Back of Beyond by C. J. Box - 4 stars

[Ellen]

Detective Cody Hoyt is devastated when the murder victim in a burned-out cabin turns out to be his best friend and AA sponsor Hank Winters. Although it is staged to look as though Winters had died while in a drunken stupor, Cody knows this is not true. His investigation leads him to a adventure outfitter who leads tourists on a 10-day horseback trip into the deep reaches of Yellowstone, or the 'Back of Beyond'. Hoyt believes a killer is among the group riding into the park and once he realizes his teenaged son Justin is one of the adventurers nothing will stop Cody from catching the killer. Literally tripping over bodies as he follows the trail, Cody begins to believe he has been compromised by someone who seems to know his every move and wants to stop his progress: permanently.

This is an exciting story with lots of twists and turns and plenty of suspicious people. Hoyt is probably not the most likeable character but he is certainly determined to do the right thing even if his vision of 'right' is at times a bit skewed. I enjoyed it quite a lot and I have been a fan of this author for many years.

[Book Concierge]

I also like this one, Ellen. Though I like the Joe Pickett series better.

[Olivermagnus]

I liked this one, but not as much as The Highway which expands on the Cody story and introduces Cassie Dewell and Lot Lizard, Ronald Pergram.

Box also wrote a great standalone, Blue Heaven.