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A review by chimarsh79
Badlands by C.J. Box
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!