The Bitterroots
Ratings2
Average rating3.5
15
Ratings2
Average rating3.5
A riveting new novel from New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author C. J. Box. The ties that bind can burn you. Former sheriff’s investigator Cassie Dewell is trying to start her life over as in private practice. She’s her own boss and answers to no one, and that’s just the way she likes it after the past few tumultuous years. All that certainty changes when an old friend calls in a favor: she wants Cassie to help exonerate a man accused of assaulting a young woman from an influential family. Against her own better judgment, Cassie agrees. But out by the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana, twisted family loyalty runs as deep as the ties to the land, and there's always something more to the story. The Kleinsassers have ruled this part of Montana for decades, and the Iron Cross Ranch is their stronghold. They want to see Blake Kleinsasser, the black sheep of the family, put away forever for the assault. As Cassie attempts to uncover the truth, she must fight against a family whose roots are tangled and deadly—as well as the ghosts of her own past that threaten to bring her down. With The Bitterroots, master storyteller C. J. Box delivers another searing novel of loyalty, lies, and lethal retribution.
Series
5 primary booksCassie Dewell is a 5-book series with 5 primary works first released in 2013 with contributions by C.J. Box.
Series
6 primary booksThe Highway Quartet is a 6-book series with 6 primary works first released in 2011 with contributions by C.J. Box.
Reviews with the most likes.
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader as part of a quick takes post to catch up–emphasizing pithiness, not thoroughness.
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Cassie's done with law enforcement (but like Harry Bosch, will always think like a cop), and is making a living as a PI. A blast from the past calls in a favor owed and hires her to do some work as an investigator for the defense in a criminal proceeding. Cassie hates the idea in general, and loathes it in particular—the client is clearly guilty. Clearly guilty of raping his teenage niece, no less. He's also a highly unpleasant person—she wouldn't want to work for him even before the rape charge. But a debt's a debt, and she figures she'll find enough evidence to get him to switch his plea to guilty and work out a deal.
Readers/Listeners know all too well that the clearly guilty part guarantees that Cassie will eat some crow on this point, but that's for later.
So Cassie travels to the very small town in northern Montana where the crime took place and the client's estranged family runs everything from their ranch to the school board and all things in between—including the Sheriff's Office and Courts. Things do not go well for her and her investigation—which just makes her think there's something for her to find to help the client after all.
I definitely listened to this too soon after In Plain Sight, one of the themes of it is repeated here—not something I'd have noticed (at least not as much) if a few more weeks had passed.
Box ultimately won me over, but I came close to DNFing this a time or two, and I really didn't enjoy most of the book. It was just a little heavy-handed, and the tie-in to a prior nemesis really didn't work for me at all (and I'm not sure the introduction of the tie-in works now that I've seen where Box was taking it—it's too complicated to explain, especially for this post, let's just say I didn't like it). But by the end, I liked what Cassie got up to and how she handled herself—and I like the way that Box dealt with the climax and denouement—both were really strong (and semi-unexpected).
