wombat_88's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mojoshivers's review against another edition
5.0
I remember reading the first book of the Pickett series and only being mildly impressed. This book, however, I was completely drawn into. Not only was Cody a terrific flawed hero but a lot of the supporting characters were great as well.
The whole party going out into Yellowstone was a great set-up for a mystery/thriller. In a lot of ways it reminded me of City Slickers, with a lot of city-types being put through their paces by more rugged cowboy-types, except in this scenario the group gets picked off one-by-one. That part reminded me of Ten Little Indians.
I also applaud the use of the double blind bad guys. It always makes for a fun wrap-up when you realize there are two groups at cross-purposes with each other that are responsible for all the dead bodies, homes burned, and questionable behavior. The reader’s mind is always biased to believe all clues and incidents originate from the same place. It’s refreshing to see when it’s actually been two different crews of antagonists making all the mess.
All in all, a good start to the Highway Quartet.
The whole party going out into Yellowstone was a great set-up for a mystery/thriller. In a lot of ways it reminded me of City Slickers, with a lot of city-types being put through their paces by more rugged cowboy-types, except in this scenario the group gets picked off one-by-one. That part reminded me of Ten Little Indians.
I also applaud the use of the double blind bad guys. It always makes for a fun wrap-up when you realize there are two groups at cross-purposes with each other that are responsible for all the dead bodies, homes burned, and questionable behavior. The reader’s mind is always biased to believe all clues and incidents originate from the same place. It’s refreshing to see when it’s actually been two different crews of antagonists making all the mess.
All in all, a good start to the Highway Quartet.
writer595's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
book4merk's review against another edition
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
dave37's review against another edition
4.0
Solid start to a new mystery/thriller series from one of my favorite authors. Finished it at 2:00 a.m. this morning, after starting reading last night around 11:30, which tells you a bit about the last third of the book!
lwalker77's review against another edition
3.0
Probably probably 3.5 stars but I couldn’t give it 4. I enjoyed the story and characters, especially Cody Hoyt. CJ Box is one of the best out there and fans of his will definitely want to read this one. It just wasn’t quite as good as some of his other work. I do recommend it though.
kg0ld's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
4.5
I also read this series out of order! However, it didn't really wreck anything for me.
emp1234's review against another edition
1.0
DNF. The main character was completely unlikable and the dialog was terrible. I'm in the minority here. People seem to really like this author.