"Christina Delaine delivers a thrilling performance of this high-stakes hunt for a killer...Notably, Delaine's sensitive portrayal of a young man with a speech impediment adds emotional depth, while her depiction of the elusive Lizard King generates chills." — AudioFile Magazine She almost caught him once. Now, he’s back. For three years, Investigator Cassie Dewell has been on a hunt for a serial killer known as the Lizard King whose hunting grounds are the highways and truck stops where runaways and prostitutes are most likely to vanish. Cassie almost caught him...once. Working for the Bakken County, North Dakota sheriff's department, Cassie has set what she believes is the perfect trap and she has lured him and his truck to a depot. But the plan goes horribly wrong, and the blame falls on Cassie. Disgraced, she loses her job and investigation into her role is put into motion. At the same time, Kyle Westergaard, a troubled kid whom Cassie has taken under her wing, has disappeared after telling people that he’s going off on a long-planned adventure. Kyle's grandmother begs Cassie to find him and, with nothing else to do, Cassie agrees—all the while hunting the truck driver. Now Cassie is a lone wolf. And in the same way that two streams converge into a river, Kyle's disappearance may have a more sinister meaning than anyone realizes. With no allies, no support, and only her own wits to rely on, Cassie must take down a killer who is as ruthless as he is cunning. But can she do it alone, without losing her own humanity or her own life? Paradise Valley continues the Highway Quartet series from bestselling author C. J. Box.
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“Christina Delaine delivers a thrilling performance of this high-stakes hunt for a killer…Employing regional accents and mostly avoiding caricature, Delaine firmly grounds the story in the Midwest. Male characters have deeper voices marked by a slower cadence, while female characters, especially older ones, elongate their vowels in signature Midwest style. Notably, Delaine’s sensitive portrayal of a young man with a speech impediment adds emotional depth, while her depiction of the elusive Lizard King generates chills. Though it’s the final audiobook in the Highway Quartet, listeners can easily enjoy this as a stand-alone.”
— AudioFile
“Box’s excellent conclusion to a quartet of loosely related novels…The intrepid, appealing Cassie relies on her keen investigative instincts to hone in on Pergram in this top-notch thriller, which makes vivid use of the American West.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Box’s many fans will devour this dark thriller.”
— Library JournalChristina Delaine delivers a thrilling performance
— AudioFileC. J. Box is the New York Times bestselling author of the Joe Pickett series, six stand-alone novels, the Cody Hoyt series, the Cassie Dewell series, and a story collection. He has won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, Gumshoe, and Barry Awards, as well as the French Prix Calibre .38, and the Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association Award for fiction. He has also been a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His novels have been translated into twenty-seven languages. A Wyoming native, he has worked on a ranch and as a small-town newspaper reporter and editor. He is an executive producer of ABC TV’s Big Sky, which is based on his Cody Hoyt/Cassie Dewell novels, as well as executive producer of the upcoming Joe Pickett television series for Paramount TV.
Christina Delaine is an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator and accomplished stage actress. Her theater credits include Jewtopia, the longest-running comedy in Off-Broadway history, and the title role in Antigone at both Portland Center Stage and Kentucky Repertory Theatre. She holds a BA degree from Dartmouth College and an MFA in acting from Brown University.