(2007)Non-series book by Box about a community in Idaho that is a magnet for ex-cops from Los Angeles. 4 of those kill another one and it is witnessed by two children. The four try to find the witnesses who are taken in by a local rancher who tries to protect them. This turns deadly, but he manages to do so with collateral damage a cost. Good book by a favorite author.KIRKUS REVIEWAll hell breaks loose in Kootenai Bay, Idaho, after two children on a fishing trip witness an execution in this stand-alone from the chronicler of Game Warden Joe Pickett (Free Fire, 2007, etc.).?Blue Heaven? is what members of the LAPD call North Idaho when they retire here. The place has spectacular natural beauty and a tight community full of concerned neighbors who come running when Monica Taylor's son and daughter disappear. As ex-detective Eduardo Villatoro realizes, the place also has in circulation a suspicious number of $100 bills from a robbery at the Santa Anita Racetrack that left an armored car driver dead eight years ago. Even though he's retired, Villatoro can't let go of the case. But his arrival coincides with the massive hunt that's been staged for Annie and William Taylor, and he can't get anywhere with ineffectual Sheriff Ed Carey, who's farmed out the search to four retired L.A. cops. Even worse, these cops, the last people in the world who should be guarding the henhouse, have framed an innocent man for kidnapping the children and all but imprisoned Monica in her own home. The family's only hope is an aging rancher who can barely hold onto his spread and the banker who refuses to foreclose on him.Dropping the whodunit element that's always been the weakest part of Pickett's cases, Box alternates violence with surprising tenderness in a suspenseful tour de force.Pub Date: Jan. 10th, 2008ISBN: 978-0-312-36570-7Page count: 352ppPublisher: MinotaurReview Posted Online: June 24th, 2010Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15th, 2007

I can’t believe I left this sitting on my digital bookshelf for YEARS just because I didn't expect a C.J. Box mystery without Joe Pickett to be this good. ( )

Review: Blue Heaven by C.J. Box 4.5 03/26/2022

The story is about two young children witnessing five men murdering a man. The children were headed to the river to do some fishing when they came across the men. They back away and tried not to be spotted by these men. However, they were heard and the men started chasing then through the woods. They managed to get to the road and found a place to hide in someone’s barn.

The characters were well developed and the story was compelling. C.J. Box seems to capture a beautiful small town in North Idaho. However, 5 LAPD ex-detectives also found this town to retire and fill their idea of a quiet place to hide their side career of crime when they were in LA. There was plenty that kept them busy especially after the two children caught them killing someone. There were many twist and turns to the story that the reader will enjoy. The book was amazing. ( )

A decent story. I liked the fact that an older man became the hero. Reminded me of my grandfather, a similar type. Too many points of view to feel very close to any one character. ( )

4 ex-cops with a questionable past have retired to Idaho with the proceeds from a very profitable heist. But when they are threatened with discovery things start to fall apart. Jess Rawlings is up against the wall in debt and about to lose his family ranch. A good tense thriller. ( )