Or she is until her plan to trap the Lizard King goes horribly wrong and she is made a scapegoat who then has to resigns. This is the third book in the saga of the murderous Lizard King, but Box catches up the new reader to the series quite well.Ĭassie is an investigator with the Bakken County Sheriff's Dept, in North Dakota.

It's so easy to see why as his prose is sharp and evocative and his stories never slow.īox is a resident of Wyoming and most of his books are set there but at times he wanders into Montana and North Dakota as he does in this fourth Cassie Dewell book.

Box referred to as a writer's writer, as he is award winning, critically acclaimed, and admired by other authors. He served on the Board of Directors for the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo. An avid outdoorsman, Box has hunted, fished, hiked, ridden, and skied throughout Wyoming and the Mountain West. The novels have been translated into 27 languages.īox is a Wyoming native and has worked as a ranch hand, surveyor, fishing guide, a small town newspaper reporter and editor, and he co-owns an international tourism marketing firm with his wife Laurie. He was recently awarded the 2016 Western Heritage Award for Literature by the National Cowboy Museum as well as the Spur Award for Best Contemporary Novel by the Western Writers of America in 2017. He won the Edgar Alan Poe Award for Best Novel (Blue Heaven, 2009) as well as the Anthony Award, Prix Calibre 38 (France), the Macavity Award, the Gumshoe Award, two Barry Awards, and the 2010 Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association Award for fiction. Box is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 24 novels including the Joe Pickett series. But can she do it alone, without losing her own humanity or her own life?Ĭ. With no allies, no support, and only her own wits to rely on, Cassie must take down a killer who is as ruthless as he is cunning. And in the same way that two streams converge into a river, Kyle's disappearance may have a more sinister meaning than anyone realizes. Kyle's grandmother begs Cassie to find him and with nothing else to do, she agrees-all the while planning a new trap for The Lizard King. Disgraced, she loses her job and investigation into her role is put into motion.Īt the same time, Kyle Westergaard, a troubled kid whom Cassie has taken under her wing, has disappeared, telling everyone he is going on a long-planned adventure. But the plan goes horribly wrong, and the blame falls to Cassie. Standing by, ready to close the net are half a dozen undercover officers, including Cassie's fiance Ian. Working for the Bakken County, North Dakota sheriff's department, Cassie has set what she believes is the perfect trap and she has lured him and his truck to a depot. His prey are the 'lot lizard' prostitutes who frequent truck stops. For three years, Investigator Cassie Dewell has been on a hunt for a serial killer known as The Lizard King.

Paradise valley by cj box