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ogameliabedelia's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lynguy1's review against another edition
4.0
Badlands by C.J. Box brings combines a crime thriller with a police procedural. There’s plenty of suspense and action in the third book in The Highway Quartet series. Sheriff’s office Chief Investigator Cassie Dewell has a new job in Grimstad, North Dakota where an oil boom has jumped the size of the town from 12,000 to 65,000. With this increase has come an increase in crime. Twelve-year-old Kyle Westergaard wants a better life away from the town. One morning on his paper route, he witnesses a car accident and finds a bundle to money and white powder. Will this enable him and his mom to leave the town?
Cassie is hard working, straight-forward, does her research, and can be tenacious when she’s pursing an investigation. However, she also seems to make errors in judgment and easily jumps to conclusions. At times she seems to be reticent and at other times aggressive.
The story has a continuation of a backstory as well as the new cases from Cassie’s North Dakota job. This adds suspense and some turmoil to the somewhat straightforward crime spree there. Readers quickly learn who the bad guys are so it’s a matter of solid investigative work for Cassie and her colleagues to catch up with us.
There is plenty of violence in this one. Additionally, there's a case of child endangerment that I felt was unrealistic. There are spoilers in this book for previous ones so the series is best read in order. Some scenes seemed unrealistic about riding a bicycle in extremely cold weather and snow. Despite these quibbles, I enjoyed the story and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series. Themes include drugs, violence, murder, family, and much more.
Overall, this novel was engaging and thought-provoking. It was descriptive without slowing the pacing and readers can easily feel they’re experiencing winter in North Dakota.
I purchased a copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date was July 28, 2015.
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My 4.19 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.
Cassie is hard working, straight-forward, does her research, and can be tenacious when she’s pursing an investigation. However, she also seems to make errors in judgment and easily jumps to conclusions. At times she seems to be reticent and at other times aggressive.
The story has a continuation of a backstory as well as the new cases from Cassie’s North Dakota job. This adds suspense and some turmoil to the somewhat straightforward crime spree there. Readers quickly learn who the bad guys are so it’s a matter of solid investigative work for Cassie and her colleagues to catch up with us.
There is plenty of violence in this one. Additionally, there's a case of child endangerment that I felt was unrealistic. There are spoilers in this book for previous ones so the series is best read in order. Some scenes seemed unrealistic about riding a bicycle in extremely cold weather and snow. Despite these quibbles, I enjoyed the story and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series. Themes include drugs, violence, murder, family, and much more.
Overall, this novel was engaging and thought-provoking. It was descriptive without slowing the pacing and readers can easily feel they’re experiencing winter in North Dakota.
I purchased a copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date was July 28, 2015.
------------------------------------------
My 4.19 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.
nicole0617's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
hollsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.5
reliablepat's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
beastreader's review against another edition
4.0
Since I read The Highway by Mr. Box. I have not been able to stop reading his books. I can't get my hands on his books fast enough. His latest one is a good one. I thought however that it was a little bit of a change from his current books. It was not as high pressure intensity with the action or the killer being as prominent. Yet, despite all of this I still liked this book a lot and read it quickly.
I was drawn more to Kyle's storyline then I was Cassie. While they are both tied together in the end, I felt that Cassie's side was somewhat lackluster. Kyle was such a sweetheart. I was cheering for him the whole time. I would have to say that this book was more character driven then action paced.
I was drawn more to Kyle's storyline then I was Cassie. While they are both tied together in the end, I felt that Cassie's side was somewhat lackluster. Kyle was such a sweetheart. I was cheering for him the whole time. I would have to say that this book was more character driven then action paced.
emckeon1002's review against another edition
4.0
I hate reading a series out of order, but in the midst of reading this one I determined (accurately) that the back story being presented was an indication that the main character, Cassie Dewell, had appeared before. So, I'll go backwards and read the prequel, but that fact diminished none of the effect of this book. As murder mystery and police procedural it didn't break much new ground (outsider cop, corruption on the force, murderous gangs, innocents at risk), but in its short, sweet length, it was a very interesting portrayal of a modern boom town, and all the vice that comes with the riches fracked oil can bring.
anemone42's review against another edition
5.0
C. J. Box does it again--another standout mystery from the preeminent author of Western mystery/suspense. After the events of "The Highway" that introduced us to Cassie Dewell, this book follows her to a new job in North Dakota. She's chief investigator in a small town turned oil boomtown awash in money and the vices that accompany it. Cassie has to put together the pieces on the local drug scene and a would-be takeover fast--before a child witness ends up like the dismembered men before him. Content alert: contains significant violence, child in danger
constantreader471's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed reading this library book and I am counting it for North Dakota in my US state challenge. This book is more of a thriller than a mystery, in that the bad guys are revealed early on. The suspense builds as they start killing people, while they look for a missing bag of drugs worth over a million dollars. The key to the missing drugs is a 12 year old boy who is mentally challenged, due to fetal alcohol syndrome. This book 2 in the Cassie Dewell series, but it read ok as a stand alone.
Cassie is a single mother, widow of a soldier killed in Afghanistan. She has quit her job in Montana to take a better job in N. Dakota. She is now the Chief Investigator for the Bakken County, ND, Sheriff's Dept. The Sheriff warns her that there could be corrupt deputies in his department and she must only report to him. This book takes place during a bitter N. Dakota winter where temperatures drop to minus 20 or 30 overnight and don't get above freezing(32F) in the daytime. A good book to read in the hot summer. I read it in 3 days, finding it hard to put down about half way through.
I thought the characters were believable and the plot moved along briskly. I liked the ending. There is a plot line that sets up book 3 in the series. I plan to read more of this series.
Cassie is a single mother, widow of a soldier killed in Afghanistan. She has quit her job in Montana to take a better job in N. Dakota. She is now the Chief Investigator for the Bakken County, ND, Sheriff's Dept. The Sheriff warns her that there could be corrupt deputies in his department and she must only report to him. This book takes place during a bitter N. Dakota winter where temperatures drop to minus 20 or 30 overnight and don't get above freezing(32F) in the daytime. A good book to read in the hot summer. I read it in 3 days, finding it hard to put down about half way through.
I thought the characters were believable and the plot moved along briskly. I liked the ending. There is a plot line that sets up book 3 in the series. I plan to read more of this series.