Book Review for Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

Ordinary Grace is a story about a series of murder mysteries that take place and how they affect the Drum family, their friends, and their community. It is also a story about grief, forgiveness, and healing. It is based on the author’s experience of growing up in small towns. This story takes place during the summer of 1961 in the small country town of New Bremen, Minnesota.

The protagonist, Frank Drum is a thirteen-year-old boy and the narrator of the story. He is the older brother to Jake. Jake is eleven-years old, has a stutter, and likes to call out Frank on his use of swear words. The boys live with their parents, and their older sister Ariel. Frank is always ready for an adventure and Jake always wants to tag along. The two boys come across a dead body at the railroad tracks—the first of six mysterious deaths that occur that summer. They want to know what is going on. Frank and Jake exhibit talents in sneaking around and eavesdropping and discovering clues related to the various murders. However, not all their suspicions are correct.

Ariel is the eighteen-year-old sister of Frank and Jake. She is a talented singer and composer who had planned to attend Juilliard but suddenly starts talking about going to the local college instead. She works at the country club and is helping Emil Brant, her music teacher, with his memoir. She likes going boating with her friend Karl and has been sneaking out of the house at night. She disappears and her brothers discover her body in the river. She wasn’t the only one killed that night.

Nathan is the head of the Drum family and a Methodist minister. He works at the church located just across the street from his house but also preaches at two other congregations in neighboring communities. He served in the military and struggles with things he experienced there. He claims to owe Gus his life.

Ruth is Nathan’s wife and the mother of Ariel, Frank, and Jake. She enjoys music and leads the church choir. She resents the fact that Nathan changed his career plans from that of a lawyer to that of a pastor. After Ariel disappeared, she left her family and went to stay at Emil Brandt’s house—a man to which she had once been engaged. 

Gus is Nathan’s friend and refers to him as Captain. The two men served together in the army. He lives in a basement room of the church. He does a variety of odd jobs around town, including the cemetery where he does landscape work and digs graves. He hosts secret poker nights in the church basement, drinks too much, drives a motorcycle, and is the go-to person for Frank and Jake when they need advice.

I loved this story. The author does an excellent job at combining mystery and adventure with hope and faith. It kept me engaged and wanting more. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good murder mystery. I give this book a 4-star rating.