People tend to have two main approaches to long distance
driving... some will do careful planning and make sure
everything is working and they are well equipped for any
potential needs; others just blithely jump in the car and
take off as if they are simply going get a coffee five
minutes away regardless of care for their car or keeping
others informed as to their whereabouts. Unfortunately,
two
young teenage girls, Danielle and Gracie Sullivan, are of
the latter type and carelessly make travel changes and an
unexpected detour across long empty stretches on Wyoming
roads late at night with a red oil light blinking on the
dash.
Even more unfortunate, a long distance hauler and vicious
sadistic serial killer of prostitutes who frequent truck
stops is definitely a shrewd planner and this self-named
Lizard King knows how to leverage an opportunity to his
advantage. Eighteen year old Danielle, the older of the
two teens, is vivacious and prettier than her younger
sixteen year old sister, but definitely lacks maturity
and,
with her rudeness, inadvertently draws the Lizard King's
attention.
Meanwhile, Justin Hoyt, Danielle's former boyfriend is
surprised to hear Danielle is coming and then worries when
the girls don't arrive. In another series of unfortunate
events, his dad Cody Hoyt, has his own heavy burden of
troubles, but with his background as a police
investigator,
he goes to see if he can find the girls. Are they just
lost or has something worse happened to them? Can Cody
find
them in time?
New York Times bestselling author C.J. Box is highly
regarded by his many fans for his Joe Pickett novels as
well
as his other suspenseful novels set in the rugged western
landscape of the Wyoming and Montana region. His 2012
novel, Back of Beyond, is a terrifying and powerful hit
story and THE HIGHWAY continues several of the same
characters but in a different adventure. While THE HIGHWAY
is the second Hoyt novel, both books can easily be read as
stand-alone novels. In THE HIGHWAY, Cody Hoyt's young
partner at the Lewis and Clark County Montana Sheriff's
Department Cassandra (Cassie) Dewell really has to step up
to the plate to find out what is really going on with the
girls' situation as well as dealing with some unhelpful
and
misogynistic attitudes still lingering in law enforcement.
Personally, I found THE HIGHWAY very horrifying to read,
especially the gruesome and graphic scenes of the shrewd
planning and depth of depravity being craved by some of
the
characters; yet, the story is so mesmerizing, that I just
could not stop reading. While Box's story is based in the
western United States, it reminds me of the infamous
Highway
of Tears in Northern British Columbia where so many young
Aboriginal women have gone missing, never to be seen
again.
Box's strengths as a writer definitely lie in his ability
to pull you right into ever scene as it is so authentic in
its description of place and characters that you can
literally smell and see everything going on in graphic
detail. While many of the key characters in THE HIGHWAY
are
so evil in their thoughts and actions, they are truly
frightening to read, Box also has some other minor
characters to slightly balance off that everyone in those
jobs, and especially professional distance haulers, fits
that description. I must admit I enjoy Box's Joe Pickett
series more, but I fully appreciate how fast paced he
keeps
the story going and the unusual and totally unexpectedly
plot developments. I especially like how Box has Cassie
grow as a person and a professional as she faces the many
challenges she encounters. Regardless of how tough the
content, C.J. Box is definitely a writer not to be missed!
I am quite sure Box's many, many fans as well as new
readers
will find themselves totally engrossed as you travel every
mile in THE HIGHWAY!
When two sisters set out across a remote stretch of
Montana road to visit their friend, little do they know it
will be the last time anyone might ever hear from them
again. The girls—and their car—simply vanish. Former
police investigator Cody Hoyt has just lost his job and
has fallen off the wagon after a long stretch of sobriety.
Convinced by his son and his former rookie partner, Cassie
Dewell, he begins the drive south to the girls’ last known
location. As Cody makes his way to the lonely stretch of
Montana highway where they went missing, Cassie discovers
that Gracie and Danielle Sullivan aren’t the first girls
who have disappeared in this area. This majestic
landscape is the hunting ground for a killer whose
viciousness is outmatched only by his intelligence. And
he might not be working alone. Time is running out for
Gracie and Danielle…Can Cassie overcome her doubts and
lack of experience and use her innate skill? Can Cody
Hoyt battle his own demons and find this killer before
another victim vanishes on the highway?
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