Thank you to Minotaur Books and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read this ARC. Book publishes on August 13, 2019.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I was not disappointed. It is the 4th book in a series about a female private investigator, Cassie Dewell. (I will have to add the first 3 books to my TBR list).

Cassie is hired by an attorney to look into the arrest of a man named Blake Kleinsasser. Blake is accused of assaulting his niece on the family ranch. Cassie heads into the Bitterroot mountains where a fire is raging to get more information about the incident, while leaving her son, Ben, behind with Isabel Cassie's mother. While she is investigating she has to determine who she can trust and who she cannot trust. Also, a mysterious black Peterbilt 18-wheeler has taken to mysteriously appearing near her (apparently, this is a tie to an earlier Cassie Dewell book) and she needs to determine how this applies to this case, if at all.

Overall, the book is very well-written and quite engaging. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be reading the other books in this series. ( )

Best of the Cassie Dewell series so far. A bit violent, but kept my interest all the way through as she was dealing with a ?sick? family and a corrupt town. Kirkus: The creator of Wyoming Fish and Game Warden Joe Pickett (Wolf Pack, 2019, etc.) launches a new series starring a female private eye who messes with a powerful family and makes everyone involved rue the day.Cassie Dewell?s been taking a monthly retainer from Bozeman attorney Rachel Mitchell for investigations of one sort and another, but she really doesn?t want to look into the case of Rachel?s newest client. That?s partly because Blake Kleinsasser, the fourth-generation firstborn of a well-established ranching family who moved to New York and made his own bundle before returning back home, comes across as a repellent jerk and partly because all the evidence indicates that he raped Franny Porch?, his 15-year-old niece. And there?s plenty of evidence, from a rape kit showing his DNA to a lengthy, plausible statement from Franny. But Cassie owes Rachel, and Rachel tells her she doesn?t have to dig up exculpatory evidence, just follow the trail where it leads so that she can close off every other possibility. So Cassie agrees even though there?s an even more compelling reason not to: The Kleinsassers�Horst II and Margaret and their three other children, John Wayne, Rand, and Cheyenne, Franny?s thrice-divorced mother¥are not only toxic, but viperishly dangerous to Blake and now Cassie. Everyone in Lochsa County, from Sheriff Ben Wagy on down, is in their pockets, and everyone Cassie talks to, from the Kleinsassers to the local law, finds new ways to make her life miserable. But Cassie, an ex-cop single mother, isn?t one to back down, especially since she wonders why anyone would take all the trouble to stop an investigation of a case that was as rock-solid as this one?s supposed to be.An appealing new heroine, a fast-moving plot, and a memorably nightmarish family make this one of Box?s best.

(2019) Cassie has now gotten on with her life and is now a private detective. She is hired by Rachel Mitchell, a lawyer for Blake Kleinsasser who has been accused of raping his niece on a ranch in Montana. Cassie is not pleased with Blake, a low-life scoundrel, but takes the gig anyway. Leads her into a disfunctional family led by bad men. She finds out that Blake has been set up by the women in the family Margaret (the matriarch), Cheyenne (her daughter) and Franny (who was raped). They have gotten tired of the way all the women in their family have been treated and want to end it. It works as all of the men in the family either die or are in jail by the end of the book.KIRKUS REVIEWThe creator of Wyoming Fish and Game Warden Joe Pickett (Wolf Pack, 2019, etc.) launches a new series starring a female private eye who messes with a powerful family and makes everyone involved rue the day.Cassie Dewell's been taking a monthly retainer from Bozeman attorney Rachel Mitchell for investigations of one sort and another, but she really doesn't want to look into the case of Rachel's newest client. That's partly because Blake Kleinsasser, the fourth-generation firstborn of a well-established ranching family who moved to New York and made his own bundle before returning back home, comes across as a repellent jerk and partly because all the evidence indicates that he raped Franny Porch?, his 15-year-old niece. And there's plenty of evidence, from a rape kit showing his DNA to a lengthy, plausible statement from Franny. But Cassie owes Rachel, and Rachel tells her she doesn't have to dig up exculpatory evidence, just follow the trail where it leads so that she can close off every other possibility. So Cassie agrees even though there's an even more compelling reason not to: The Kleinsassers�Horst II and Margaret and their three other children, John Wayne, Rand, and Cheyenne, Franny's thrice-divorced mother¥are not only toxic, but viperishly dangerous to Blake and now Cassie. Everyone in Lochsa County, from Sheriff Ben Wagy on down, is in their pockets, and everyone Cassie talks to, from the Kleinsassers to the local law, finds new ways to make her life miserable. But Cassie, an ex-cop single mother, isn't one to back down, especially since she wonders why anyone would take all the trouble to stop an investigation of a case that was as rock-solid as this one's supposed to be.An appealing new heroine, a fast-moving plot, and a memorably nightmarish family make this one of Box's best.Pub Date: Aug. 13th, 2019ISBN: 978-1-250-05105-9Page count: 320ppPublisher: MinotaurReview Posted Online: May 27th, 2019Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15th, 2019

While I think Box is at his best with the Joe Pickett series, he creates a completely different and fascinating milieu for Dewell. This story starts a tad slow but picks up nicely, and turns into a fully engaging, highly suspenseful mystery. The strange, twisted family dynamics add both depth and interest. The book is good enough to get 5-stars except for one glaring problem: there is a “coincidence” so bizarrely, so outlandishly unlikely that it pretty much qualifies as a deus ex machina. When you get to the big reveal you’re left shaking your head in disbelief. ( )

We've been in the Bitterroot region of Montana several times. It is quite a lovely spot when there aren't forest fires and smoke. It was interesting that this book was set during a time of forest fires. I get the feeling it is almost a perpetual occurrence which is really a shame.

The protagonist is Cassie Dewell, now a private invetigator but formerly a sherriff's investigator. She is on retainer to an attorney, Rachel Mitchell, so when Mitchell asks her to investigate her latest client she is pretty much obligated to do it. She is not sympathetic to Blake Kleinsasser because he is charged with raping his 15-year-old niece, Franny. Blake can't really provide any details about the alleged crime because he was blotto due to consuming large amounts of alcohol. The evidence, which includes DNA of Blake's semen on Franny's underwear, seems pretty much ironclad. Nevertheless Rachel wants her to go Lochsa County to interview witnesses and the Sheriff. The Kleinsassers are a major force to be reckoned with in Lochsa. Blake had gotten away from the rest of the family and has been living in New York City for years. He returned home because the family ranch is suffering hard financial times and, as a financial analyst, he believes he can help. Also, as the eldest child he stands to inherit. Cassie goes up to the area, leaving her son with her mother to look after him. She takes a room in the only motel in town and, as luck has it, stays in the same room Blake had rented. Trying to track down all the witnesses as quickly as possible she runs afoul of most of the Kleinsassers but there are a few people who are helpful. But what's with the black semi-trailer that keeps showing up, looking just like the one the serial killer in her last police case drove? Good thing Cassie is not easy to intimidate.

I think I would read another book with Cassie as the protagonist but, overall, I found the level of violence disturbing. ( )