Justine Champine – författare

“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“A delicious smoke curl of a novel.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult“An intelligent literary mystery.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Paula HawkinsA compelling story of family, home, and the bond between sisters that asks: Who do you believe when you can't even trust yourself?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 had done: 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 after their mother’s disappearance, 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 rundown 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, of Liz, of their mother, and of herself become more complicated—and the list of theories more ominous.Knife River is a tense, intimate, and heartrending portrayal of how deeply and imperfectly women love one another: in romantic relationships, in friendships, and especially as sisters.

“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“A delicious smoke curl of a novel.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult“An intelligent literary mystery.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Paula HawkinsA compelling story of family, home, and the bond between sisters that asks: Who do you believe when you can't even trust yourself?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 had done: 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 after their mother’s disappearance, 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 rundown 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, of Liz, of their mother, and of herself become more complicated—and the list of theories more ominous.Knife River is a tense, intimate, and heartrending portrayal of how deeply and imperfectly women love one another: in romantic relationships, in friendships, and especially as sisters.

Two cousins on very different sides of teen girlhood spend a winter together that changes both of their lives forever.“A searing, unforgettable novel that captures the intense and dangerous alchemy of girlhood.”—Chelsea Bieker, author of MadwomanAnd once, after Elna came to stay, I watched a man drown there on Christmas Eve, his body trapped beneath the ice.Fourteen-year-old Ida was born with a hole in her heart. Forbidden from most physical activities and considered strange by her teachers and peers, she prefers spending time alone, memorizing countries and capitals on her globe and imagining the world outside the tiny logging town of Mineral, Washington.One afternoon, in walks her cousin Elna, there to stay for a few weeks. Ida hasn’t seen Elna since they were children, and she’s immediately drawn to her older cousin, who’s everything Ida is not: confident, glamorous, charismatic, and daring. Elna lives in San Francisco, a city Ida has seen only as a dot on her globe. She doesn’t treat Ida like she’s a fragile kid whose heart might give out at any moment. She isn’t scared off by Ida’s quirks and fixations. Ida is enraptured.Then, on Christmas Eve, a man dies out in the woods near Mineral, and the two cousins suddenly share a secret beyond the scope of anything Ida has dealt with before. Fear begins to mix with the reverence Ida feels toward her cousin, especially when she discovers Elna is hiding more than she ever suspected. Brimming with lush prose and careful observation, Needle Lake is an arresting portrait of girlhood and the overwhelming, sometimes dangerous intensity of adolescence.

*LONGLISTED FOR THE JOHN CREASEY FIRST NOVEL DAGGER FOR BEST DEBUT CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR*Slow-burn, beautifully written and soaked with atmosphere, Knife River is the debut novel of an exciting new voice in literary crime. 'A delicious smoke curl of a novel' JODI PICOULT'A twisting, engrossing and beautiful mystery . . . Deeply moving and powerful' CHRIS WHITAKERFirst, 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'An engrossing, powerful debut with a fantastic sense of place' T.M. LOGAN

*LONGLISTED FOR THE JOHN CREASEY FIRST NOVEL DAGGER FOR BEST DEBUT CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR*Slow-burn, beautifully written and soaked with atmosphere, Knife River is the debut novel of an exciting new voice in literary crime. ''A delicious smoke curl of a novel'' JODI PICOULT''A twisting, engrossing and beautiful mystery . . . Deeply moving and powerful'' CHRIS WHITAKERFirst, 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''An engrossing, powerful debut with a fantastic sense of place''T.M. LOGAN