Knife River: A captivating and atmospheric slow-burn debut thriller (Paperback) - Justine Champine

When Jess was thirteen, her mother went for a walk and did not return - now, fifteen years later, bones have been discovered in the woods nearby. Jess's sister has remained in their childhood home - her life, their home and the town itself seemingly frozen in time.

'A delicious smoke curl of a novel' JODI PICOULT

'A twisting, engrossing and beautiful mystery . . . Deeply moving and powerful' CHRIS WHITAKER

SLOW-BURN, BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN AND SOAKED WITH ATMOSPHERE, KNIFE RIVER IS THE DEBUT NOVEL OF AN EXCITING NEW VOICE IN LITERARY CRIME

First, there were my mother's bones . . .

A young woman returns home to the small, claustrophobic town of Knife River. When Jess was thirteen, her mother went for a walk and did not return - now, fifteen years later, bones have been discovered in the woods nearby.

Jess's sister has remained in their childhood home - her life, their home and the town itself seemingly frozen in time. As days turn into weeks, Jess's understanding of the past, her sister, and herself becomes more and more complicated - and the list of suspects responsible for her mother's terrible fate more and more ominous . . .

'An intelligent literary mystery with a rich sense of place and a clever plot; but it is Champine's keenly-observed depiction of the aftermath of tragedy and the corrosive impact of loss that sets this novel apart'
PAULA HAWKINS

'I couldn't put Knife River down. An incredibly compelling literary mystery. Beautifully written'
OLIVIA KIERNAN

'Both a beguiling mystery and a tender exploration of sisterhood and first love, this beautiful, deep, winding road of a novel pulled me hard into its pages and wouldn't let me go. I was captivated by this debut'
EMMA STYLES

'Atmospheric, sharp, and skilled at twisting the reader's guesses in unimaginable ways'
JODI PICOULT

A haunting, slow burning novel full of atmosphere and heart. Clever and beautifully written, it is a satisfying and moving read'
ARAMINTA HALL

'An engrossing, powerful debut with a fantastic sense of place'
T.M. LOGAN

About the Author

Justine Champine's short fiction has appeared in The Kenyon Review, Epoch, and The Los Angeles Review of Books. She holds an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College and is a founding member of No Tokens Journal. She lives in New York City. Knife River is her debut novel.