they reunite in the small town where she went missing to confront their grief and finally get some answers. If there’s one thing I love, it’s a literary thriller and boy did this deliver! This is like if Mare of Easttown and the Taylor Swift song “tis the damn season” had a baby. It’s an extremely slow burn, but the payoff is well worth it.

Jess and Liz have mourned their mother since she disappeared but now her bones have been discovered and they have to face facts. Jess had moved away from Knife River while Liz stayed. They are very different in personality and approach but they're now going to get answers. And Jess is wafting through relati0nships. This is grit lit set in a small failing town filled with secrets and lies. It's also a study of the sisters who are well drawn. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Knife River is the story of Jess and her sister Liz. When they were young, their mother went out for a walk and never returned. Jess and Liz grow up as a shell of their former selves. As soon as Jess is able she leaves Knife River. When the sister get the phone call that they have been dreading for 15 years now, their mothers remains have been found. Jess returns to Knife River where Liz is still living. Thinking they are going to get the answers they have been searching for are still questions. Even more questions arise when they learn how their mothers remains were found.

This was a very slow burn for me. I wanted to get invested into these characters, but I found it very difficult.

My thanks to Random House Publishing Group, The Author, Justine Champine as well as NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Knife River

This is a quiet, haunting novel with lovely writing. Fifteen years ago, Jess’s mother vanished in her hometown of Knife River. Jess left town five years later and never looked back. Her sister, Liz, however, stayed and has been tormented by the mystery of her mother’s disappearance. When their mother’s remains are discovered, Jess and Liz get reacquainted as they search for answers.

There is a sense of unease and tension throughout the novel and the story unfolds in a leisurely pace. The reader’s patience is rewarded with a thrilling conclusion. The connection between Jess and Liz was moving and I loved how they protected each other in their respective ways. Recommended to anyone looking for a character-driven mystery.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

This book was not what I was expecting.
This was a character-driven novel that really delved into a relationship between sisters. After surviving the disappearance of their mother, the sisters grew apart. They both remained haunted by the lack of information about what happened and unable to move forward with their lives.
I was expecting more of a mystery novel, but I enjoyed seeing where the story took me. I'm glad there was a resolution.
Thanks to Net Galley for the book to review.

An extremely slow burn, if you can stick it out, the ending is worth it in my opinion. I started and paused reading many times. I liked the premise, however, it was very literary and character driven.

In Knife River by Justine Champine, we meet Jess and Liz. Their Mother disappeared when Jess was thirteen and Liz nineteen. She left the house for a walk and never returned. The sisters are left to wrestle with the aftermath of this mystery. Jess cannot seem to find any peace. She drifts from relationship to relationship, never finding her place, never having a home of her own. Liz shuts down completely, remains in the family home and leads a contained life, preoccupied by her Mother’s disappearance. After 10 plus years, bones are found which are identified as their Mother’s. When the police appear to reach a dead end regarding the disappearance, the sisters become obsessed with finding out exactly what happened to their mother. This leads them to discover things about their mother they never knew and to question their own memories. When the sisters eventually learn what happened, they are then free to explore other aspects of their lives and to seek some happiness. An interesting novel.

Two sisters, a missing mother, love, loss, and coming home......


Jess was thirteen when she and her sister, Liz, were left alone when their mother went for a walk and never returned. They knew their mother would never leave them. Something must have happened to her, but the police never found their missing mothers. Liz was left to take care of Jess until Jess was old enough to leave town. Liz continued to live in their childhood home, obsessed with true crime while hoping for answers about her mother's disappearance. Jess left town hoping to leave her grief behind but carries it with her everywhere she goes. Now that their mother's bones have been found fifteen years after her disappearance, the sisters will reconnect while waiting for answers.

I enjoyed how the author showed how grief affects people differently. Liz stayed in town, frozen in time, obsessed with true crime, while not having answers about her mother. While Jess runs from one relationship to the next, never getting to close, not wanting to be left behind again.

This book had a few twists and a shocking reveal.

This was a slow burn which I struggled with at times. Despite the slowness, I enjoyed the examination of love, loss, grief, relationships, and family bonds.

I usually don’t mind a slow burn in a book but this book just never grabbed my interest. The premise was interesting.. two sisters trying to deal with the trauma of their mother’s disappearance. When the bones are found both girls come together to try to finally learn the truth.

I think Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

Knife River A Novel
By: Justine Champine
Random House Publishing Group, Random House, The Dial Press

Knife River is a compelling, poignant, and suspenseful literary mystery. Champine writes with eloquence in this story of sisterly bond, as Jess seeks answers and truth.

I received an advance reader's copy from Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group, Random House, The Dial Press. My review is my own.

Two sisters left devastated when their mother disappears. The older cares for the younger until she becomes an adult and leaves town with scarcely a second glance, Fifteen years after her disappearance, the remains of their mother Natalie are found. The sisters are forced to figure out, not only their relationship, but how to move forward in light of the news. Knife River is about heartache, loss and new beginnings. The story itself has a slow start but the story and the suspense builds all the way to the end.

This book was incredibly well written. In someways there were parts that seem to linger, but they never lasted long. The descriptions were great, the plot was concise, and the characters were realistic. I loved figuring this story out with all of the twists. It was a great read, especially for a debut novel. Can’t wait to see more from this altar in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This is my honest review.

The fact that these queer books keep coming out in genres I've never been able to read queer books in just makes my heart sing.

A MURDER MYSTERY novel with a lesbian main character! I didn't believe it when I heard about this book, and having finished it, I'm still surprised it happened. For everyone that grew up reading mysteries but wished for more representation in the characters, that wanted one where the queer character wasn't on the side or a symbol of tragedy, this book is for you.

It is emotional, heart wrenching, beautiful, and interesting. It's a story about recovering from loss, finding oneself, and the part that surprised me the most, a strained relationship between sisters. They've been through such horrible heartbreak in their youth, and with their murdered mother's bones finally discovered, all that past pain comes rushing to the surface.

Do not miss this book!

This is a slow burn sort of mystery. I was invested in these characters, the location it takes place and the plot-I just wish it was a touch shorter? I’m excited to read future books by this author.

Excited to say this book will be coming out at the end of May. Thank you Penguin Random House for the advanced copy of Justine Champine's first novel, Knife River. This book is a slow burn and unravels with great depth and character development. Jess and her sister, Liz, have their lives turned upside down when their mother walks from their home 15 years earlier, and never returns. The community comes together to find the missing mother of two, but despite their best efforts, the police never solve the mystery. Jess escaped Frozen River as soon as she was old enough, and has never put down routes anywhere or established a long-term relationship. Liz, the older sister, gave up her dreams of going to college to study aeronotics, and instead, stayed home to care for Jess, and keep the family home exactly as it was when their mother disappeared. She works at a local bank and harbors her own suspicions of who done it. The two sisters reunite when human remains are discovered in woods not far from their family home. These two young women are ready for closure, but unfortunately, a cause of death can't be determined. They have a memorial service for their mom at the site where her remains were found, and both women decide it's time to close this chapter and move on with their lives. Liz will sell the family home and relocate, accepting a position with her employer at a different branch. Jess decides that Maine is where she'll put down routes, but will she go alone, or with her high school girlfriend? Before she leaves town, she unexpectadely solves her families mystery, and it's a twist you never see coming. I fully expect Knife River to be a hit, and hope to see more books by Justine Champine.