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mojoshivers's review against another edition
4.0
This was another good installment, though I felt it was only tangentially connected to main Lizard King plot. It felt very much like a monster of the week plot. But that’s good. I kind of liked the diversion and Box thought of an intriguing one-off plot involving a car accident, a sizable stash of heroin and cash, a special needs boy, and the very vicious cartel working with corrupt police officers trying to track the cache of illegal drugs and money down.
Box may not ramp up the action like other thriller writers do but I appreciate the way he can concoct slow burn of a story. At any given time you’re wondering who is where, who has the stash, and when are all the various groups are going to bump into each other. And when they finally do, there are genuine twists that push the ending along and provide a very danger-fraught conclusion. I approve.
Box may not ramp up the action like other thriller writers do but I appreciate the way he can concoct slow burn of a story. At any given time you’re wondering who is where, who has the stash, and when are all the various groups are going to bump into each other. And when they finally do, there are genuine twists that push the ending along and provide a very danger-fraught conclusion. I approve.
writer595's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
michelleklejmont's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
dave37's review against another edition
3.0
While the setting in one of the North Dakota fracking boomtowns is interesting, the story was not particularly engaging for me. However, Cassie shows real potential to develop, and some of what will likely be returning characters seem intriguing as well. I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment.
kg0ld's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
4.5
Graphic, but great descriptions of MT
cindypager's review
4.0
Picked this up at the library on a whim.... and I now want to follow Detective Cassie Dewell on her next case.... in a heavy winter coat, gloves, hat, scarf, etc.
Cassie ends up in what was a small town in North Dakota - until fracking for oil turns it into a boom town with all of the associated challenges of rapid overpopulation - violence and drugs included.
Rival drug gangs clash in gruesome ways, and it smells like there's a bad cop on the force. In 20 to 30 below zero weather, Cassie is trying to get to the bottom of how this little town ended up with body parts all over it. Somehow, the key pieces of information may lie with a 12 year old paperboy challenged by fetal alcohol syndrome.
I was on the edge of my seat through the very end.
Cassie ends up in what was a small town in North Dakota - until fracking for oil turns it into a boom town with all of the associated challenges of rapid overpopulation - violence and drugs included.
Rival drug gangs clash in gruesome ways, and it smells like there's a bad cop on the force. In 20 to 30 below zero weather, Cassie is trying to get to the bottom of how this little town ended up with body parts all over it. Somehow, the key pieces of information may lie with a 12 year old paperboy challenged by fetal alcohol syndrome.
I was on the edge of my seat through the very end.
happylatitudes's review against another edition
4.0
Solid entertainment -- a great take-along book for a long plane trip or beach vacation. This book isn't going to stay with you, make you think, or spark any deep discussions in a book club, but hey -- if you are looking for a fun, quick page-turner, this is a great choice.
ewynn610's review against another edition
2.0
This was my favorite in the series so far, but in the end, there were still some unbelievable plot points and the "detective work" consisted of either getting lucky or jumping to far-fetched conclusions that always end up being right.
What I liked: The book is well written, and I enjoyed the change in the setting. It was an easy read.
What I didn't like: In all of the books in the series, including this book, there really isn't much clever detective work, but instead the detectives make far-fetched theories that always end up being right. For example, Cassie sees a tire track in the snow, and suddenly she comes to the realization that a boy she saw riding around on a bike is involved. There were also some plot points that were just too crazy. No police officer would ever send a 12-year-old boy to deliver drugs to a gang member, no matter what was at stake. Finally, only a minor detail but it seemed like the author tried to sprinkle in conservative views throughout the book. Obviously in South Dakota, most characters would be right leaning, but the short but unnecessary monologues about the logic of conservative talking points, along with the fact that the main liberal character (Cassie's mom) is portrayed as being crazy, got a little bit annoying. The fact that the main villains of the book were from the MS-13 gang, which is constantly used as a fear-mongering anti-immigration talking point, only reinforced the bias in the writing to me.
What I liked: The book is well written, and I enjoyed the change in the setting. It was an easy read.
What I didn't like: In all of the books in the series, including this book, there really isn't much clever detective work, but instead the detectives make far-fetched theories that always end up being right. For example, Cassie sees a tire track in the snow, and suddenly she comes to the realization that a boy she saw riding around on a bike is involved. There were also some plot points that were just too crazy. No police officer would ever send a 12-year-old boy to deliver drugs to a gang member, no matter what was at stake. Finally, only a minor detail but it seemed like the author tried to sprinkle in conservative views throughout the book. Obviously in South Dakota, most characters would be right leaning, but the short but unnecessary monologues about the logic of conservative talking points, along with the fact that the main liberal character (Cassie's mom) is portrayed as being crazy, got a little bit annoying. The fact that the main villains of the book were from the MS-13 gang, which is constantly used as a fear-mongering anti-immigration talking point, only reinforced the bias in the writing to me.