Book Review: Blue Heaven, A CJ Box Mystery Thriller, A Story That Will Keep Readers Reading
Review: Blue Heaven by CJ Box… In this mystery set in northern Idaho, CJ Box has assembled a diverse cast of characters, including:
A tough and headstrong rancher who is trying to save his once prosperous family property from creditors.
A UPS driver who is dating the mother of two missing children
A country postman who yearns for the spotlight, even if she has to be a bit fanciful with the stories she tells.
Mysterious men spied on by a young woman who gives them made-up names: Driver, Man with Baseball Cap, Dark Man, and Wavy-Haired Man.
The driver of a red van that may or may not be the salvation of two young people
A banker who finally understands the shocking consequences of his decisions.
Retired LAPD police officers who seem to find this area perfect for their “final resting place”
The local sheriff, a weak-kneed guy, who takes the easy way out, no matter what damage he may cause.
A volunteer search party, which includes some volunteers who are up to no good.
Box weaves these characters and many others, both two-legged and four-legged, into an uncompromising, unsentimental story of suspense. which, in the manner of a hard-boiled mystery, has both good and evil built into its characters. Although we are on the outside looking in, and see the various threads that are woven into this mystery, it is not easy to separate the good from the bad, and the reader is pushed back and forth between yes-he-lo she did-it-and-not-her-not almost from the opening scenes.
Jess, its central character, isn’t playing rancher; He is the hard-working owner of a working ranch, as his father and grandfather were before him, and he has no intention of giving up and walking away, leaving his land to be used for purposes he cannot accept. He leads a hard and lonely life these days, making difficult decisions forced upon him by circumstances.
Still, the reader soon sees Jess for what he is: one of the good guys, the really good guys, always trying to make decisions based on what’s best for everyone in whatever situation they find themselves in. But Jess is surrounded by corruption and venality, something he can see and feel, something well hidden, that exists in people he should be able to trust.
He soon discovers that he must take a step, make a decision that could change his life. and that of two innocent young people. And not in a good way. But, Jess is Jess, one of the good guys every good mystery needs, and she risks her home, his good name, maybe even his life to find and put an end to the evil growing around her.
This story pushes the limit in mystery riddle games, though Box always gives readers a fair chance to decide for themselves before it gets the better of us. And it poses interesting puzzles for us to ponder as we read, and perhaps for days after we’ve finished the story and the mystery is solved. A well plotted mystery Blue sky it raises many ethical and moral issues along with legal requirements.
We find ourselves wondering:
Why do the men who have spent their lives in law enforcement tarnish the insignia they wore for years by straying so far from their oath to serve and protect?
Why do bankers in a remote mountain community in Idaho fall for today’s temptations and find themselves imitating their counterparts in the country’s financial centers?
Why do some men and women cling to the right path, even when it would be so much easier to just step over the line between right and wrong?
Box makes us think about these things, but he never strays from the characterizations he has built, and resist the temptation to lecture your readers as some authors do. Box depicts the rugged mountainous region of northern Idaho and its equally rugged residents from the point of view of a man who knows the area and loves it. Jess’s love for her ranch and the community that surrounds it is easy to see and understand; she belongs to this place and time.
As the story moved through betrayal, hate, and fear, through courage, honesty, and love, I found myself so invested with Jess that I almost stopped reading, fearing Box would end the wrong way for him. my.
But of course I read to the end. Was it the right conclusion to Jess’s story, from my point of view? Every writer and every reader knows that there really is no right or wrong way to end a mystery, or any kind of fiction for that matter. So he left that question unanswered.
Blue sky It’s a good read, lots of action, lots of plot twists and turns, just the right amount of good and bad characters. You will have to decide for yourself on the conclusion.