Publication Day Review: The Crossroads: A Joe Pickett Novel by C.J. Box

 

Marybeth Pickett always knew that being the wife of a Wyoming Game Warden meant the worse could happen at any time. She knows from the start of The Crossroads: A Joe Pickett Novel that it has almost happened. At least her husband is still alive, if only by a thread. 

 

That November morning a Wyoming Game and Fisheries Department pickup was found smack in the middle of Antler Creek Road by a hunter. It was riddled with bullet holes. Her husband, Joe Pickett, was also hit and suffered severe trauma.

 

She soon makes her way to the isolated scene where the ambulance crew is prepping him for an emergency helicopter ride to Billings, Montana. Shot, including once in the head, he needs a trauma unit and far more medical care that the small community hospital in Saddlestring, Wyoming, can provide. First, he has to survive the half hour plus chopper flight to get to the trauma unit.

 

With a newly elected sheriff in town, and other local law enforcement challenges, their three daughters decide that they will figure out who ambushed their dad. Sitting in the hospital with their mom isn’t going to help. Sheridan, April, and Lucy are known in the community which means people will talk to them. They know how to investigate having grown up in a household where both parents have investigated a lot of cases over the years.  They know they can do this. To figure out who did it, they have to figure out why he was on the road and where he was headed. They are going to figure it out.

 

And Nate Romanowski might get involved as well.

 

The Crossroads: A Joe Pickett Novel is the latest book in the long running series. It is also a mighty good read. In addition to the reminder of how Marybeth and Joe met and details of their marriage, readers are given a long glimpse into the lives of their adult daughters. Ladies that have seen a thing, or three, as they grew up and have the scars and internal resources to deal with any problem.

 

The Crossroads: A Joe Pickett Novel is an intense and very good read. This one will keep you up late-night reading, if you are not carful. Strongly recommended.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4qBcI8G 

My digital ARC came by way of the publisher, G.P. Putnam's Sons, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a review. 

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

Publication Day Review: Robert B. Parker’s Big Shot: A Jesse Stone Novel by Christopher Farnsworth

 

Paradise Police Chief Jesse Stone is on the night shift as Robert B. Parker’s Big Shot: A Jesse Stone Novel begins and he likes it. He really likes it. It is something he does from time to time as they are an eleven member police department. There Is plenty of money in Paradise, Massachusetts, so the sight of the McLaren sports car on its own is not surprising. At the same time, summer is over and that means the summer people are gone. So, it is something to look at as it is just parked at the side of the road.

 

When Jesse looks closer he realizes the driver is passed out in the car. Woken up by Jesse, he comes out of the car belligerent and very intoxicated. Not only does he refuse to cooperate, he takes a swing at Jesse. Before long, he is in cuffs and on his way to the jail.

 

It isn’t until late in the morning of the next day that Molly informs him that he arrested and jailed a notorious celebrity. The man is Ramsey Devlin. The same Ramsey Devlin that beat the federal fraud case, moved out of NYC, and into a newly constructed mansion monstrosity in the area. The same house that many of the neighbors complained to the police about as the eyesore was being constructed even though the situation had nothing to do with the police.

 

Like his client, his attorney, Gordon Wilkes, is arrogant and aggressive. The attorney claims that the arrest is nothing more than police harassment at the behest of the federal government. Neither he nor his client see that Devlin was out of line. Instead, they plan to sue the department into oblivion.

 

Unfortunately, that first incident is not the last. All too soon, Jesse is accused of murder and gets another lesson regarding actual friends.

 

Robert B. Parker’s Big Shot: A Jesse Stone Novel by Christopher Farnsworth is a mighty good read. As author Reed Farrel Coleman did with the series years ago across several books, and as Mr. Farnsworth did in the last novel, Buried Secrets, he again captures the voice and spirit of the series as written by Robert B. Parker. The book comes alive for the reader. It only takes a handful of pages before that the tale is from somebody other than the original author. He has every aspect of those reads down and this new tale just flows for the reader.

 

Strongly Recommended.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/48ZTwtx

 

 

My digital ARC came by way of the publisher, G.P. Putnam's Sons, through NetGalley, and with no expectation of a positive review. 

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

Publication Day Review: Battle Mountain: A Joe Pickett Novel by C. J. Box

Battle Mountain: A Joe Pickett Novel by C. J. Box is the latest in this long running series. While Joe Pickett is certainly in it, this is more of a Nate Romanowski novel. For very good reason as Nate is still on the hunt and his quest for revenge though the trail has gone cold in more ways than one.

 

Nate is still looking for Axel Soledad. An evil man who has done many horrible things. Nate is going to get him, no matter what. Soledad killed Nate’s wife, Liv, and must die. He knows it won’t bring Liv back. But, every day Soledad breathes is another day that he has lived far too long.

 

The chase continues this early October as Nate is lowly getting closer and closer to a showdown with Soledad. In a surprising turn of events, Geronimo has found Nate high up in a mountain range as he contemplates what to do. Geronimo also wants Soledad dead for going after his wife and child. They survived. But, Geronimo thinks if he and Nate unite in the hunt, they have a better chance of ending the evil man finally before he spills more blood and hurts anyone else.

 

At the same time this is happening, Governo Rulon wants Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett’s help. His son in law, Mark Eisele, has gone missing as has the elk hunting guide, Joseph “Spike” Rankin. They were preparing for elk hunting season in the vicinity of Battle Mountain in Southern Wyoming. Spike was supposed to let the Governor know every day how his son in law was doing as the man is an outdoor novice with no experience at all. Not only is his daughter and wife starting to worry a little bit, Rulon does not want the local sheriff involved as he is one of those Sovereign Nation idiots, and does not want the media to get wind of anything. Rulon wants Pickett to go down there and find the two men and do it as quietly and discreetly as possible.

 

One can’t say no to the Governor. Not only is a force of nature, Pickett owes him several times over for past situations. Saying no was never an option.

 

The result is a fast paced read as various forces converge on Battle Mountain. While you now know the two primary storylines, much more is going on in the read that will culminate in a battle on the mountain. History tends to repeat itself.

 

As always, politics is present in this read, though in this case it works better for the story and is not so heavy handed as some of the recent reads in the series have been. More than anything, Battle Mountain: A Joe Pickett Novel by C. J. Box is an action adventure read with no character development as the primary characters were fleshed out long ago. The read also serves as a great escape from the world madness that infects our lives on a daily basis now.

 

Strongly recommended.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/40T79H3

 

My digital ARC came by way of the publisher, G.P. Putnam's Sons, through NetGalley with no expectation of a review.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

Publication Day Review: Robert B. Parker’s Buried Secrets: A Jesse Stone Novel by Christopher Farnsworth

 

Robert B. Parker’s Buried Secrets: A Jesse Stone Novel by Christopher Farnsworth is a breath of fresh air. This book in the long running Jesse Stone series reads like a Jesse Stone novel. One forgets that this is not done by Robert B. Parker and that is a very good thing.

 

The Paradise Police Department is very short handed. The normal situation has been made worse by the fact that three officers are out with Covid. Things are so bad that Molly Crane is working dispatch and Chief Jesse Stone has been doing patrols. After a long day, Jesse is looking forward to going home. Instead, after some back and forth with Molly, Jesse heads to an address for a welfare check.

 

On arrival, he finds a young man by the name of Matthew Peebles. He is a bit agitated and explains that the man inside the aging house is a friend of his parents. His mane is Phil Burton. Mr. Peebles says he and Phil Burton talk by phone on a semi regular basis and that he comes out from the city (New York City) now and then to visit and check on him as he is elderly. He says that he has not heard from him in awhile and is worried.

 

Jesse manages to eventually get inside the house through the back as a sliding glass door is partially open. It is very clear as he steps inside that Mr. Burton is a very serious hoarder. At least, he was. He clearly been dead on his couch for quite some time.

 

Jesse makes his way back out of the house with the intention of breaking the news to Mr. Peebles and alerting the coroner, having the house cleared out, and more. Once he gets to the front of the house, he realizes that Mr. Peebles is long gone.

 

Soon Luther “Suitcase” Simpson arrives and he and Jesse go back into the house. Everything in the massive piles of stuff in the house is very unstable. Simpson accidentally brushes a tower of carboard boxes and the tower collapses and falls spilling some of the boxes open. Other stuff slides around them making walking very difficult. When Simpson regains his footing, Jesse spots a polaroid picture on the floor.

 

It, and many more that can now be seen, showcase what appears to be dead people at various locations and conditions. Whatever Phil Burton was involved with, it was bad.

 

As that investigation gets underway, Jesse also welcomes the newest officer, Derek Tate, to the force. This was a hire forced on him by the Mayor, Gary Armistead, and Jesse isn’t totally comfortable with him. Due to the workload in recent days, Jesse has not been able to do a deep dive into him as much as he would with any new officer. On paper he looks good. But, there was an incident when he worked in Philadelphia.

 

Tate owned up to it, expressed some remorse, and claims to want a fresh start in Paradise, Massachusetts. Paradise certainly was a fresh start for Jesse many years ago and it could be for Tate as well. So, he brings him onboard and puts him out on patrol unsupervised as Tate has experience. It does not take a rocket scientist to know that things are not going to go well.

 

What follows is a fast moving read as Jesse deals with the Burton investigation, Tate and his version of police work, and other personal and professional issues. The author does a masterful job of pulling the reader along at a fast clip in the Jesse Stone world. It has been some time since an author could make the characters in the series come alive in the right voice and Mr. Farnsworth definitely pulls that off in Robert B. Parker’s Buried Secrets: A Jesse Stone Novel.

 

Strongly Recommended.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/42WtvtV

 

My reading copy came from the publisher, G.P. Putnam's Sons, by way of NetGalley with no expectation of a review.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025 

Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – JOHN SANDFORD’S TOXIC PREY

Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – JOHN SANDFORD’S TOXIC PREY

Review: Toxic Prey: A Lucas and Letty Davenport Novel by John Sandford

 

The fate of the world and most of its inhabitants is the subject of Toxic Prey: A Lucas and Letty Davenport Novel by John Sandford. Dr. Lionel Scott has a vision to save a planet besieged by global warming and human overpopulation. Kill a lot of people. Create a new pandemic far more lethal and wider ranging than Covid. Kill billions of people to stop the strain on the world and possibly reverse the coming collapse.

 

Letty Davenport is sent to England by her boss, Senator Christopher Colles. Officially, she works for the Department of Homeland Security, but the reality is that she is sort of a fixer type for Colles. She is sent to England to talk to three of Lionel Scott’s friends and find out what they know about Scott and if they know where he is.

 

There is a concern as the good doc previously worked at U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases and was currently working at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. Scott is an infectious disease specialist and has a lot of knowledge in his head. That knowledge could be dangerous if used by others.

 

Met by Alec Hawkins of MI5, Letty is shown Oxford, and A few other things. It soon becomes clear that Lionel Scott has a history of depression and a fascination with the possibilities of the Gaia hypothesis. 

 

Simplifying greatly, the theory is that the Earth is a living organism and all life on Earth live in a sort of harmony and are protected by the Earth. That balance has been destroyed by human overpopulation. If you remove billions of humans from the planet, the survivors would live in a world that would steadily improve as nature healed itself. Climate change would immediately stop and would probably reverse. Species and plants would rebound, improving the quality of life for the humans that remained. Those humans would have improved access to housing, resources, etc.

 

It becomes clear to Letty that Scott might be trying to make that event happen by way of a virus. He has the medical skills to engineer one. He probably has folks with him that believe in the same mission. She knows she needs help and starts raising the alarm.

 

Before long, Lucas Davenport, Letty, Hawkins, and many others are in New Mexico on Scott’s trail and trying to stop the end of the world before it starts.

 

A top-notch thriller that offers an all too real scenario, Toxic Prey is a mighty good read. Intense, often violent, it carries readers along at a rapid pace as Lucas, Letty, and others do everything they can to stop a group of people committed to wiping out the vast majority of the human population. Toxic Prey is not only a mighty good read, it is also a scary predicator of what could be done by one man with knowledge and resources easily bought online. 

Make sure you read Lesa's review here.   

Amazon Associate Purchase Link:    https://amzn.to/48HmDAz

My digital ARC came by way of the publisher, G.P. Putnam's Sons, through NetGalley with no expectation of a review.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024

Review: Three-Inch Teeth: A Joe Pickett Novel by C. J. Box

It is a beautiful Wyoming mid-October day as Three-Inch Teeth: A Joe Pickett Novel by C.J. Box by begins. It had been beautiful, until it was marred by tragedy. Clay Hutmacher JR., who had planned to ask Sheridan Pickett to marry him that night, was violently killed by a grizzly bear. It came after him in the river he was fishing in and attacked him without provocation. Not only was the attack savage, there are not supposed to be grizzly bears in this part of Wyoming. It will take 24 hours before his dad finds what is left of his body in the waters and bank of the Twelve Sleep River as it cuts through the Double Diamond Ranch.

 

In response to a devastated phone call from the dad, Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett comes to Clay Hutmacher out at the ranch and sees the same horrible scene. No father should ever have found his son the way he did. It is also clear to Joe that a grizzly is responsible. Even though there are not supposed to be any grizzlies in the Bighorn Mountains of North Central Wyoming.

 

Joe Pickett starts calling in folks and activating resources. That includes “The Predator Attack Team.” Even though Joe is an auxiliary member, he is onsite, so he will be fully involved. This is a designated team of game wardens that have specialized training to deal with large carnivore attacks. Their mission will be to hunt down the bear and kill it.

 

First it has to be found. That proves to me far harder than it would be in a normal situation.

 

What follows is a complicated and fast-moving tale as a succession of what seems to be random bear attacks occur locally as well as across the region. Is it really a grizzly bear? Or, is it something else and far worse? Could it be both?

 

That is up to readers to discover in Three-Inch Teeth: A Joe Pickett Novel by C. J. Box. Not only is the latest installment of the series a good one, politics are minimized in this read. Unlike the last novel, Storm Watch, the read here returns to the roots that made this series so good from the first book. The focus in Three-Inch Teeth: A Joe Pickett Novel is on apex predators and staying alive in a read that only partially ties everything up. It is a good one and well worth your time.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3HXGe3M 

My reading copy came from the publisher, G.P. Putnam's Sons (Penguin Putnam Group), through NetGalley with no expectation of a review.

 

Kevin R. Tipple © 2024

Review: Storm Watch: A Joe Pickett Novel by C. J. Box

While I reviewed this book late last month, it came out this past Tuesday, so I am running my review again. 

 

The worsening weather this day in late March for Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett means that he is on the clock. A major snowstorm is coming down from the Bighorn Mountains. He is on foot and on the hunt for an injured elk after a collision between the elk and a car earlier that morning. The elk had left the scene on three good legs according to a state trooper, so now Game Warden Pickett has to find that elk and end its suffering before the storm hits.

 

Snow is heavy on the ground as it is thanks to a winter of relentless and constant storms. More snow and high winds are going to make a bad situation way worse. Time is of the essence. He calls and gets permission from the foreman of the Double Diamond Ranch known to all as “The Double D” to cross their land in pursuit of the badly injured elk. With one eye on the darkening sky rolling down from the mountains, he sets out following the trail.

 

After being on the trail of the elk for a few minutes, he finds a vehicle hidden in the trees off of an old small two track road. He investigates and nobody is in the SUV. Thanks to the fact that it is unlocked, he also finds that the interior is fairly warm. Among other things inside is a topographical map with four locations marked by x’s in a black marker. The person or persons from the car are not lost. They meant to be here in this isolated spot though they may not have counted on the powerful storm closing in on the area by the minute.

 

As Pickett begins to look around the immediate area, he realizes he is hearing a mechanical scream coming from somewhere nearby, He gets up on a ridge and starts looking for the missing person or persons as well as the source for the noise. As the snow begins to build in intensity, he can see tracks from the SUV to a nearby small metal building of some type. The longer he looks at the structure, he realizes that a dark form is hanging out of the steel louvers on one side of the building

 

The dark form is a person and not moving.  

 

What follows is a complicated read that touches on espionage, the growing Sovereign Citizen movement, domestic terrorism, and a host of other issues driving our nation’s politics at this time. The MAGA crowd comes in for their fair share of criticism as do other groups on the far right.  Various characters depict those positions and their behavior and statements may offend readers who believe in their cause.

 

While there is a mystery here as to what is going on, this is a politics heavy thriller more than anything. It shows the ongoing shift of the last few books from the solidly good mysteries that began the series to more of thrillers populated with cardboard cutouts as secondary characters.

 

It is my hope that Mr. Box returns to his roots that made this series so good in future installments in this series.

 

My reading copy came by way of the publisher through NetGalley.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2023

Review: Storm Watch: A Joe Pickett Novel by C. J. Box

 

The worsening weather this day in late March for Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett means that he is on the clock. A major snowstorm is coming down from the Bighorn Mountains. He is on foot and on the hunt for an injured elk after a collision between the elk and a car earlier that morning. The elk had left the scene on three good legs according to a state trooper, so now Game Warden Pickett has to find that elk and end its suffering before the storm hits.

 

Snow is heavy on the ground as it is thanks to a winter of relentless and constant storms. More snow and high winds are going to make a bad situation way worse. Time is of the essence. He calls and gets permission from the foreman of the Double Diamond Ranch known to all as “The Double D” to cross their land in pursuit of the badly injured elk. With one eye on the darkening sky rolling down from the mountains, he sets out following the trail.

 

After being on the trail of the elk for a few minutes, he finds a vehicle hidden in the trees off of an old small two track road. He investigates and nobody is in the SUV. Thanks to the fact that it is unlocked, he also finds that the interior is fairly warm. Among other things inside is a topographical map with four locations marked by x’s in a black marker. The person or persons from the car are not lost. They meant to be here in this isolated spot though they may not have counted on the powerful storm closing in on the area by the minute.

 

As Pickett begins to look around the immediate area, he realizes he is hearing a mechanical scream coming from somewhere nearby, He gets up on a ridge and starts looking for the missing person or persons as well as the source for the noise. As the snow begins to build in intensity, he can see tracks from the SUV to a nearby small metal building of some type. The longer he looks at the structure, he realizes that a dark form is hanging out of the steel louvers on one side of the building

 

The dark form is a person and not moving.  

 

What follows is a complicated read that touches on espionage, the growing Sovereign Citizen movement, domestic terrorism, and a host of other issues driving our nation’s politics at this time. The MAGA crowd comes in for their fair share of criticism as do other groups on the far right.  Various characters depict those positions and their behavior and statements may offend readers who believe in their cause.

 

While there is a mystery here as to what is going on, this is a politics heavy thriller more than anything. It shows the ongoing shift of the last few books from the solidly good mysteries that began the series to more of thrillers populated with cardboard cutouts as secondary characters.

 

It is my hope that Mr. Boxx returns to his roots that made this series so good in future installments in this series.

 

 

My reading copy came by way of the publisher through NetGalley. Publication day is 2/28/2023. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2023

Review: Shadows Reel: A Joe Picket Novel by C. J. Box

Shadows Reel: A Joe Picket Novel by C. J. Box begins the day before Thanksgiving. It has been a few weeks since recent events (Dark Sky: A Joe Pickett Novel) and Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett is still recovering though he is back to work. He is feeling the aches and pains as his body continues to heal as well as his age, but is glad to be out in the field and doing his job. back at work He is looking forward to Thanksgiving and all the company which will include Liv Romanowski and her baby daughter, Kestrel, as Nate Romanowski is away and on the trail of the violent outlaw falconer, Axel Soledad. That hunt and Nate’s POV becomes one of the three storylines in the read and is slowly revealed.  

But, at this point, that is all in the future as Pickett and his dog, Daisy, head to business at hand. The destination is the Crazy Z-Bar Ranch, where owner Lorne Trumley has reported a dead moose on his property. The hunting season for moose ended a couple weeks ago so this is a problem.

It soon becomes clear that a far bigger problem is going on than a dead moose when he arrives in the general area. Something smells like burned pork. Ravens are on top of the dark mound which is still smoldering in spots as evidenced by the smoke/steam coming upwards on this chilly morning. Pickett grabs his binoculars and looks at the mound and suddenly everything is much clearer.

It is a body.

A body means investigation by the recently elected Scott Tibbs. It also means that Sheriff Tibbs is not a fan of Joke Pickett and does not appreciate the fact that Joe Picket has created a mess that has to be dealt with at Thanksgiving. As if Joe Pickett scheduled and planned the events. Tibbs does not want Pickett anywhere around, but of course Pickett is going to keep his nose in the investigation as that is what he does.

He is not alone in that as his wife MaryBeth tends to do the same thing with matters that his close to home. These days she is now the director of the library and often comes to work before everyone else. Pulling into her space at the library before dawn that same morning that soon saw her husband looking at a smoldering dead body, she had witnessed somebody leaving a package at the door of the building. The drop-off by the shadowy figure was spooky as was the way the package appeared. It is only after she takes some pictures of it and then unwraps the package does she realize that it is some sort of detailed leatherbound photo album that dates back to the 1930s. It documents a year in the life of a Nazi government official by the name Julius Streicher. It is a legacy of nightmarish history.

It is also a book that some will kill for as Mary Beth, Joe Pickett, and family and friends soon learn. They want it back and don’t care what they have to do to get it.

Nate’s hunt for the violent outlaw falconer, MaryBeth’s album, and the discovery of the body by Joe Pickett, are the three plot lines that are the storytelling pillars of Shadows Reel: A Joe Pickett Novel by C. J. Box. As befitting a book in a well-established series, there is not really any character development here. Much of the read is from the perspective of Mary Beth as she researches the book and comes to grips with the horrors it represents as well as the current threat that exists. Because of that situation as well as the hunt by Nate, much of this book has Joe Pickett regulated to the sidelines. This reader prefers reads where he is front and center and not so much on the periphery of various things. Still, while not the best work in the series, this reader enjoyed the complicated tale.

 

 

My reading copy came from the Dallas Public Library System by way of the OverDrive eBook app.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2022

Lesa's Book Critiques: Fifty Things That Aren't My Fault by Cathy Guisewite

Lesa's Book Critiques: Fifty Things That Aren't My Fault by Cathy Guisewite