Book Review: Thief River Falls by Brian Freeman
“Write what you know.” Thriller author Lisa Power followed that maxim in her fourth book, entitled Thief River Falls. It’s set in her home town of Thief River Falls, Minnesota and features real locations there, and even the real names of some of the residents. The verisimilitude helped make this book a bestseller, and it’s been optioned for a movie starring Reese Witherspoon. But that was about the last good thing to happen to Lisa.
A series of tragic events she refers to as the “Dark Star” has killed or driven away everyone in her family, leaving Lisa alone in her isolated house north of TRF. But after a midnight visit by suspiciously-acting deputies, Robin finds an amnesiac boy hiding on her land. She names him Perdue, after the similarly amnesiac boy in her novel, and soon learns that while Perdue can’t remember who he is or much about his past, he does remember witnessing a murder.
It’s soon obvious that there are people after the boy, and soon they’re after Robin as well. Instead of writing a thriller, Robin is living one, and unless she can unravel the tangled web closing in on her, neither she nor Perdue will survive.
One of the perks of Amazon Prime is seeing early releases on Kindle, though I haven’t made as much use of it as I should. But I’m a sucker for anything set in Minnesota, so here we are.
The setting is a small town in Northern Minnesota, not that far from the Canadian border. It’s getting on towards winter, with cold rain becoming snow as the story continues. A town that normally seems welcoming turns into a trap; Robin’s local celebrity means that everyone recognizes her on sight, sometimes helpfully, but usually getting in the way of her attempts to avoid notice.
I found the story suspenseful and well-sustained. I have a few quibbles about the ending, but they are spoilery in nature, so I won’t discuss them here.
Content notes: Suicide, domestic abuse, torture, mental illness.
This is a rare thriller that will reward a re-reading almost immediately, so is good value for money. Recommended for thriller fans and Minnesotans.
