Book Review: The Bitterroots by C.J. Box

Published in 2019. Cassie Dewell has changed occupation from a law enforcement officer to a private investigator. The change came about during the book between this one and Badlands, which I didn’t read. But that’s okay. I get the picture. Cassie’s returned to Montana and lives with her mother, Isabel, a hippie from the sixties, and her son, Ben, aged fourteen.

Cassie’s been hired by a local law firm to verify the incidents surrounding a rape. Blake Kleinsasser has been accused of raping his niece. He doesn’t think he did it but he can’t remember. He’d been on a drinking binge and can’t remember what he did. Cassie and the attorney think he’s guilty and wants the evidence verified to see if there’s room for a plea deal. Cassie heads north to Lochsa County to begin her investigation. The first problem she runs across is missing evidence. Then, the witnesses are uncooperative—everyone’s out to get Blake.

Really interesting story. At first, the evidence is stacked against Blake and everyone thinks he's guilty as hell. However, the evidence soon crumbles. I like Cassie. She’s intelligent and strong but as a single mother, she’s also stretched thin, like lots of single moms. I’m rooting for her.

By the way, the title refers to the mountain range in Montana where Cassie is investigating. And as her investigation heats up, so do the mountains as a major fire sweeps through the area.