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Blood Trail
Blood Trail
Blood Trail
Audiobook9 hours

Blood Trail

Written by C.J. Box

Narrated by David Chandler

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

()

About this audiobook

It's elk season in the Rockies, but this year one hunter is stalking a different kind of prey. When the call comes in on the radio, Joe Pickett can hardly believe his ears: game wardens have found a hunter dead at a camp in the mountains - strung up, gutted, skinned, and beheaded, as if he were the elk he'd been pursuing. A spent cartridge and a poker chip lie next to his body. Ripples of horror spread through the community, and with a possibly psychotic killer on the loose, Governor Rulon is forced to end hunting season early for the first time in state history - outraging hunters and potentially crippling the state's income from the loss of hunting license revenue. But when the brutal murders eerily coincide with the arrival of radical anti-hunting activist Klamath Moore, Pickett knows the Governor's ruling is the least of his worries. Are the murders the work of a deranged activist or of a lone psychopath with a personal vendetta? As always, Joe Pickett is the governor's go-to man, and he's put on the case to track the murderous hunter, as more bodies - and poker chips - turn up.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 26, 2008
ISBN9781436132961
Blood Trail
Author

C.J. Box

C. J. Box is the author of over 30 novels including the Joe Pickett and Cassie Dewell series. He has won Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, Gumshoe and Barry Awards, as well as numerous other US and international awards for literature. Two television series based on his novels have been produced (Big Sky on ABC/Disney+ and Joe Pickett on Paramount+) and he is an Executive Producer for both series. He and his wife Laurie live on their ranch in Wyoming. Follow C.J. Box on @cjboxauthor and cjbox.net

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Reviews for Blood Trail

Rating: 4.49431819375 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

176 ratings28 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I loved the background research that Box did for realty.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was another book with interesting werewolf pack dynamics, with, of course, the Henry/Vicki/Mike dynamics mixed in. I enjoyed this book - this whole series is nice sexy fluff reading without being over-the-top and I like it a lot.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Vicki takes on a case of murder involving a pack of werewolves. One of the things I really enjoyed about this book is how Vicki's weaknesses - her failing eyesight - are shown and become part of the story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A fun, fast paced paranormal romance/crime novel. Vicky and Henry are back in this second installment. This time retired cop turned PI, Vicky is helping friends of Henry's find a murderer, oh yeah these friends are werewolves. Someone is trying to pick them off with a long range gun shot to the head. Vicky and Henry delve into the case while trying to figure out their relationship and deal with Vicky's impending blindness.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This second book in Huff’s famous Blood series definitely lives up to the high standard set by the first. Creepy, suspenseful, and well written, with fascinating characters, it's so engrossing that I could barely put it down. This book more firmly establishes Mike Celluci as one of the three main characters, and we also see the beginnings of an interesting love triangle between him, Vicki, and Henry. The romance, however, takes a backseat to mystery solving, which I love. I also love that these books don't have paper thin villains; we get a glimpse inside the mind of the culprit(s), revealing their motives for murder and, at the same time, bringing them down to a human level. I can't wait to read the next book, Blood Lines. This is, without a doubt, top notch urban fantasy.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Powerfully sad.
    A well told story of mystery, western justice, friendship.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Enjoy all of C.J.Box books or audio on his character of Joe Pickett. Tell Mr. Box to keep writing great stories and keep Joe safe along with his family and friend Nate.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Huff built an intricate mythological world out of modern day Toronto and, in its turn, Vancouver. Henry Fitzroy, vampire, is the historical son of Henry the eighth who died at 18. He is short, cute, and ginger-headed, not at all the vampire type. And Vicki, a Toronto ex-cop who was discharged on disability, has no time for him or the stranger beings that come attached to the tail of his sports jacket.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In Huff’s fantasy novel, Henry Fitzroy finds himself sought out by werewolves asking for help. For centuries they had coexisted with humans until death invades their London, Ontario home. Clearly someone has discovered their existence and is determined to destroy every last one of them. Turning to Henry, the vampire is forced to seek out Vicki Nelson, P.I., because he can’t survive sunlight. Teaming together, silver bullets flying, Henry and Vicki work to track the blood trail of destruction down before it’s too late.Huff has nailed the whole werewolf/vampire/human interaction storyline. Strong, likeable characters.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Blood Trail makes a very good second book, continuing in the vein of Blood Price without retelling too many of the details of the first book. In this book, Vicky learns about the existence of werewolves in London, Ontario, when her new friend Henry asks her to help discover who is killing them. Even though the wers blend in well with human society, someone has discovered their secret and wants to see the whole pack dead – and yet is killing them in fur-form, so the family can’t take their problem to the local police.This book, to me, is a better one than the first. It has a bit more mystery to the plot; even though there are still some things about the villain that we are told, the connections develop in a fashion I found more enjoyable. Also, I love Huff’s take on werewolves: they aren’t human, and never were. They are a completely different race, and no amount of biting will make a human into a wer. Their pack dynamics also seem to be more realistic than some variations.Again, my complaint with this book is its length. I’m not sure if it would be better longer, or if the only things that could be added would be obvious filler. Mike Cellucci could perhaps have more screen time, even though he already shows up a lot. Perhaps there should be more about Henry, and his reactions with the pack leader. I hesitate to ask for more flashback to his past, but it might have been a nice addition to see how he achieved the staus of ‘accepted dominant outsider’ within the pack.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I loved how C. J. Box had chapters from the point of view of the killer. The killer's voice was creepy. Another great book. C. J. Box really knows how to write a story that will grab you and have you guessing until the end. On to Below Zero.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    An interesting continuation of this series. I found the nature of the werewolves very unique which brought home their ’nonhuman and no wolf’-ness. The subtlety of how they live and think really brought me into the story and worried for the characters. I enjoyed this book much more than the former in many ways. The devolvement of the story was very interesting.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The second book concerning Vicki Nelson, private investigator, and Henry Fitzroy, vampire and illegitimate son of Henry VIII.The novel opens with Vicki accepting an invitation to Henry's place to talk about a possible new case. We have moved on a few months since the first book, with the flirting and dating between Vicki and Henry ramping up a notch. The new case involves a pack of werewolves leaving near London, Canada, who are being picked off one by one by a rather talented marksman.Again, the novel is a mixed bag. I love the relationship between Vicki and Mike, and the jealousy that both Mike and Henry feels about Vicki is real and rather touching. The brief sex scenes are well done and erotic. Huff does incredibly well showing the great outdoors from the point of view of a city girl - in fact, in all her novels Huff is very good at describing the surroundings so that they take on a character of their own (Toronto in the first novel, and here the farm and surrounding lands that the pack lives in).I liked the pack, and the fact that they were presented as very much other than human. These are not people who turn into wolves at the full moon and you cannot be changed into a werewolf, you are born so. Daniel/Shadow is absolutely adorable! The question of alpha males, and the tension between Stuart and Henry was excellently written. I found the twin bond a little more questionable, especially when it wandered down the path of possible incest. Sure, animals are different but this jarred me a little.My problem with the pack was the sheer amount of them. These 'Blood' books are fairly slim volumes compared to other urban fantasies, and Huff still manages to pack loads in - here, it meant that most of the pack became merely names, rather than characters. This wasn't helped by the fact that each werewolf has a human name and then a fur-form name as well, so we were literally bombarded with new names.I felt that the mystery was pretty clumsy here. The deliberate misdirection was ill-done, and Mark Williams felt as though he blundered into the wrong story - as though Huff had created her original villain, but then realised that it didn't fill enough pages so introduced the callous nephew. I also had a problem here with the flashbacks to Henry's past AND the excerpts from the point of view of the shooter AND the main plot itself all had the same voice and tone, so it took longer than it should to get into the different segments. It didn't flow naturally.My final point is that Vicki seemed almost sidelined (which I think is an additional problem from adding all those new characters in the pack). She didn't move on or grow as a character, which is a shame because I think her position is an interesting one. I also wondered at the fact that Vicki showed no moral dilemma about blood taking or vampires.I did, on the other hand, find Mike's stance on bringing the killers to trial rather than going for personal vengeance a powerful one. It also highlighted effectively that Vicki had not really shared these thoughts - is this because Vicki has left the police force? Or does Mike have a more black and white view on the world? Regardless, it certainly made me think about the book past the time when I closed the last page, which is a good thing!Definitely an average entry in the series, but still interesting enough to continue.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I enjoyed this book more than I did the first. I'm looking forward to hunting up the next in the series.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Enjoyable addition to the series. The relationships between Vicki, Henry and Mike are very up in the air. I am still not sure if Mike will really be able to come to terms with the "other" side of life.... I like the werewolves, though.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Wonderful book about Werewolves! If you love reading about werewolves who aren't the badguys, then read this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Vicki and Henry travel out to near London, ON to help out a family of werewolves, and Mike decides to come out and "help". Vicki has to admit that her eyes are an impediment to doing the work, as she's lost her night vision.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Another thrilling, intense Joe Pickett novel! I can’t wait to read the next one!!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I enjoyed the first book in Tanya Huff's Blood series, about vampires and demons, but wasn't sure about reading the rest of the series - throwing werewolves, mummies, and seemingly every other supernatural device at a Canadian PI would test anybody's ability to suspend their disbelief. However, Huff's writing is so tightly paced, and her three main characters, Vicki, Henry and Mike, are all equally but individually witty and endearing, so I just sat back and took the first sequel, Blood Trail, as it came. I wasn't disappointed. Henry Fitzroy, vampire and bastard son of Henry the Eighth, enlists Vicky's professional services to help some of his 'friends'. Reluctantly, given her recent experiences in his apartment, she agrees to meet them, but asks, 'These friends, they aren't vampires, are they?' To which Henry replies, 'No, they aren't vampires.' Instead, she is introduced to a large dog and a young girl who strangely resembles the animal - and then a naked young man and a large white dog, when the two change in front of Vicki's eyes. Peter and Rose - or Storm and Cloud - are werewolves, and recently two of their family have been picked off by a sniper's bullet. The wer - and Henry - would like Vicki to find out who is out to kill them - and then the pack will administer their own brand of justice on the murderer.Huff's books are sort of like old Columbo episodes, in that the killer is revealed during the story, and the reader must wait patiently until the detective finds enough evidence to reach the same conclusion. In this instance, Vicki is blindsided by subjective preference, refusing to acknowledge who the killer is until it's almost too late. She is also hindered throughout by her failing eyesight and lack of night vision, which means that Henry is once again drawn in as her working partner - and more.I love Henry the vampire, not least because his fictional life history ties in with the life and death of the real illegitimate son of King Henry, but he takes rather a backseat in this story. Instead, poor Mike Celucci, Vicki's ex-partner on the force and her on-off lover, arrives on the scene just in time to witness yet another surreal investigation. I really feel for him! Yes, he's an arrogant 'alpha male' who thinks like a cop most of the time, but he also obviously cares about Vicki, and is green with jealousy over her 'open' relationship with Henry.And on a tangent, when I read the first novel in this set, I had no idea that the books had already been made into a television series. What a disappointment! Not to sound like certain snooty readers, who complain when the slightest detail of their favourite books are lost in translation on screen, but the actors in the show are not at all how I imagine Vicki, Henry and Mike, particularly Henry. They all look like they've been popped out of a mould, and where is Henry's red gold hair? I think I'll just stick with the books, thanks.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Somewhere in the course of this novel it occurred to me why I became so attached to this series; it all has to do with an old television series--not the one adapted directly from Huff's, which I've never seen. Rather, this reminds me strongly of Forever Knight, a series about a centuries old Vampire, Nick Knight on the Toronto police force. In a way Huff one ups that old series--Henry Fitzroy isn't merely a knight. He's based on a real historical figure, the illegitimate son of Henry VIII of England who died in 1536. But there are even these little flashbacks into Henry's past sprinkled throughout just as on the old show.In these books though, the vampire is almost more a sidekick than a lead. The focus in these books is a human, Vicky Nelson. She's the one who was once a Toronto police officer and is now a private investigator. She's more Anita Blake than Sookie Stackhouse. Prickly, independent and strong-willed to a fault, she's dealing with retinitis pigmentosa which is slowly stealing away her sight. It's one thing I rather like about the character--that instead of having superpowers like her sisters in urban fantasy, she's all too human and dealing with a handicap.I like this second book a tad bit more than the first. The first introduced us to a present day vampire. One that is no monster, but doesn't sparkle or turn into a bat either and like traditional vampires has his own handicap--he can't come into the light. Otherwise he has plenty of literary counterparts from Buffy's Angel to Yarbro's St Germane to Nick Knight and Huff's take doesn't stand out. But this volume deals with werewolves, and there I do very much like Huff's take. The Heerkens family are hereditary werewolves living quietly on a sheep farm. And someone evidently knows their secret--because members of their family have been shot down when they're in wolf form--with silver bullets.The Heerkens are by no means human, but are an imaginative extrapolation of a wolf pack combined with aspects of the ancient legend. Each member of the family is a distinct character, and I agree with the reviewer who called six-year-old Daniel (Shadow) adorable. Here's a bit early on that gives you a flavor of Huff's take:The sound of claws on linoleum shifted Vicki's attention back into the house but it was only Shadow coming down the stairs and into the kitchen. He sat in front of the refrigerator, had a quick scratch, then changed so he could open the door."Ma, there's nothing to eat.""Don't stand with the fridge door open, Daniel."He sighed but obediently closed it and Vicki marveled at how universal some things could be..."If you're hungry why don't you go out to the barn and hunt rats?"... and how universal some things were not.So mystery, urban fantasy, the continuing triangle between Vicki, Henry and Vicki's old friend (and conscience) police detective Mike Celluci. It makes for a fun brew.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    PI Vicki Nelson investigates a pair of werewolf murders in rural Ontario.As far as werewolf books go, I'd consider this a particularly good one. Despite the tension generated by the constant threat against the wers, it was fun! I found the pack very likable. (And seriously, how cute was Shadow?) Huff presents them as inhuman creatures who navigate via a very different - but still believable and well-developed - moral compass, and it makes for great reading.When it comes to the mystery side of things... well, I'm not sure I'd label this a mystery so much as a paranormal thriller. Since Huff reveals the murderer fairly early on, (though further in than she did with Blood Price), most of the tension comes from the reader's concern for the wers in the face of this pressing danger and in light of what we see the murderer plotting. It's not a mystery in the traditional sense, where the reader guesses along with the detective, but it's still pretty satisfying to watch Vicki put the pieces together as she gains the relevant information.On a final note, I found that the pacing and flow had improved here, compared to the first book. This was much clearer and more readable.So: good stuff for those who like werewolves and other paranormal individuals. Recommended for fans of Kelley Armstrong and similar authors.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I think this second book is in someways stronger than the first - a solid mystery that is well paced, with good tension, much less cliched than the first. The character development was strong - particularly the were family who had distinct personalities, instead of being treated as a byproduct of the plot.Again, there is interesting tension and subplot between the triangle of Henry, Mike and Victoria. An entertaining read, I'd recommend.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    When Canadian P.I. Vicki Nelson is asked to take on a case about werewolves by Henry Fitzroy, her favorite romance novelist/Henry the VIIIth decendant/vampire, she is ready to refuse. Until she finds out that this case is about murder. Although the pack minded, reclusive werewolves undertake every measure to remain secret, someone has found out about their existence and is determined to end it with a blast of silver bullets.There are a number of things that I liked about this book. I always enjoy werewolf tales and in this one I particularly developed a fondness for Rose, Peter and Colin (three of the very large family of werewolves). I also liked the secondary relationships between Colin and his partner and Henry and Tony. The dynamic between Henry, Celluci and Vicki is also interesting. Unfortunately even with all these points I tend to have a hard time staying interested in detective stories/mysteries which, at its heart, is what this book is. Although there were a couple times when I thought I might set the book aside I don't like giving up on stories. I did find the ending climactic scene exciting enough to make the continued reading worthwhile. I would certainly recommend these books to those who love detective stories and don't mind a little of the paranormal mixed in.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Kind of a sad ending. Sorry to give it away.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This must be one of the very first books written in the modern vampire books that seem to be sweeping the fantasy genre right now. Its missing the sophistication that similar books written of late have. This one is the second book of the series and deals with werewolves. I love these werewolves. They are very much not human, but manages to be both very lovable while retaining a bit of wildness. My only complaint is they are written more as dog, rather than werewolf. Also, the alpha wolf, leader of the clan, isn't very well written and set up more as side note. I think the weakest part of the book is the reasoning for the murders. A religious nut and a guy selling werewolf pelts? Its a bit weak. I think that there are better novels of this sort out there, but not one quite like this.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I read this to see if I could get any pointers for technique of a mystery for middle reader/ YA level readers, especially since I loved this author's book Boy on a Black Horse. But the ending left me hanging, the story seemed very short and jumped gaps of time where nothing interesting must have been happening... not my favorite. More of a YA novel about dealing with grief than one about a murder, as it *spoiler* is never brought to a resolution.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I read this to see if I could get any pointers for technique of a mystery for middle reader/ YA level readers, especially since I loved this author's book Boy on a Black Horse. But the ending left me hanging, the story seemed very short and jumped gaps of time where nothing interesting must have been happening... not my favorite. More of a YA novel about dealing with grief than one about a murder, as it *spoiler* is never brought to a resolution.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book is about this boy named Jeremy. He washanging out with his best friend Aaron. Aaron was a big tuff guy. He was on the football team so it stroke Jeremy by surprise when Aaron told him he was scared of his brother Nathan. Jeremy was not worried about Aaron, he could handle anything. Before Jeremy went home Aaron told him to all in about ten miuntes. Jeremy ended up calling him twenty miuntes later because he forgot. when he called the first time, someone picked up with out saying any thing. The second time he got the anserwing mationen. The thred time Nathan picked up and said Aaron was not home and hung up. Jeremy statred to get worried. He was on his way to Aarons house when his mom stoped him. Then he heard siren went past his house. When he saw the ambulence in front of Aarons house he was very worried. He was hoping it was someone elso. Nope. He heard a cope tell Aarons father that Aaron had been stabed to death. Jeremy couldn't belive it. Who could have killed his best friend, then he remebered what Aaron said that day, when he said he was scard of his Brother. Nathan. I couldn't be turn he thought so he did not tell the detective who he was scard of. Everyone felt sad for Jeremy and Aarons family. Then finally Jeremy finally ended up telling the detection about how Aaron was scared of Nathan. Then sadly everyone hated him. Aarons family, the kids at school. Everyone thought he was lieing, and he was trying to hide something, when hw was not. He did not want to belive what Aaron said about Nathan, until he talked to his father. his father told him everything. That Nathan must have down it. All the evendenece was ponting at Nathan. Blood never goes away, and the blood trail showed that Nathan was chasing him. Also that when Nathen picked up the phone he must have went past the body that was in the kichen, and a lot more. With the fact that Aaron was stabed seventy five times in the neck. Soon the hatrid from his friends went away. His life was still dark, and sad and full of regret. But he had to put he past behind him, even though Aaron would stay in his heart forever and always. When I read the frist chapter of this book, I was detremend to take it back because I might have been to sad for me. I was, I couldn't stop thinking about how horible it must of been if the book were real, and the fact that it was Nathan that killed him. His own brother. It blow my mine when I heard the facts. I almost was sick when I heard about the stabing. One thing I forgot to mention was that Jeremy found out way Aaron couldn't defend himself. It was because Nathan was his brother, and he loved him and could not hurt him. That taut me a lesson, about how the love of your family can come at the werst times, but love is strong, and sometimes that is the problem in this case.Even though it rotid in my mind for days, weeks even, I think this book got to me in a good and bad way. I hope other readers will fell the same.