Book Review: Badlands by C.J. Box
Published in 2015. A new find in northern North Dakota has led to an oil boom, taking the small town of Grimstad from a town of a few thousand to a hundred thousand. Almost overnight. At least it seems that way to the townsfolk. Many have moved away, having made a fortune in selling their rights to the oil or just tired of the growth spurt in population.
Kyle Westergaard, a twelve-year-old boy, has grown up in the area and to make money, he delivers the morning newspaper in spite of the freezing cold weather. However, he comes across an accident and finds a duffel bag, full of drugs and money, thrown from one of the vehicles. He takes it and leaves when a sheriff’s deputy shows up.
To keep up with the rise in crime, the sheriff’s department has gone from three deputies to over sixty. The newest deputy is Cassie Dewell, a detective from Montana. In her most recent case, she hunted down the Lizard King, a serial murderer, who preys on the young prostitutes in the trucking industry. Now, she’s looking for another murderer, who has left body parts around town as some sort of warning. All she has to do is figure it out.
This was an interesting book but definitely not a middle grade or YA novel, in spite of the main character’s age of twelve. So it's not a good idea to use that as a guide. The North Dakota oil boom has positive and negative affects on the lives of the people there as well as the economy. The author has helped me learn more about them.
Kyle Westergaard, a twelve-year-old boy, has grown up in the area and to make money, he delivers the morning newspaper in spite of the freezing cold weather. However, he comes across an accident and finds a duffel bag, full of drugs and money, thrown from one of the vehicles. He takes it and leaves when a sheriff’s deputy shows up.
To keep up with the rise in crime, the sheriff’s department has gone from three deputies to over sixty. The newest deputy is Cassie Dewell, a detective from Montana. In her most recent case, she hunted down the Lizard King, a serial murderer, who preys on the young prostitutes in the trucking industry. Now, she’s looking for another murderer, who has left body parts around town as some sort of warning. All she has to do is figure it out.
This was an interesting book but definitely not a middle grade or YA novel, in spite of the main character’s age of twelve. So it's not a good idea to use that as a guide. The North Dakota oil boom has positive and negative affects on the lives of the people there as well as the economy. The author has helped me learn more about them.
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