Blue Heaven

By: C. J. Box

Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd

Blue Heaven is the break-out novel from C. J. Box, the award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Joe Pickett series.

A twelve-year-old girl and her younger brother are on the run in the Idaho woods, pursued by four men they have just watched commit murder—four men who know exactly who William and Annie are. And where their mother lives.

Retired policemen from Los Angeles, the killers easily persuade the local sheriff to let them lead the search for the missing children. Now there's nowhere left for William and Annie to hide…and no one they can trust. Until they meet Jess Rawlins.

Rawlins, an old-school rancher, knows trouble when he sees it. He is only one against four men who will stop at nothing to silence their witnesses. But in this thrilling mystery novel from C.J. Box, these ex-cops don't know just how far Rawlins will go to protect William and Annie…and see that justice is done.

Blue Heaven is the winner of the 2009 Edgar Award for Best Novel.

©2007 C.J. Box (P)2008 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“John Bedford Lloyd's rich, distinctive voice brings a strong sense of power to his reading of Box's first stand-alone thriller…Lloyd's crisp, laconic delivery easily handles a multitude of characters, accents and shifting points of view, creating just the right tone for the material and drawing the listener deep into the action of the story. He portrays his villains (a band of dirty ex-cops) with just the right amount of ruthless menace without going overboard, and he perfectly captures the essence of the aging rancher, imbuing him with the quiet strength and dignity of an iconic western hero.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“Blue Heaven is a non-stop thrill ride--a provocative suspense novel that has you rooting for the characters every step of the way.” —Harlan Coben, author of The Woods

“Blue Heaven is a relentless thriller. C.J. Box sucked me in with good cops, bad cops, and missing money, then blind-sided me with unexpected twists and surprises in this novel of clashing cultures and dark secrets. Box delivers the goods!” —Robert Crais, author of The Watchman: A Joe Pike Novel

A trend emerges

This story grabs you early and does not let go until the last word. If you love the life outdoors and an individual pursuit of an honest living, C.J. Box delivers. Characters have situations you could imagine yourself in the same struggles.
The author continues to reveal his love of family and childred in his books.

Can't stop! Great story!

What did you love best about Blue Heaven?

This one kept me in suspense the whole way! I listen in my car and after arriving at my destination, I would have to sit and listen for a breaking point before I could get out of the car. Very well done!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Blue Heaven?

Loved it when Jess came to the rescue and beat up Swann. Would love to meet him in real life!

Which character – as performed by John Bedford Lloyd – was your favorite?

I loved Jess - liked Eduardo, but sort of didn't like the accent as performed.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Was in suspense for a great part of it, and kept trying to tell the characters to not do stuff that would get them in trouble with the bad guys.

Any additional comments?

Definitely looking for more by this author!

Great characters

Nicely complex story without being unrealistic. That's all I have to say about the book

Excellent book.

Although different from the Joe Pickett series, it is still set in a rural area. I was hooked from the beginning and thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Exciting and engaging

This story felt very real and I was very invested in the characters. The narrator and author are already favorites of mine from the Joe Picket stories but this is jewel of a stand alone novel that I highly recommend.