Paradise Valley (Cody Hoyt and Cassie Dewell Series #4)

by C. J. Box Narrated by Christina Delaine

Overview

"Christina Delaine delivers a thrilling performance of this high-stakes hunt for a killer...Notably, Delaine's sensitive portrayal of a young man with a speech impediment adds emotional depth, while her depiction of the elusive Lizard King generates chills." - AudioFile Magazine

Paradise Valley continues the Highway Quartet series, the inspiration for the hit TV show Big Sky on ABC, from New York Times bestselling author C. J. Box.

She almost caught him once. Now, he's back.

For three years, Investigator Cassie Dewell has been on a hunt for a serial killer known as the Lizard King whose hunting grounds are the highways and truck stops where runaways and prostitutes are most likely to vanish. Cassie almost caught him...once.

Working for the Bakken County, North Dakota sheriff's department, Cassie has set what she believes is the perfect trap and she has lured him and his truck to a depot. But the plan goes horribly wrong, and the blame falls on Cassie. Disgraced, she loses her job and investigation into her role is put into motion.

At the same time, Kyle Westergaard, a troubled kid whom Cassie has taken under her wing, has disappeared after telling people that he's going off on a long-planned adventure. Kyle's grandmother begs Cassie to find him and, with nothing else to do, Cassie agrees-all the while hunting the truck driver.

Now Cassie is a lone wolf. And in the same way that two streams converge into a river, Kyle's disappearance may have a more sinister meaning than anyone realizes. With no allies, no support, and only her own wits to rely on, Cassie must take down a killer who is as ruthless as he is cunning. But can she do it alone, without losing her own humanity or her own life?

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Praise for Paradise Valley:

"Thrilling plot, evocative setting, deep characterization; this book has them all." —Reviewing the Evidence

"[Box has] crafted fascinating characters and put them in riveting, challenging circumstances that test their mettle and threaten their worlds." —The Durango Herald

Praise for Badlands:

“Suspenseful—you can’t put it down.” —Library Journal (starred)

“Brilliant…the most effective of his thriller since his Edgar-winning Blue Heaven.” –Booklist (starred)

"A suspenseful, professional-grade north country procedural...The unrelenting cold makes this the perfect beach read.” –Kirkus Reviews

"Fascinating...Box is a master.” –The Denver Post

"Absorbing...strong and compelling." –Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Intriguing...An enthralling thriller." –Associated Press

"Box’s latest thriller burnishes his reputation as the dean of contemporary Western suspense." –BookPage

"Cassie Dewell is a complex and multi-faceted protagonist who is one of the more interesting characters to emerge from the thriller genre over the past couple of years." –Book Reporter

Kirkus Reviews

2017-05-02
Box takes another break from the travails of Wyoming Fish and Game Warden Joe Pickett (Vicious Circle, 2017, etc.) to throw a serial killer at a dogged investigator and vice versa.His real name is Ronald Pergram, but he's more widely known as the Lizard King because of his habit of abducting lot lizards—prostitutes who work truckers' parking lots—and driving off with them into the endless sunset. And Cassandra Dewell, chief investigator for the Bakken County Sheriff's Department, has been after him for more than three years, ever since veteran Sheriff Jon Kirkbride recruited her from Montana and began to train her as his successor. Now that the deep-laid trap Cassie's set for the Lizard seems to be about to snap shut, she's arranged for every available lawman to be on hand when the Lizard's truck, complete with his latest victim, or at least with forensic evidence he hasn't yet had time to clean off, crosses North Dakota and heads west into Bakken County. On the very same day Cassie's set her trap, her son's friend Kyle Westergaard and his buddy Raheem Johnson, both 14, plan to pull a Huck and Jim and light out for the wide open spaces on a boat they hope to row to New Orleans. All too predictably, Cassie's trap goes horribly wrong, leaving her frozen out of the department by slimy new Bakken County attorney Avery Tibbs and the Lizard with several new hostages on his hands, setting the stage for a dogged pursuit all the way to Yellowstone National Park. Box handles both the set pieces and the longer arc with professional dexterity. The results can't exactly be called memorable, but if you like chases across wide-open spaces, you'll race toward the satisfying climax without caring about anything else.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169139389
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	07/25/2017
Series:	Cody Hoyt and Cassie Dewell Series
Edition description:	Unabridged

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