Bad Country

By: C. B. McKenzie

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall

Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

Winner of the Tony Hillerman Prize, Bad Country is a debut mystery set in the Southwest starring a former rodeo cowboy turned private investigator, told in a transfixingly original style.

Rodeo Grace Garnet lives alone, save for his old dog, in a remote corner of Arizona known to locals as the Hole. He doesn't get many visitors, but a body found near his home has drawn police attention to his front door. The victim is not one of the many illegal immigrants who risk their lives to cross the border just south of the Hole, but is instead a member of one of the local Indian tribes.

Retired from the rodeo circuit and scraping by on piecework as a private investigator, Rodeo doesn't have much choice but to say yes when offered an unusual case. An elderly Indian woman has hired him to help find who murdered her grandson, but she seems strangely uninterested in the results. Her indifference seems heartless, but as Rodeo pursues his case, he learns that it's nothing compared to true hatred - and he's about to realize just how far hate can go.

C. B. McKenzie's Bad Country captures the rough-and-tumble corners of the Southwest in accomplished, confident prose, with a hard-nosed plot that will keep readers riveted.

©2014 CB McKenzie (P)2014 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Great read

Most enjoyable, the narrator exceptional. My husband and I each listened with great enjoyment. I recommend it for anyone, particularly those who like the Southwest.

Good book!

Karen
This was a really good book. The reader is awesome and the book compelling I hope there is a sequel, rodeo is an interesting guy.

Dialog Never Changes and Goes Nowhere

I'm on chapter 6 and nothing grabs me. Disappointing. I shifted up to 1.5Xs, but the plot still lagged. The narrator did a super job, but each dialog text is the same no matter who the characters are.

And it isn't a world that appealed to me. In fact, I disliked it. I stopped listening at Chapter 6.

Read it! A good mystery

How can _Bad County_ have only a few reviews and other, far less interesting mysteries have thousands? It's just not right. The characters are unique and intriguing, the language and narration authentic. It's a one of a kind well worth your time.

Couldnt get through it

I AM curious as to how it turned out. But not enough to stick with it I guess. I got to Chapter 6 and realized I was tired of the narrators voice and just tired of the unpleasant characters. I did like the dog. No I just felt sorry for him. I didn't find that our hero had much of a personality at all. I do wonder that if I had read it myself I would have put a more interesting intonation on the hero's dialog and given him a bit more zip.
I like Bramhall's narration of the Joona Linna novels. But, here he was a bit monotonous.

good mystery

What made the experience of listening to Bad Country the most enjoyable?

Good mystery especially if listener is interested in Arizona, history, etc. Well written and good narration.

Great story, unexpected twists

What made the experience of listening to Bad Country the most enjoyable?

The scenery of Tucson and the characters

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Not quite the edge but it certainly was never possible to predict the direction the story would take

What about Mark Bramhall’s performance did you like?

He does voices very well. The accent, the tone, the tempo, he is one of the best I have heard

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No laugh or cry, just cannot wait to read/hear the next

Any additional comments?

Good story, good character development, not too much love, sex, or death, just a great story that kept you listening

A bit hard to follow at times...

I did not understand the ending. Who killed ( I won't say the name) the dead man that was in the desert, at the end of the book? That whole ending was very nebulous.

Pretty good!

The narrator is so good, it really makes for a good listen. the story entertaining enough... wants to be a No Country for Old Men, but isn't. plenty good enough tho.

Slow and addictive

Would you consider the audio edition of Bad Country to be better than the print version?

Loved the narration it brought Rodeo alive

What other book might you compare Bad Country to and why?

Anything that makes we feel like I’m dusty from a long day on a horse.

Which character – as performed by Mark Bramhall – was your favorite?

Rodeo...of course I felt like I could read his mind

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I found myself listening even when I only had 10 minutes

Any additional comments?

Great story, characters that you would either like to know or feel like you have met in another time.