Badlands (Cassie Dewell #2)

Badlands by C.J. Box is the second book in her Cassie Dewell series. Cassie is a police investigator in Helena, Montana. Though she just applied for a job in the booming oil community of Grimstad, North Dakota. The town of Grimstad is expanding due to oil fracking. The Sherriff’s department has added a couple dozen deputies. Dewell is interested in their head investigator, the highest detective position.

Kyle Westergaard, age 12, has a newspaper route. His mom says she will drive him, but she is too tired in the mornings from her own job. Kyle uses his bike. He rides miles every morning even in the now freezing weather. One morning, while taking a short cut through a new housing development, Kyle watches a car chase that ends with a crash. When a police car’s lights can be seen in the distance, the two men in the second car stop searching the wreck and flee. Kyle picks up a bundle he saw fly away from the car.

Dewell’s first case in Grimstad will come down to a witness no one thinks to speak to because no one knows he was there.

Box writes crime suspense that is fun to read. Cassie Dewell is a bit of a mess but trying her best. She learned from someone who cause almost as many problems as he solved.

Box, C. J. (2015). Badlands. NY: Minotaur.