About 6 years ago (series book #3, Winterkill)  Joe and his wife, Marybeth had a foster child living with them for awhile and the family grew very attached. But Alice was murdered in a dispute regarding her natural mother. Now, (yes, like 6 years later) Sheridan, Joe’s eldest daughter,  gets a text message from someone who says she’s April.. Yeah? – But wasn’t she cremated 6 years ago? Joe has to “look into it.”

Below Zero
by C.J. Box 
2009
Read by David Chandler, 10h 22m
Rating: A / mystery-thriller 
(#9 in Joe Pickett Series) 

Meanwhile there is a father and son team each of whom is looking out for what they see as his own interests The son wants to get radical about fighting environmental problems while Dad is trying to make up to his deceased daughter before he dies himself. Dad has a LOT of money to leave to heirs. The two blow up an RV supreme after shooting the inhabitants.  

And Joe and Sheridan find Nate and go after whomever they can get to help save April.  The FBI and other enforcement agencies join them because the RV is only one of several incidents and deaths  This is just part of Box’s usual bad-ass suspense and violence scenes juxtaposed with loving family scenes interspersed. It’s kind of like a cozy with benefits.  And yes, there are a few laughs along the way. 

I had a hard time with this book because I kept getting interrupted and ny reading became very disorganized. I was listening only (to a library book) and I’d realize I didn’t know what was happening and replay a chapter and still not get clear. I finally settled down this morning and, starting from where I pretty much understood things, finished it off.  Yes, I really wanted to know if April survived and where she went – etc. so I couldn’t just put it aside. LOL

And I thoroughly enjoyed the last 90 minutes or so –  40 pages?  This book is probably quite good but to me, personally, this time, it was kind of wasted.  I’ll write it down though so I remember that I read it (in a manner of speaking).