Who do you believe when you can’t even trust yourself? A troubled young woman reunites with her sister in their hometown to uncover the truth about their mother’s disappearance in this compelling family drama and literary suspense debut.

When Jess was thirteen, her mother went for a walk and never returned. Jess and her older sister, Liz, never found out what happened. Instead, they did what they hoped their mother would do: survive. As soon as she was old enough, Jess fled their small town of Knife River, wandering from girlfriend to girlfriend like a ghost in her own life, aimless in her attempts to outrun grief and confusion. But one morning, fifteen years later, she gets the call she’s been bracing for: Her mother’s remains have been found.

Jess returns to find Knife River—and her sister—frozen in time. The town is as claustrophobic and timeworn as ever. Liz still lives in their childhood home and has become obsessed with unsolved missing persons cases. Jess plans to stay only until they get some answers, but their mother’s bones, exposed to the elements for so long, just leave them with more questions. As Jess gets caught up in the case and falls back into an entanglement with her high school girlfriend, her understanding of the past, Liz, her mother, and herself become more complicated—and the list of suspects more ominous.

Knife River is a tense, intimate, and heartrending portrayal of how deeply and imperfectly women love one another: in romantic relationships, in intergenerational friendships, and especially as sisters.

Praise for Knife River

An Amazon Editor’s Pick: Best Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense

An Apple Audio June Must-Listens Pick

“The relationship between the sisters … shines. Suspenseful and surprisingly moving.” –Kirkus Reviews

“Compelling” —Paste, a Most Anticipated Mystery and Thriller

“[A] stunning debut mystery thriller which puts [Champine] firmly on the literary crime map … As much a heartfelt exploration of the anguish of lives left in limbo as it is the unfolding of an intriguing murder mystery, Knife River packs a powerful punch full of startling revelations, razor-sharp insight, soul-searching tenderness, and the unique bonds that mark out the relationship between two very different– but both trauma-damaged – sisters.” —Lancashire Post

“Intimately engrossing … Champine superbly combines the sisters’ investigation with a thoughtful look at family bonds. As Jess and Liz begin to appreciate each other while dealing with their mutual grief, Champine’s depiction of their evolving mental health and the impact of their mother’s shadow elevates this tense and gripping novel.” –Shelf Awareness

“Knife River is a delicious smoke curl of a novel: atmospheric, sharp, and skilled at twisting the reader’s guesses in unimaginable ways.”—Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author



“Knife River is 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, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“A twisting, engrossing and beautiful mystery. Thrilling, yet also deeply moving, layered and powerful.” —Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the Dark, a Read with Jenna Book Club pick as seen on Today



“Beautifully written, gripping and poignant, Knife River is a moving debut about love, women and buried secrets.”—Jean Kwok, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Translation


“Knife River is a gorgeous, magnetic portrait of two sisters whose lives are shattered by the loss of their mother. Part mystery, part investigation into the nature of loss, this novel is both startlingly beautiful and unputdownable. Justine Champine has written a knockout debut.”—Danielle Trussoni, New York Times bestselling author of The Puzzle Master



“To say Justine Champine is an original would be a dramatic understatement. With the wry, crackling humor of Sally Rooney and Otessa Moshfegh, and a grip on the darkest, prickliest corners of consciousness, Champine will be read and championed as one of the greats, a Gaitskill of this generation, though completely singular in vision, skill, and the oneiric atmosphere of her stories. I’ve been waiting a decade for Champine’s debut, and I’m thrilled it’s here in Knife River, with all of her magic tricks on display. Champine writes dykes, outsiders, and desire like no one else; her work is a discovery, a marvel, a transcendence.”—T Kira Madden, author of Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls


“Knife River is a twisty, intoxicating book. The beating heart of it is raw and tender, full of guilt and heartache and hope. It’s a genuine and unsettling look at how loss can divide a family, but it’s also a story about the long and difficult ways we finally make our way back home. Justine Champine is a very gifted writer and readers are going to be hooked on Knife River.”—Kristen Arnett, author of With Teeth

“This book really has it all: a murder mystery, complicated sister dynamics, a messy lesbian main character, and an even messier love interest. It’s very dark and vibey, and explores the reverberations of the murder in a really smart, thoughtful way.” —Gabrielle Korn, author of Yours for the Taking

“A haunting, slow burning novel full of atmosphere and heart. Dealing with the aftermath of a beloved mother’s disappearance, this book is full of meditations on loss and grief, anger and fear. Clever and beautifully written, it is a satisfying and moving read.” —Araminta Hall, author of One of the Good Guys

“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, author of No Country for Girls

“An atmospheric and elegant literary thriller- beautifully written.” —Laure Van Rensburg, author of Nobody But Us

“I couldn’t put Knife River down. An incredibly compelling literary mystery. Beautifully written.” —Olivia Kiernan, author of Too Close to Breathe

About Justine

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. Knife River is her first novel.

 Contact

For general inquiries, please contact Samantha Shea at Georges Borchardt, Inc.

For publicity and event inquiries, please contact Michelle Jasmine at The Dial Press.

For film & TV inquiries, please contact Ali Lefkowitz at Anonymous Content.