BLACK RIVER

Praise for BLACK RIVER

“I couldn't put Black River down! Part climate fiction, part mystery, part romance, all tied together with Yvonne Osborne's tender and gorgeous prose. A fantastic beach read, and an even better "cabin read." Get cozy!”

MEGAN OKONSKY

Yvonne Osborne’s second novel, Black River, is an engrossing North Country love story, as fast-paced, unpredictable, and turbulent as the wild waterway of its title. This novel refuses to be contained by any single genre, overflowing the banks of romance, suspense, action, and social commentary as the current of its narrative rushes to its irresistible conclusion.

—Dave Essinger, editor of the Slippery Elm Literary Magazine

Black River, Yvonne Osborne’s second novel is a dynamic story that draws you in and won’t let you go. Boyd Sopal finds himself caught up in things he can’t control, but does his best to solve every problem that comes his way. Nineteen years old, born to farming and a love of the land, he gives his heart to a young woman whose life is painful and fraught with brutality. Violence begets violence, and Boyd can’t look away. Instead, he finds himself in the middle of a crime he tries to conceal for the sake of the woman who has stolen his heart. Added to the mix of wanting love and not knowing if it will be returned are a crooked cop, an ex-girlfriend with an agenda, shady farming practices that must be exposed, and secrets that won’t be kept. Violence is everywhere; kindness struggles for expression.

This reader has never been to Michigan and Osborne renders it so well it is clear in my mind’s eye. I see low clouds, frost, flat land, wide spaces and immense stands of trees. And the river, rushing, always rushing to open water, carrying its own secrets, consigning them to the deep. At the center of it all is Boyd and his growing love for Maggie. You root for them, want their problems to disappear, for them to find happiness, for the path forward to be clear. Together and apart, they follow their hearts and always seek what is best and fair but life, as life does, keeps getting in their way. This is a story of resolve, courage, using one’s wits to overcome horrific obstacles, both natural and man-made.

ANNE LEIGH PARRISH, People Ruin Everything

Playlist for BLACK RIVER

About YVONNE OSBORNE

Yvonne Osborne lives with her husband on a fifth-generation family farm in the Thumb of Michigan founded by her great-great-grandfather. Under the guidance of a Shakespeare-loving grandmother, she grew up steeped in story, then attended Northwood University, where her love of writing took root. A Pushcart-nominated poet and novelist, her work has appeared in numerous literary journals, and her debut novel, Let Evening Come, was published by Unsolicited Press on April 2, 2024, and became the press’s number one bestseller of the year. Learn more at yvonneosborne.com.

Get a Signed Bookplate

Want a signed bookplate? Email Yvonne.