Blue Heaven: A Novel

Well written novel with all new characters. Good stand alone story.

First, a disclaimer: "Blue Heaven" is the first of Mr. Box's novels that I have read, and I picked it up because it won an Edgar (I was hooked after reading the Kindle "free sample" first chapter, in which two children witness a murder and are pursued through the woods). This is a review of "Blue Heaven", not a polemic on the relative merits of book awards, but I will make a brief digression on the subject:Reading award-winners is not a strategy I often follow, but I like the Edgar awards (and the Mystery Writers of America), because they seem relatively free of the pretension, vanity, and faddish-ness that pervades other literary awards. Therefore I at least try to peruse the fiction nominees and winners. There are so many books out there, and without the Edgars I would never have been aware of Mr. Box's novel. So thank you, MWA.Now, back to "Blue Heaven". Other reviewers have perceptively noted that this is a modern Western, in ways both subtle and obvious. The obvious western touches include the setting--it takes place in the Mountain West (North Idaho)--and a hero who is, literally, a cowboy. The less-obvious Western hallmarks are found in the narrative structure. Much like a classic Western, the bad guys are known from the beginning (it is not a mystery in the classic sense). Furthermore, the novel builds to an inevitable showdown between the hero and the villains, a final, frenzied scene of violence that would not be out of place in a dusty, sun-bleached frontier town of the late 19th century.Although the villains are revealed at the outset, Mr. Box takes more time to explain the motives for their crimes, but the "why" is never really important. Indeed, the back-story of the original crime that motivates the rest of the narrative is one of the book's weak points, but the novel is little affected by it. Mr. Box seems to understand the concept that Alfred Hitchcock famously labeled "the MacGuffin". That is, the motivating crime doesn't really matter if the characters are compelling and the action is well-written. Mr. Box succeeds admirably on both counts, and it's enough to know that these dudes did something bad, and they don't want anyone to know about it.After slogging through another Lee Child book (my last, I assure you--I had read one before and did not like it much, and decided to give him another chance since he seems to be so popular...a complete waste of time), it was refreshing to pick up "Blue Heaven" and encounter such richly drawn characters. Whereas Mr. Child's Jack Reacher is inhuman and boring, Jess Rawlins is an immensely sympathetic hero who is also (GASP!) 63 years old, a cuckold, and on the verge of losing his ranch due to financial mismanagement. He is divorced and estranged from his only child. He is also a man out of touch with the times, cut from an older cloth of simplicity, duty and honor; he is at once pitiful and admirable. This ambivalence carries over to Mr. Box's other characters. The author does an admirable job of creating figures who inhabit a world of real emotion--of joy and sorrow, ambition and greed, success and failure, hope and disappointment, and of love, as well. They live lives in which decisions have consequences, often unanticipated and far-reaching.Mr. Box balances his cast of characters throughout the story, frequently changing perspectives as the narrative progresses through an extremely busy weekend. Juggling all of these points of view while sustaining coherence and momentum is no mean feat, and Mr. Box largely succeeds. There are a few miscues. For example, (spoiler alert) it's never entirely clear why an apparent samaritan who turns out to be one of the villains fails to hand the witnesses over to his co-conspirators. But overall, the plot development is engaging and exciting.As I mentioned above, I am not familiar with Mr. Box's other work. Upon reading this book, I was left impressed by his plotting and characterizations, and somewhat disappointed by his style. He has a knack for evoking personal detail and drawing compelling sketches of his characters, and he writes action sequences with the brisk, simple style that befits them. But throughout the novel I encountered wince-inducing turns of phrase that should have been weeded out by a good editor. "Blue Heaven" is riddled with amateurish writing, which is why I was surprised when I discovered that Mr. Box had so many other, prior books. I repeatedly found myself taken in by the story, only to be jolted by some very poor writing choices. It's unfortunate, because it mars what is an otherwise entertaining and ambitious book.It could have been great, but I'll settle for very, very good.

This is the first standalone novel of Box's I've read; I've only experienced his Joe Pickett series until now. This is a great book, told in Box's typical fashion of taking you to the topography of the setting. With the Joe Pickett series, you are immersed in the beauty of Wyoming. With Blue Heaven, you are transported to the majestic North Idaho mountains.Our young protagonist, Annie, is portrayed in such a way that you'd think Box knew what it was like to be a tweenaged girl from a low income, single parent household. Annie is unusually wise for her age, fairly serious, and all about holding her mother, Monica, accountable for her promise to Annie and her little brother, Willie ("William, please,"). Annie gets her ire up when Monica's new boyfriend, Tom Boyd, saunters into the kitchen first thing in the morning and requests breakfast. Annie has obtained a clear promise from her mother that any overnight male guest will be father material for her and Willie. Tom isn't father material. To punish the adults, Annie grabs Willie after the shortened school day and convinces him they should take Tom's expensive fishing rod and try their luck together down at the river since Tom broke his promise of picking them up from school and taking them fishing himself. There, the kids witness something no one was meant to see...a murder of a local LAPD retired policeman by four other men of the same ilk. They run, get away, and are in hiding from the perpetrators of the crime throughout the story.Enter another retired Southern California cop, this one on the right side of the law, investigating a years-old race track robbery, a weathered old rancher, Jess, who helps the kids hide out until an investigation of the dirty cops can reveal the truth, a nutty and nosy mail carrier lady with her eye on making the rancher her conquest, a small town sheriff who's been roped into handing over the missing kids case to the dirty retired cops, a banker who turned his head the other way when suspicious accounts were opened, and you have the makings of an exciting thriller with a lot of twists and turns. Who can be trusted? Who will help the kids, not hurt them? How will Monica get free from all of the "concerned" citizens to find the truth and her children before they're harmed?A delicious thriller by Box with a myriad of seasoned small town characters, some you want to choke, others you want to hug. Definitely a can't put it down novel!

Great read. Interesting characters, having been used to Joe Pickett and Cassie Duel. Can’t wait to read his next novel

So happy I found this author. Right up there with William Kent Krueger. I keep these as treats for myself and dole them out selfishly!! Enjoyment plus.

What an amazing action packed read, so many intertwined threads set you off at the beginning of the story. Then gradually over the chapters they all slowly start to come together. A very exciting mix of characters, single mum a ups driver, retired detective, a bank manager, old rancher, corrupt retired police officers, the whole story revolves around two young children bunking of school to go fishing and their lives and the lives of the people in the town they live are turned upside down on an unbelievable adventure.

Wow!!! just finished this book am doing everything in my powers to not burst out crying! amazing Story telling that gripped me to the end. Rooting for Jess, Hearne, Villatoro and even the Sherrif, more importantly the Taylors. So glad that good overcame evil and Singer and "GONZO" got what they both deserved. The Grit of Jess showed sadly a dying breed of People who simply just want to do the right thing. I can relate to that. tearing up completely now upon realizing Jess didn't make it afterall:-( but his final unselfish act of giving his Ranch to Annie simply broke my heart.Read all the Joe Pickett books and needed something whilst awaiting for book 18 to be released.I wish there were more stars because "Blue Heaven" deserves at least ten in my humble opinion. Totally recommend it.

I bought this book as a recommendation from a friend. I was not disappointed ! The pages glide by quickly as you want to know what happens to the 2 children & how the plot will evolve.This was my first book by C>J> Box & after reading Blue Heaven, I have purchased 2 more books from this author.... I recommend Blue Heaven to anyone who wants a book that flows easily & is packed with suspense & intrigue. Enjoy - I did !!!

This is the 5th book that I have read by this author and another 5 stars Terrific book and was riveted until the end