Back of Beyond

June 13, 2011
In this sprawling, ambitious stand-alone from Edgar-winner Box (Three Weeks to Say Goodbye), Cody Hoyt, an investigator in the sheriff's department of Montana's Lewis and Clark County, and a (barely) recovering alcoholic, goes in search of the man who burned his Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor to death. What at first appears to be a random crime broadens in scope to include multiple murders, the unresolved disappearance of a private plane in Yellowstone National Park, and a Mexican drug lord. The action culminates with a chase into the "back of beyond," a remote wilderness area of Yellowstone, where Hoyt's son, Justin, who's in his late teens, is on an expedition with his new stepfather. Box makes the rugged expanses of the American West even more palpably compelling than his largely appealing characters; he provides backstories for even the most minor ones. This padding and some improbable plot twists tend to undercut the suspense, but Box's many fans won't mind a bit. 125,000 first printing; 10-city author tour.

September 26, 2011
When dedicated Montana police detective Cody Hoyt looks into the suspicious death of his Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor, his investigation leads to a trek through the most remote reaches of Yellowstone National Park, and a quest to save his own son from a mysterious serial killer. Narrator Holter Graham’s renditions of the book’s characters are effective and distinct—and his portrayal of Bull Mitchell, the gruff but lovable retired trail guide, is particularly memorable. Graham also deftly handles the adolescent banter of Gracie and Danielle Sullivan, teenage sisters and tourists who find themselves caught up in a web of suspicion, danger, and murder. While the book’s twists and turns may seem over the top at times, Graham’s crisp and steady narration makes for a fun ride. The audiobook contains a bonus interview with the author. A Minotaur Books hardcover.

Cody Hoyt is the only member of the sheriff's department who is convinced that Hank Winters's fiery death in a remote Montana cabin was not suicide. But as a struggling alcoholic whose career is in a death spiral, Hoyt has little credibility. Holter Graham depicts Hoyt's sharp deductions in the midst of sporadic alcoholic fogs. Graham adds layers to Hoyt's fierce determination when he learns that his estranged teenage son may be in the killer's path. As the author describes the gorgeous scenery of Yellowstone, Graham tempts one to momentarily linger--and then wrenches one's attention back to the hunt for the killer. Hoyt's investigative partner and other key characters are voiced with color, yet Graham conceals the murderer's identity until the climax. N.M.C. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

Starred review from October 1, 2011

Box, author of the Joe Pickett novels (Cold Wind), features in this ripsnorter two wildly dissimilar narrators--one an alcoholic lawman, the other a nerdy teenage girl. Though a determined and skilled investigator, Cody Hoyt's disease makes him, at best, unpredictable. When Cody finds out that the person who murdered his AA sponsor might also be after his son, he frantically gives chase. Unfortunately, the unknown killer is hidden in plain sight among a group that includes perceptive, young Gracie Sullivan on a wilderness camping trip in Yellowstone National Park--the titular back of beyond. Cody's reckless pursuit, Gracie's redlining danger-meter, and Box's keen descriptions of nature result in a balanced and immensely enjoyable listen. Holter Graham's crisp, clean narration reliably differentiates Cody's cigarette-stained gruffness from the raised Canadian accents of the upper Midwest locals and admirably captures the regionalisms of other characters. An excellent choice for public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, 2/21/11; the Minotaur hc, published in August, was a New York Times best seller.--Ed.]--Douglas C. Lord, Connecticut State Lib., Middletown

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