Back of Beyond - C J Box

I have been a fan of C J Box since I stumbled on his novels at the wonderful book store in downtown Cheyenne, WY.  I have enjoyed his primary character - the game warden but I was beginning to tire of the character - especially as the issues seemed to more and more center around his own family, a trend I am seeing in lots of writers recently.  So it was fun to have this crusty character who comes from a trashy family, is an alcoholic who definitely does not have it under control, steps outside of the rules, and generally is a screw up with the tenacity of a pit bull.

The mystery begins with a fire and what seems like accidental death, but the victim was Hoyt's sponsor in AA and thus we have the inevitable personal angle.  And it turns out it is a murder and the murderer will be on a horse trip in Yellowstone's back country which sets up lots of new situations - most beyond belief, but still entertaining.

And of course Hoyt's son is on the trip so the personal angle drives him to new heights of independence.  But the writing is really good, the story is a gripping one and the pace is outstanding.  In many ways this is my favorite Box story, but I still hope all the characters can get out of the personal relationship and back to just solving crimes.