An audio original novella from the bestselling author of Ordinary Grace and This Tender Land, The Levee is a powerful, captivating story of a family, a storm, a complicated rescue, and the true cost of survival.
“A masterwork…Full of heart and a spellbinding plot, Krueger packs a powerful punch in this audio novella, delivering grand scale storytelling at its finest.” —Kim Michele Richardson, New York Times bestselling author of The Book Woman’s Daughter
It’s 1927, and the most devastating flood in American history has swelled the Mississippi River to a width of eighty miles. In an attempt to save a family trapped by the rising water, four men in a tiny rowboat battle the treacherous flow: three are convicts, on loan from the local prison and pressed into service; the fourth, the leader of the team, is driven by his own hidden motives. But to their surprise upon arrival at Ballymore, an ancestral home protected by a high, circular levee, not everyone in the family feels the need to be saved. Pride, greed, loyalty, and even love create their own complex currents behind the massive wall. As the threat from the flood increases and time ticks away, the crew and the family must decide on a course of action, and a desperate plan is hatched to save the weakening levee and all it was built to protect.
The Levee is a propulsive, heartfelt tale of courage, cowardice, and sacrifice in a historic moment when the indomitable human spirit is pitted against the awesome and destructive power of nature.
“Will the levee hold? Or will greed, pride, and hubris engulf the characters of The Levee like the historic flood waters of the Mississippi River threatening the inhabitants of Ballymore? William Kent Krueger’s masterful tale of suspense about courage, family, secrets, and the power of nature is a must-listen!” —Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of The Only Woman in the Room and The Personal Librarian
This audiobook includes an author’s note read by the author, a reading group guide (available as a PDF), and a preview of William Kent Krueger’s next novel, The River We Remember.
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“As a native Mississippian, The Levee rang very true to me. The voices were all speaking in a moment my father remembered. Thank you, William Kent Krueger, for taking me back to a time that was part of my own prehistory. I’m really glad I had that experience. As usual, the writing was brilliant.”
— Charlaine Harris, New York Times bestselling author
“A masterwork, riveting and unputdownable with richly drawn characters set against the unforgiving backdrop of a raging river and the wrath of nature. Full of heart and a spellbinding plot, Krueger packs a powerful punch in this audio novella, delivering grand scale storytelling at its finest.”
— Kim Michele Richardson, New York Times bestselling author of The Book Woman’s Daughter“A masterful mythic-scale story of heroism, love, evil, and folly clashing in the midst of a great flood.”
— Thomas Perry, author of the Jane Whitefield series“Golden Voice narrator JD Jackson acts out Krueger’s dramatic audio-original novella, which is about the potential breach of a levee…The raging river’s inexorable attacks are reflected in Jackson’s cadence as he adds emotional energy to the exhausting fight between men and the mighty Mississippi.”
— AudioFile (Winner, AudioFile Earphones Award)“[JD Jackson’s] voice creates a cocoon around the listener like the levee itself, which seems protective but could ultimately mask great danger. This tense and satisfying tale has a historical setting eerily relevant to modern climate fears.”
— Booklist, audio reviewBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
William Kent Krueger is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous novels, including nineteen acclaimed books in the Cork O’Conner mystery series that have won the Anthony and Dilys awards. His stand-alone novel, Ordinary Grace, won the Edgar, Anthony, Dilys, Barry, and Macavity awards. Learn more at WilliamKentKrueger.com.
JD Jackson is a theater professor, aspiring stage director, and award-winning audiobook narrator. He is a classically trained actor, and his television and film credits include roles on House, ER, Law & Order, Hack, Sherrybaby, Diary of a City Priest, and Lucky Number Slevin. He is the recipient of more than a dozen Earphones Awards for narration and an Odyssey Honor for G. Neri’s Ghetto Cowboy, and he was also named one of AudioFile magazine’s Best Voices of the Year for 2012 and 2013. An adjunct professor at Los Angeles Southwest College, he has an MFA in theater from Temple University.