By: C.J. Box Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: St. Martin's Minotaur Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 352 Publication Date: January 08, 2008 Release Date: January 08, 2008
A twelve-year-old girl and her younger brother go on the run in the woods of North Idaho, pursued by four men they have just watched commit murder---four men who know exactly who William and Annie are, and who know exactly where their desperate mother is waiting for news of her children’s fate. Retired cops from Los Angeles, the killers easily persuade the inexperienced sheriff to let them lead the search for the missing children.
William and Annie’s unexpected savior comes in the form of an old-school rancher teetering on the brink of foreclosure. But as one man against four who will stop at nothing to silence their witnesses, Jess Rawlins needs allies, and he knows that one word to the wrong person could seal the fate of the children or their mother. In a town where most of the ranches like his have turned into acres of ranchettes populated by strangers, finding someone to trust won’t be easy.
With true-to-life, unforgettable characters and a ticking-clock plot that spans just over forty-eight hours, C.J. Box has created a thriller that delves into issues close to the heart: the ruthless power of greed over broken ideals, the healing power of community where unlikely heroes find themselves at the crossroads of duty and courage, and the truth about what constitutes a family. In a setting whose awesome beauty is threatened by those who want a piece of it, Blue Heaven delivers twists and turns until its last breathtaking page.
random grab from library shelf Wow! What a great summer read. A great surprise, for just a random pick-up.
Fantastic Novel This book would make a wonderful movie! Intense, well written, fantastic plot, original ending. -DannyR
From J. Kaye's Book Blog This was one of those books that started out with the biggest bang. I just knew this was going to be the best book of the year. I even had to remind myself to breath and then kapoowee. It did pick up in spots, but dry in others.
Another complaint is the believability, especially with the ending. Oh sure, it was a tear-jerker, heavy on the emotions. It still lacked in the believability department. I do think this is a good time to add, I'm a minority in my thinking. Most readers raved and raved about it.
Among the best suspense novels Children are in the wrong place at the wrong time. They observe a murder. Now they are on the run. A story of some police who have gone very bad, counterbalanced by some good guys. The story is set in modern day North Idaho where times are changing as the area becomes a retirement mecca. But the area sometimes attracts the wrong people.
There are a number of villains of various stripes, ranging from murderers to a town gossip. Justice is served out in different ways as bodies start to accumulate.
Blue Heaven The area around Kootenai Bay in Northern Idaho was changing. Ranches were giving way to mini estates, ten-acre ranchettes, strip malls, and fast food chains. Some welcomed the change while others saw it as an end of an era. They no longer knew their neighbors, and they didn't know who they could trust, and who they couldn't.
The biggest influx of new residents heralded from LA, Specifically the LAPD. Kootenai Bay had picked up a new nickname, Blue Heaven, for the number of retired police officers settling in the area.
Annie and William Taylor were too young to worry about the changes in the community around them. They were more concerned about the changes happening at home. Tom, the UPS man, had spent the night. Did that mean they were about to have a new Daddy?
Not.
Upset with their mother and irritated about yet another broken promise of an afternoon of fishing from Tom, Annie and William head out alone. If Tom knew how to fish, it couldn't be all that hard. They hitchhiked to the stream and followed its reedy shores in search of still waters. Hidden within the reeds, Annie and William witnessed an execution-style murder. They fled into the trees, but not before the retired police officers with the guns saw them.
The newly elected sheriff had little experience. When Sloan and several other retired police officers offered to head up the search for the missing children, the Sheriff readily agreed. He didn't know they wanted to find the children and silence them.
Jess Rawlins was a local rancher. The land he owned belonged to his family for generations, but it now sat on the verge of foreclosure. His wife was gone and his son lost. The ranch was all he had left and that too would be gone soon. He held on to it out of sheer stubbornness, but he knew it was over. When Jess stumbled across Annie and William hiding in his barn, he listened to their convoluted story with growing concern. Were the children mistaken? He had to learn the truth before turning them over to the sheriff.
When Jess uncovered the truth, he knew he would do what he could to set things right. He had to, as much for himself as for the children.
C.J. Box's Blue Heaven is a page turner. The suspense begins on the first page and continues right through to the end. The characters are well developed, varying from wholly in the light to souls as black as the ace of spades. There's heartbreak, tragedy and violence, but we also see a chance at redemption and a touch of hope.