Back of Beyond

A Cody Hoyt Novel

By: C. J. Box

Narrated by: Holter Graham

Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

The Edgar® Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author C. J. Box delivers a thriller in Back of Beyond about a troubled cop trying to save his son from a killer in Yellowstone.

Cody Hoyt, while a brilliant cop, is an alcoholic struggling with two months of sobriety when his mentor and AA sponsor Hank Winters is found burned to death in a remote mountain cabin. At first it looks like the suicide of a man who's fallen off the wagon, but Cody knows Hank better than that. Sober for fourteen years, Hank took pride in his hard-won sobriety and never hesitated to drop whatever he was doing to talk Cody off a ledge. When Cody takes a closer look at the scene of his friend's death, it becomes apparent that foul play is at hand. After years of bad behavior with his department, he's in no position to be investigating a homicide, but this man was a friend and Cody's determined to find his killer.

When clues found at the scene link the murderer to an outfitter leading tourists on a multi-day wilderness horseback trip into the remote corners of Yellowstone National Park—a pack trip that includes his son Justin—Cody is desperate to get on their trail and stop the killer before the group heads into the wild. Among the tourists is fourteen-year-old Gracie Sullivan, an awkward but intelligent loner who begins to suspect that someone in their party is dangerous.

In a fatal cat-and-mouse game, where it becomes apparent the murderer is somehow aware of Cody's every move, Cody treks into the wilderness to stop a killer hell bent on ruining the only thing in his life he cares about.

C. J. Box's Back of Beyond is a Kirkus Reviews Best of 2011 Mysteries title.

©2011 C.J. Box (P)2011 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Box, a best-selling mystery writer and Wyoming native, crafts a taut tale, but it’s his details about the untamed flora and fauna—two-legged as well as four—that inhabit the wildness out West that hooks you.” (USA Today)

“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’s crisp and steady narration makes for a fun ride.” (Publishers Weekly)

“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.” (Library Journal, starred review)

Like being there

Good story but somewhat predictable. Liked the flawed hero. The narrator was very good at diverse voices.

Great book

Outstanding characters loved the story layout the ending was the best . The insight in the characters kept story running forward

Very Enjoyable

Always love his story telling and character building..His description of the locations the story takes place is like being there..

Grabbed Me and Kept Me Despite the Blood

Grabbed Me and Kept Me Despite the Blood This is a lot hairier than I can usually handle, but was so well written that I never considered abandoning it. There are buckets and buckets of blood, and an astonishing number of murders, but it's a good enough story that I was committed to making it through. I'd actually have given the story a 5, but brought it down to 4.4 due to the sheer volume of blood, pain, and fear -- but bear in mind, I'm a sissy. The narrator is spectacularly skilled, especially considering the book's audio challenges. There's a huge cast, and it's of varying genders, ages, personalities, and locales; and it beggars belief that he can handle it so well. He's also a very good actor and is excellent at realistically portraying attitudes and emotions. The Box interview at the end is a delightful bonus. He's wonderfully candid, and makes some interesting points, and reveals why Box's stories feel so authentic.

Great Book

What made the experience of listening to Back of Beyond the most enjoyable?

While driving on a long trip it made the miles fly by, such an entertaining story

Which character – as performed by Holter Graham – was your favorite?

Definitely Cody. I would have to say that Holter Graham is my favorite reader to date. He has a great voice and he does an excellent job with all the characters. Hope he continues with C.J. Box and others, he's great!!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I have to admit that I haven't finished the book yet as I am listening to it in my car and it takes a while to get to the end. I was just so enthusiastic about the book that I wanted to recommend it to anyone who likes C.J. Box or anyone who likes a good mystery. To me, this is my favorite C.J. Box book to date.

Good read, enjoyed the characters!

Listened on a trip, was very engaging. New characters he is developing, look forward to the next book to see how many characters return. very enjoyable!!!

Not Joe Pickett, but still good.

I’m a huge Joe Pickett fan.
The protagonist in this series is almost the antithesis of Joe.

But the story is as good, if not better.

1st book!

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one. A different read for me and really enjoyed it. Looking forward to following this author!

Great book from first page to last!

You should read this book if you like mysteries--and modern westerns. I love Mr. Box's Joe Pickett series and I will be looking forward to more like this one about Cody Hoyt. This book kept me guessing till he tied all the loose ends together at the end. Good story and characters.

Disappointing after Joe Pickett series

I had to wonder why you chose to have the hero a washed up, out of control, alcoholic that continually screwed up. You did manage to hide the bad guys until three quarters of the way through the book. The end gave me some hope for Cody so I will give book 2 a start but may not finish it.