I must confess that I do not listen to audiobooks, and this is the first one that I have ever reviewed. However, William Kent Krueger is an author whose work I enjoy, and his latest is available in audio format only. He has been referred to as a modern-day John Steinbeck. Such high praise means that I will go out of my way to read anything he writes.

"[Jackson's] voice is an accurate representation of someone who lived during this time and place, providing immediate credibility to Jackson as a narrator and a trusted guide to the suspense and terror that he helps bring to life in this well-crafted novella."

THE LEVEE is a novella and a grand piece of historical fiction that depicts the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, the most devastating flood in American history. Four men in a tiny rowboat are navigating their way through a flooded neighborhood. Mobley, Boone, Cassidy and Dobbs are convicts who have been selected to save citizens in exchange for a reduction in their sentences.

Eventually they make their way to Ballymore, an ancestral home belonging to Mobley’s brother, Mr. Jefferson. They are let in by two servants, Isaac and Ada, who have chosen to stay in the house, which is currently safe from flooding. With them is Sylvia, Mobley’s niece. Mobley may not have the best relationship with his stubborn brother, but he cares enough about him and his niece to offer them a chance at rescue. The nearby levee will not hold, and even Ballymore will be threatened by the mighty flood to come.

Dobbs, an explosives expert, comes up with an idea involving dynamite and a landmark piece of property that can be used to fortify the levee and save everyone. There is a great deal of suspense here, and not all of it is caused by Mother Nature. Cassidy attempts to escape on his own and succeeds on his second try. However, it will not be the last we see of the least trustworthy member of the group. His return will send the story in unexpected directions.

The audiobook is read by J.D. Jackson, and his naturally raspy way of speaking lends itself perfectly to the source material. To me, his voice is an accurate representation of someone who lived during this time and place, providing immediate credibility to Jackson as a narrator and a trusted guide to the suspense and terror that he helps bring to life in this well-crafted novella.

Krueger’s next book, THE RIVER WE REMEMBER, is a stand-alone mystery that releases on September 5th. It already is on my TBR list!