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hollie313's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.5
stephaniestarr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
rainbowbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Cassie Dewell has moved. Her new position has her very busy, but the Lizard King still takes up most of her waking thoughts.
readerrachel's review against another edition
4.0
This was written from multiple perspectives, so while fast-paced there weren’t any big twists I didn’t see coming. Excited to finish the series soon!
jkillingbeck_8's review against another edition
2.0
It was an easy, fast read for me, but that didn't make it good. I didn't feel like much happened in the book, and I find it hard to believe that Cassie was able to figure things out as quickly as she did. The plot didn't really hold my interest so much as getting through to the end so i could start a new book.
chimarsh79's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. I’m continuing my journey through the Highway series at a fast clip, mostly because C.J. Box writes page-turning novels that are hard to put down. A purely entertaining read for a Saturday.
In Badlands, Cassie Dewell has moved on to North Dakota, as Chief Investigator in the town of Grimstad. Box’s Yellowstone backdrop from the previous books gives way to the Wild West of a fictitious booming oil town in North Dakota. The confluence of an old North Dakota town with transients seeking new opportunities, and the crime that intersects both the old and new members of the community are a great setting.
Box’s Dewell comes into a bit better focus in this book and she definitely holds her own as protagonist. Lurking throughout the book is unfinished business with my favorite Box character - the Lizard King! Seriously good stuff here.
Spoiler alert because I might have enjoyed the dirty cops scenario going down in a different way. Of course like every book so far in the series there are dirty cops. But the story fell a bit flat on these cops and perhaps deserved a better twist or more flushing out. But that’s my preference.
The Lizard King lives on for another book, and I can’t wait to get to the next book in the series. Great book series and highly entertaining!
In Badlands, Cassie Dewell has moved on to North Dakota, as Chief Investigator in the town of Grimstad. Box’s Yellowstone backdrop from the previous books gives way to the Wild West of a fictitious booming oil town in North Dakota. The confluence of an old North Dakota town with transients seeking new opportunities, and the crime that intersects both the old and new members of the community are a great setting.
Box’s Dewell comes into a bit better focus in this book and she definitely holds her own as protagonist. Lurking throughout the book is unfinished business with my favorite Box character - the Lizard King! Seriously good stuff here.
Spoiler alert because I might have enjoyed the dirty cops scenario going down in a different way. Of course like every book so far in the series there are dirty cops. But the story fell a bit flat on these cops and perhaps deserved a better twist or more flushing out. But that’s my preference.
The Lizard King lives on for another book, and I can’t wait to get to the next book in the series. Great book series and highly entertaining!
whatjenreads's review against another edition
4.0
The best of the series so far! I loved this newest installment! I was rooting for Cassie throughout and pleasantly surprised by the case. This was fast paced, chilling, and a rollercoaster of a story!
writtenbysime's review against another edition
4.0
Calling Badlands a ‘standalone’ is a bit of a misnomer. While it is indeed a break in C.J. Box’s long-running Joe Pickett series, Badlands follows on from The Highway, which itself followed on from Back of Beyond, which all stemmed fromThree Weeks to Say Goodbye. There is a continuity to these novels, separate from Pickett’s, and while each can be enjoyed as distinct entities, plot tendrils do follow on, dipping into spoiler-territory, which might tarnish reader’s enjoyment of the earlier works. My advice: jump back and read them all; Badlands will still be here when you’re done.Back of Beyond, in particular, is one of my favourite crime novels.
Badlands stars Cassandra Dewell – – a character we’ve met before – – who has just landed a new job as chief investigator of Bakken County, under the leadership of Sheriff Jon Kirkbride. The Sheriff underlines the difficulty of the task facing Cassie; North Dakota’s sudden oil boom has sparked an escalation in population, and with it, crime; the winter climate is arctic, and unlike anything Cassie has ever faced; and her own colleagues are not to be trusted.
Her first day on the job sees Cassie investigating a fatal car accident. The vehicle was carrying a stash of methamphetamines, with an astronomical price on the street, and it has gone missing. Actually, it was commandeered by a twelve-year-old Kyle Westergaard, a kind-hearted, but mentally-challenged since birth by foetal alcohol syndrome. His decision to take the drugs ignites a conflict between the Sons of Freedom, Bakken County’s regular drug-sellers, and a bunch of Salvadorian upstarts, called MS-13, who go about their business in particularly brutal fashion.
Cassandra Dewell is a fantastic heroine, who epitomises the real-life struggle of law enforcement officers; she demonstrates plenty of attitude and expertise, but is occasionally undermined by her own self-doubt. She is still struggling with events from The Highway, but is determined not to let it show, or impact the investigation. I would welcome her return.
Badlands is a suspenseful, adrenaline-charged procedural. Its unrelenting pace means readers will get through it no time, breathless, and desperate for Box’s next. A Grade-A crime novel.
Badlands stars Cassandra Dewell – – a character we’ve met before – – who has just landed a new job as chief investigator of Bakken County, under the leadership of Sheriff Jon Kirkbride. The Sheriff underlines the difficulty of the task facing Cassie; North Dakota’s sudden oil boom has sparked an escalation in population, and with it, crime; the winter climate is arctic, and unlike anything Cassie has ever faced; and her own colleagues are not to be trusted.
Her first day on the job sees Cassie investigating a fatal car accident. The vehicle was carrying a stash of methamphetamines, with an astronomical price on the street, and it has gone missing. Actually, it was commandeered by a twelve-year-old Kyle Westergaard, a kind-hearted, but mentally-challenged since birth by foetal alcohol syndrome. His decision to take the drugs ignites a conflict between the Sons of Freedom, Bakken County’s regular drug-sellers, and a bunch of Salvadorian upstarts, called MS-13, who go about their business in particularly brutal fashion.
Cassandra Dewell is a fantastic heroine, who epitomises the real-life struggle of law enforcement officers; she demonstrates plenty of attitude and expertise, but is occasionally undermined by her own self-doubt. She is still struggling with events from The Highway, but is determined not to let it show, or impact the investigation. I would welcome her return.
Badlands is a suspenseful, adrenaline-charged procedural. Its unrelenting pace means readers will get through it no time, breathless, and desperate for Box’s next. A Grade-A crime novel.
natyuncker's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
The plot got away from the previous 2 books and was enjoyable but left very little for what was going on with the previous plot. Assuming the next book will go back to that.
The plot got away from the previous 2 books and was enjoyable but left very little for what was going on with the previous plot. Assuming the next book will go back to that.