The Highway

A Cody Hoyt/Cassie Dewell Novel

By: C.J. Box

Narrated by: Holter Graham

Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

The inspiration for the new ABC series Big Sky. Winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel, the New York Times best-selling author of Back of Beyond and Breaking Point and the creator of the Joe Pickett series is back.

"If CJ Box isn't already on your list, put him there." (USA Today)

When two sisters set out across a remote stretch of Montana road to visit their friend, little do they know it will be the last time anyone might ever hear from them again. The girls - and their car - simply vanish. Former police investigator Cody Hoyt has just lost his job and has fallen off the wagon after a long stretch of sobriety. Convinced by his son and his former rookie partner, Cassie Dewell, he begins the drive south to the girls' last known location.

As Cody makes his way to the lonely stretch of Montana highway where they went missing, Cassie discovers that Gracie and Danielle Sullivan aren't the first girls who have disappeared in this area. This majestic landscape is the hunting ground for a killer whose viciousness is outmatched only by his intelligence. And he might not be working alone.

Time is running out for Gracie and Danielle...Can Cassie overcome her doubts and lack of experience and use her innate skill? Can Cody Hoyt battle his own demons and find this killer before another victim vanishes on the highway?

©2013 C.J. Box (P)2013 Macmillan Audio

Dark and edge of your seat

We have listened to every Joe Pickett novel plus a couple of CJ Box’s stand alone novels and really enjoyed them.

This one is very different! It is dark and sinister with twists and turns that are definitely unexpected! I wanted to stop listening because it made me uncomfortable but my husband wanted to find out what happened so we kept listening.

It was worth finishing but will keep you on the edge of your seat right to the end!

Fine suspense story once it got going

I had a very negative reaction to the very beginning of this book. I started reading the Hoyt/Dewell series after watching the TV adaptation “Big Sky.” I was already a Joe Pickett fan, but did not like “Big Sky” at all as it was very dark and seemed preoccupied with darkness and evil. This book begins with a tad overlong focus on the Lizard King and his misogynistic evil. The beginning also drags out the two sisters’ drive before they are grabbed by the Lizard King. Until that point, I was not really liking this book. Then, after the Lizard King grabs the sisters, Box changes the story's focus and the pace steps up considerably. He then turns to Hoyt’s and Dewell’s investigation and tracking down of the villains. Since I had watched “Big Sky” (at least the first few episodes) I knew the twist that was coming. I actually liked the Cassie Dewell character, especially how she started out as the well-meaning but naive rookie, but who developed quickly into learning so many of Cody Hoyt’s tricks. So overall, I would give the first quarter of this book 2/2.5 stars, but the rest of the book 3.5/4 stars. I look forward to what comes next as very clearly there are loose ends to tie up. Holter Graham was great as reader.

Messing with my expectations

I've listened to nearly all the C.J. Box on Audible, skipping only the one that appears from the plot summary and reviews to lean a little too Tea Party for me, but my respect for his story-telling is high. This time out, some of the reviews that are negative appear to be disappointed in a plot development: A heroine moves to the forefront after a shocking development. One reviewer claimed she is dull as mud.

I like mud and those animals who dwell there, but this woman doesn't and isn't. She's female. Not a female who's the next best thing to a guy, but a woman, acting like an adult, making mistakes and reaching beyond them. She steps up.

The bad guys are wicked, but not cartoons. They ring true. They're worse than the bad cops in Box's "Blue Heaven," but in that vein.

Few novelists working today have as rich a sense of the contemporary American West as Box. Despite some gruesome plot elements, not lingered over, thank God, listening was a pleasure. Box loves the land and everybody trying to make a go of it on the land in an honorable way, even if they break a few rules now and then. By the time the heroine is ready to break a major one, I was with her all the way.

Box never overwrites. His sentences don't call attention to themselves, preening like peacocks. They're often beautiful, always crisp and frequently worth writing down. I believe in his characters. Excellent narrator.

Slightly different

I enjoy C.J. Box for his characters and vivid descriptions of Wyoming and Montana. This book has much less of those qualities. It is a horrifying story, well done, but leaves me with the confirmed feeling that "people are just no damn good."

What a writer!

What did you love best about The Highway?

Have always been a Box fan. Although a departure from prior books, it's almost as though he has recreated himself. I have known bimbos as depicted here. Thank God I have never encountered the evil portrayed within. I sense that C. J. is a devout man and abhors it with his whole soul.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Highway?

A father doing what a father should do. An individual gathering unknown strength and courage from within to conquer ultimate evil.

Which scene was your favorite?

Gracies unshakeable resolve and determination.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Devil. You don't have a chance even in your own hell.

Very surprising

I have to admit, that there were twists I didn't see coming like most thrillers.

Great suspenseful thriller!

I very much enjoyed it and was sorry when it was over. Kept me on the edge of my seat.

Avenge Cody Hoyt!

Another great book. Investigator Doyle to the rescue she is the next Avenger! Doyle rules!

Real Life Horror.

This is wonderfully written, truly frightening fiction with complex characters and fascinating story lines. well worth the read a/o listen even if you are watching the TV series Big Sky.

Too scary

This is a thriller/mystery story that keeps you wondering what will happen next. I personally thought it was a bit on the gruesome side so would not recommend it to a sensitive individual. The ending makes you feel that you need to buy another book to see if the real killer will ever get caught.