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Fiction. Mystery. Thriller. HTML: In C.J. Box's Badlands, the town of Grimstad used to be a place people came from but were never headed to. Now it's the oil capital of North Dakota. With oil comes money, with money comes drugs, and with drugs come the dirtiest criminals Grimstad's new deputy sheriff Cassie Dewell has ever encountered. . . Twelve-year-old Kyle Westergaard dreams of getting out of Grimstad and leading a better life. Even though Kyle has been written off as a "slow" kid, he has dreams deeper than anyone can imagine. One day, while delivering newspapers, he witnesses a car accident and takes a mysterious bundle from the scene. Suddenly he's in possession of a lot of money�??and packets of white powder�??and Kyle can't help but wonder whether his luck has changed...for better or for worse. "Suspenseful�??you can't put it down.''�??Library Journal When the temperature drops to 30 below and a gang war heats up, it's up to Cassie to help restore law and order. But is she in over her head? As she is propelled on a collision course with a murderous enemy, she finds that the key to it all might come in the most unlikely form: a boy on a bike named Kyle. He keeps showing up where he doesn't belong. And he seems to know something that Cassie does not about what lies beneath the surface of this small and troubled town... "The unrelenting cold makes this the perfect beach read."�??Kirkus Revie… (more)
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Cassie Dewell is just moving to Grimstad, Bakken County, North Dakota to take a position as a Chief Investigator. The town is in the middle of an oil fever - with all the problems and challenges that this entails. Add to this the fact that it is the middle of the winter and in North Dakota, this means really cold (as someone that hates snow and the cold, my bones got chilled a few times while reading the descriptions - Box is not shying from showing the brutality of the weather).
And while she is getting used to the new job, things get crazy - drugs somehow get lost and all the local (and not so local) gangs show up in force to try to figure out what happened.
What happened was Kyle - a 12 years old boy with a golden heart. he is a bit slow - due to his mother drinking too much before he was born and things had not improved much for him at home through the years. He ended up being in the wrong place at the wrong time and the bag of drugs end up in his position. He is the invisible boy in the town - everyone sees him, noone notices him. Except Cassie - the new woman in town actually sees him for what he is - not a broken human but a child that needs attention and love. And in the middle of the drug war, one of her old cases, the one she fled Montana for rears its ugly head and the man that had been abducting and killing women for a long time shows up in the vicinity of Grimstad. Add to this the usual case of police corruption (there is no way a new investigator to show up without that becoming a focus for them) and the story should have been too crowded. But it did not.
Between Grimstad, the winter, Kyle and Cassie (and the sheriff), the story packs a lot of important topics - and not all of them are crime related. I hope that there will be more stories about them - and I am planning to read the earlier ones - even though I know where they are going and how they are finishing, I really enjoyed the style and the details.
Kyle stole the spotlight from Cassie (IMHO) and my heart broke for him several times. Born with fetal alcohol syndrome, he's a quiet kid and frequently underestimated by most of the adults in his life. After finding a large bag of drugs and cash, he wants to do the right thing by going to the police. Unfortunately, T-Lock (Kyle's mother's boyfriend) has other plans and manipulates the boy. T-Lock eventually takes the choice away from him completely, which places the small family in even more danger. Despite his circumstances, Kyle turned out to be a strong little guy, even when he just couldn't catch a break.
On a happier note, I like that Cassie's self-confidence is growing. She learned some painful lessons in the last book and it was good to see her develop a take charge attitude. She's a thinker and strives to make the best possible decision, even if that means getting creative with police procedure. I do miss Cody, though. I was just warming up to him! *sniffle*
This book was so engaging that I read it in one setting! It'll be a long wait for the next installment!
BADLANDS is even better, but don’t start here because the long story (with recurring characters) is much richer.
Twelve year old Kyle Westergaard
I inhaled this story.
I built a Cast of Characters for BADLANDS because I often do and it is attached on the page on my website for this review (if you can find it!)
A day or two after I’d finished this immensely satisfying story, a copy of BADLANDS ©2015 by C.J. Box arrived in the mail, courtesy of the publisher. So I’m holding another giveaway.
I have no hesitation in recommending this book.
Cassie Dewell is a determined police woman who wants
Although in another state, she has not given up on the capture of The Lizard king, setting a trap in her spare time.
A number of people are after the package and its contents.
Cassie Dewell, newly arrived from Montana is on the case. In additon, she is still tracking the Lizard King.
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.