Back of Beyond by C.J. Box is the first book
in his mystery / suspense series featuring Police Inspector Cody Hoyt. Hoyt is
likely in his last chance job as a police officer. He is brilliant at solving
crimes when he puts his mind to it, but his mind is often more focused on
drinking, or not drinking.
When the Helena dispatcher
sends Cody to a remove mountain cabin where hikers found a half-burned building
with what looks like a person, Cody is afraid he knows who lives there. It is
his AA sponsor and friend. While the scene looks like an accidental fire, he is
convinced it was murder.
Once he tries to
convince his fellow detective it is a crime scene, the forensic team goes to
work. One clue, the website last up on the man’s computer, leads Cody to decide
that the killer is using an outdoor, five-day horseback through Yellowstone to
evade the investigation. Unfortunately, if he is right, it may be the same trip
Hoyt’s son is on with his potential new stepfather.
Box has created a
terribly flawed cop for whom readers will still root. And a secondary character
who readers will be glad to see again in the next book, fourteen-year-old
Gracie Sullivan who is on the adventure with her sister and father. The details
can be a bit gruesome, but this is a great mystery for anyone who likes the
outdoors. Readers of Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon series will enjoy the scenery.
Box, C.J. (2011). Back
of Beyond. NY: Minotaur Books.
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