Lesa's Book Critiques: Kevin’s Corner Annex – The Crossroads by C.J. Box
Showing posts with label game warden joe pickett series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label game warden joe pickett series. Show all posts
Friday, March 27, 2026
Friday, June 01, 2018
FFB Review: Shots Fired: Stories From Joe Pickett Country by C. J. Box
Having reviewed the latest in the series from CJ Box, The Disappeared: A Joe Picket Novel yesterday
here on the blog it seemed a good
time to run my review of a collection of his short stories that feature characters from the series. My review
of Shots Fired: Stories From Joe Pickett
Country first ran on this blog back in July 2014. It runs again today for
your reading pleasure. Make sure you head over to Patti’s blog to check out the full list of
reading suggestions this week. Stay hydrated and take care of yourselves. That sun
can kill.
When I was a kid growing up
in Northeast Dallas my parents always took us camping on the winter breaks as
well as during the summers. Not only did we do a bunch of parks and sites here
in Texas we spent weeks at a time up in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. My dad
was an avid hiker and he and I frequented many a trail. Little did I know then
that, as fate would have it, once I moved out at age twenty I would never make
it back to the mountains I had loved since a child. Author C. J. Box is one of
a handful of writers who really bring the beauty of the wilderness alive for
this reader. His latest book titled Shots Fired: Stories From Joe Pickett Country
does it again in spectacular fashion.
The short stories in this
anthology are ones that have appeared in various anthologies as well as three
brand new ones exclusive to this book. Four of the tales feature Game Warden Joe
Pickett and /or Nate Romanowski. One story is set overseas in Paris by way of
South Dakota and is a very dark tale. There is one based on a snippet of
history from before WW2 and the magnificent Hindenburg. The ten tales presented
are all good ones and readers get to them after a short introduction that
explains the background of each work.
The book opens with a Joe
Pickett story titled “One-Car Bridge.” Joe has to deliver some bad news to the
manager of the Crazy Z Bar Ranch one Saturday in September. The absentee ranch
owner, a very wealthy man by the name of Lamar Dietrich, is known for his harsh
ways and absolute refusal to accept anything less than total success by all of
his employees. He won't be happy that the Game and Fish Commission has formally
denied his plan to convert around two thousand of his sprawling ranch into an
exotic game hunting operation. Mad does not begin to cover what Joe and others
expect his reaction to be and the ranch manager and his family are in for it.
In the “Pirates Of
Yellowstone” Eddie and Vladdy have come a long way from their home in Prague to
work in the park. They were assured by Yellowstone Park representatives in
Prague that they had jobs to work for the official park concessionaire. Unfortunately,
now that they are here and very ready to work, their jobs do not exist. The
best the HR representative here can do is put them on a waiting list. They have
to make some money---one way or another.
From modern day, readers
journey back in time to September 1835 where the winter snows have come early
and heavy to the mountains known as the Wind River Range in “The End Of Jim and
Ezra.” Pushed hard by newcomers and a lack of beavers in their normal trapping
grounds, Jim had made the decision to go far higher into the mountains than
normal. Higher than any white trappers had ever gone before and it worked. It
had worked so well Jim hadn’t wanted to leave. Now the snows have come and they
can't get their beavers or themselves out. Hopefully the weather will break
before they do.
Nate Romanowski is the main
focus of “The Master Falconer” though Joe Pickett does make a brief appearance.
Visitors from overseas have landed in Saddlestring, Wyoming, and they plan on
conducting some business with Nate. Not that he has any interest in ever
dealing with them again even before they use what he cares most about against
him.
“Every Day Is A Good Day On The
River” is the title of the next story as well as statement of life for many
folks. In the tale, Randall “Call Me Duke” Connor has two clients in the flat-bottomed
Mckenszie boat drifting down the river. Jack and Tim are supposed to be on the North
Platte River for a day of relaxation and fishing. Jack is a bit nervous never
having done this before, but Tim seems very quiet and in a mood. Jack would be
quite a bit more nervous if he had any idea what is coming at them.
Based on a picture from 1936
and some very interesting history “The Pronghorns Of The Third Reich” comes next. A debt from
before WWII has come due and Clint means to collect it no matter what..
Joe Pickett is back in the next
tale titled “Dull Knife.” Checking the license status of a group of ice
fisherman on the surface of Dull Knife Reservoir in the Big Horn Mountains
should be a fairly routine event. Even with all the noise the ice is making at
twenty-two degrees below zero. Pickett's
license check once he gets across the noisy ice leads to far more interesting
things.
“Le Sauvage Noble (The Noble
Savage) comes next where those in Paris can't get enough of the idea of
American Indian's and Cowboys. So on the advice of his buddy Lyle, Jimmy Two
Bulls packs his recently purchased and allegedly authentic Indian garb and
leaves South Dakota behind for Disneyland Paris and the Wild West Show.
According to Lyle, if he plays the Indian role correctly good times will be had
with the way too sophisticated women of Paris.
“Blood Knot” comes next and
this very short story is all about family legacy and appreciation. Intense and
over quickly it can't really be described more without ruining the read.
The final story is “Shorts
Fired: A Requiem for Ander Esti.” Like the previous story, legacy and tradition
are key components of this tale. It is late September and Joe Pickett is sent
to investigate the shooting of a vehicle driven by Burton Hanks. He reported
being shot at and claims to know the identify the shooter. Burton expects
Pickett to dispense immediate justice by arresting Ander quickly and hauling
him to jail, but Pickett sticks to his usual method of trying to figure out all
the facts first.
This collection of short
stories is a good one and there is not a bad one in the bunch. Split fairly
evenly between the Pickett stories and others that feature interesting
characters and often difficult situations, Shots Fired: Stories from Joe Pickett Country
provides a lot of good reading. For those new to the Joe Pickett series of very
good books, this read explains why so many are fans including this reviewer.
Shots Fired: Stories From Joe
Pickett Country
C. J. Box
G. P. Putnam’s Sons (Penguin Group
USA)
August 5, 2014
ISBN# 978-0-399-15858-2
Hardback (also available in paperback,
audio, and eBook formats)
288 Pages
$26.95
This reviewer was selected
to receive an ARC of the book by LibraryThing in exchange for my objective
review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2014, 2018
Thursday, May 31, 2018
Review: The Disappeared: A Joe Pickett Novel by C. J. Box
Game Warden Joe Pickett has a new boss.
Above her is a new boss as well as Wyoming has a newly elected Governor. Governor
Colter Allen and Pickett recently got off on the wrong foot. Pickett isn’t
thrilled that he has been summoned to meet the Governor’s plane on landing in
Saddlestring. Governor Allen is all too typical
of many politicians these days in that he is all style and flash and of little substance and character. There are
questions regarding his actual net worth, business dealings, and other issues
that Pickett does not care about as those questions at this point are more
gossip than anything else. Governor Allen does share one aspect with the
previous Governor a man that Pickett did not like that much, but did respect. He
also expects Pickett to do the outside investigative work that Governor Rulon
had him do. Unfortunately from his perspective as the new Governor recently
learned, Pickett stays away from politics and political assignments and simply
won’t do them. A concept totally unclear to the new Governor who is minutes
away from landing in his state plane.
A January morning meant that Joe was
able to meet with the Governor as things are slow this time of year in the Game
Warden business. Once onboard with the Governor Pickett learns that he wants
him to get to Saratoga and conduct an investigation. The assigned game warden,
Steve Pollock, recently quit his job and has yet to be replaced. Pickett is to
go there and make it appear to all that he is a temporary Game Warden substituting
for Pollack while privately and quietly conducting an investigation regarding a
high profile missing person.
The missing person is a media celebrity
which is why Game Warden Joe Pickett knows next to nothing about the case. A
resident of the UK and a very powerful CEO, Kate Shelford-Longden, went missing
months ago. Back during the summer she had come to Wyoming to spend a week at
the most expensive ranch in Wyoming, the Silver Creek Ranch near Saratoga.
Between the time she left the ranch on her last day and the time she was
supposed to board her flight in Denver, she vanished as did her car. Despite
all the efforts by state and local law enforcement and other parties there has
not been any sign of her at all. A British Ambassador recently reached out
through the Governor’s wife to ask about the case and the Governor is
increasingly frustrated by state law enforcement and the lack of action.
In addition to destroying state
equipment in the course of his duties, and upsetting supervisors, Game Warden
Joe Pickett has a reputation of getting things done and closing cases. The Governor
wants answers and wants Picket to get them. He isn’t going to take no for an
answer as it is clear that this time he simply can’t refuse the assignment. Things are too precarious and stressful at
home as it is and losing his job right now would be a full scale disaster.
Pickett is going to have to do what the
Governor asks and the pressure is clearly on. Good thing that Pickett has an
ace up his sleeve as his 23 year old daughter Sheridan just happens to work at
the Silver Creek Ranch. With her help as well as Nate’s through a secondary
storyline, Pickett might just find out what happened. He also may learn far
more than he wants to about a host of subjects.
The Disappeared: A Joe Pickett Novel is a solidly good read. While not the
best in this long running series, the book does provide a solidly good story.
One that is a bit predictable at times for readers that are well familiar with
this series and these characters. Family has always been a mainstay of the series
and that is present here as expected and in very familiar ways to long term
readers. Author C. J. Box is not going
to break new ground with these characters and thus hits the frequent themes of being
a parent of girls moving into adulthood and all that entails as well as the
familiar interfering mother in law among others.
A series that is best if read in order,
this latest continues the theme of family- good or bad- that has been a long
running hallmark of the series.
For another take on the book with a few
more details, read Kristin’s review at the Bookblog
of the Bristol Library.
The Disappeared: A
Joe Pickett Novel
C. J. Box
Random House Large
Print
March 2018
ISBN# 978-0-5255-8937-2
Soft Cover Large
Sized Paperback (Hardback, audio, and eBook formats also available)
560 Pages (542 of
story)
$29.00
Material supplied by the good folks of
the Dallas Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2018
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Disappeared by C.J. Box
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Disappeared by C.J. Box: Reviewed by Kristin Joe Pickett is a Wyoming game warden, that is when he isn’t being fired, re-hired, or re-assigned by whichev...
Saturday, May 06, 2017
Review: Vicious Circle: A Joe Pickett Novel by C. J. Box
Vicious Circle: A Joe Pickett Novel begins with Dave Farkus. A man that Game
Warden Joe Pickett has dealt with many times before. This time it is because the
man has been missing from his hunting camp for over twelve hours and the
weather is about to go downhill in a big way thanks to a strong fall snowstorm.
Not only is he missing, but two days ago the same Dave Farkus left a rather
strange voice mail for Pickett.
At least part of the message
has increased the worry for the entire Pickett family. Farkus claimed to have
seen Dallas Cates in the local area. Specifically, in their hometown of Saddlestring,
Wyoming. If true, that means Dallas is back from the penitentiary and no doubt has
revenge on his mind. Threats have been made before, but if Dallas is back that
means he can probably follow through on his long stated goal of making the
entire family pay and then die. While they all can take precautions, there is
little they, or law enforcement, can do until Dallas Cates actually tries to do
something. The problem is that he may have gotten smarter while in prison as
well as gained some friends to help.
First, Pickett has to
find Farkus hopefully in time. In all likelihood, Farkus is dead and that means
Pickett has to figure out where Farkus has been, who he talked to, and fill in
the blanks. That is an investigation that will take time. If Dallas Cates is
pursuing revenge, time is not on the side of the Picketts.
The latest in the
series is another good one. There is very little character development and far
less scenic descriptions of the Wyoming wilderness. Instead, this is more of a
thriller style and where descriptions and explanations are minimized in favor
of constant action.
On that level Vicious
Circle: A Joe Pickett Novel works very well. All the usual players are
back in their customary roles coupled with a couple of new additions that
easily could be foils or friends as the situation dictates. But, in pushing the
thriller aspects of storytelling, the major role of the wilderness takes a back
seat in this read. That is a disappointment as the Wyoming wilderness has
always been a primary character in this series. While still present in the
read, the wilderness is regulated to a very backseat role throughout the book.
With those quibbles
in mind and a reminder to read the series in order, Vicious Circle: A Joe Pickett Novel
by C. J. Box is recommended.
Vicious Circle: A Joe Pickett Novel
C. J. Box
C. J. Box
Random House Large Print
March 2017
ISBN# 978-1-5247-5608-6
Large Print Paperback (also currently available
in eBook, Hardback, and audio)
480 Pages
$29.00
Material supplied by
the good folks of the Plano Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2017
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Review: "Off The Grid: A Joe Pickett Novel" by C. J. Box
Nate Romanowski has been found
despite his best efforts in staying off the grid. It is October in the Upper North
Platte River Valley when the quiet is broken by armed new arrivals at the ranch
owned by Dr.
Bucholz. The ranch is large and has provided sanctuary to Nate as
he recovers from recent events and hiding from law enforcement. Brian Tyrell
and Keith Volk lead a team of special operators that have arrived to make an
offer Nate can’t refuse. In exchange for clearing his criminal record they want
him to assist them in an operation.
 |
| Center Point Large Print Edition |
They call themselves “The Wolverines”
and are part of a shadowy government within the government. They claim to be in
all areas of the government and at all levels. Supposedly they all are united
to defend America from the ruling political elite that is only interested in
gaining power. All Nate knows for sure is that they are Feds of some type and
have him in a box. They want him to go to Wyoming’s legendary “Red
Desert” and meet a man known as Muhammad Ibraaheem who may have been radicalized before
coming back to Wyoming. Known as “Ibby” he may be part of recent thefts in the
area as well as increasing chatter out of the Middle East about a planned
terror attack in the mountain west. Like Nate, Ibby is a falconer, so Tyrell
and Volk figure Nate can use that as a cover to meet the man and check him out.
While they know a lot about Nate, Tyrell
and Volk know nothing about falconry or being a falconer. They don’t care
either. That is Nate’s problem. They insist Nate is going to meet Ibby and
check him out. He will cooperate, investigate, and give them detailed
information on the target and his activities. Otherwise, they will make sure he
winds up in a federal correctional facility to end his days and will take
action against anyone Nate cares about. Nate has no choices.
He isn’t the only one. Game Warden
Joe Pickett has plenty going on before having a mandatory meeting with soon to
be ex-governor Spencer Rulon. The governor, well known not to be a fan of the
federal government or any of their representatives, recently got a call from
Dr. Bucholz reporting the actions of federal agents on his land and how he and
his family were treated. In addition to telling Warden Joe Pickett about what
happened to his friend, Nate Romanowski, Rulon wants to know what in the heck
is going on with the four federal agents who had the nerve to act like they owned
to place and treated his constituents with contempt. Rulon wants Pickett to use
a recent bear attack as his cover story and go to the Red Desert and find out
what is going on.
Shifting in viewpoint between Nate, Joe
Pickett, and several other characters, Off The Grid: A Joe Pickett Novel by
C. J. Box eventually brings two primary storylines and a couple of secondary
ones together in a very enjoyable read. No new character developments are at
work here as the characters were fleshed out long ago. Instead, as expected in
this series, characters continue to evolve and change as they gradually get
older and are impacted by various events. Some of those events in recent books
are mentioned here though the primary focus is on the current events.
As always in a tale by C. J. Box,
the author’s love of the Wyoming landscape comes through loud and clear. Off
The Grid: A Joe Pickett Novel is another very good read in a long
series of very good reads.
Off The Grid: A Joe Pickett Novel
C. J. Box
Center Point Large Print
ISBN# 978-1628999211
April
2016
Large
Print Hardback (also available in eBook, audio, and regular print hardback
formats)
445
Pages
$36.95
Material
supplied by the good folks of the Plano Public Library System.
Kevin
R. Tipple ©2016
Wednesday, May 06, 2015
Review: "Endangered: A Joe Pickett Novel" by C. J. Box
Life can be fleeting in the
mountains of Wyoming and Game Warden Joe Pickett knows that all too well.
Humans also have an amazing ability to be incredibly cruel. The most recent
example is scattered on the ground around him on an otherwise beautiful mid-March
day. Everywhere he looks he sees feathers, blood, shells, and the bodies of at
least 21 dead sage grouse. Nearby a few wounded survivors who will not last
much longer move around. Known to many as “Prairie Chickens” these helpless
birds were wiped out sometime very recently as they went about their springtime
rituals.
While Joe Pickett is plenty angry
about this senseless slaughter he is about to get much angrier when his friend
and Sheriff of Twelve Sleep County, Mike Reed, calls him. One of his deputies
has found a young woman in a ditch by the side of an isolated road. The woman
has been severely beaten and is barely alive. She also might be Joe’s daughter,
April, who left home to travel the rodeo circuit with a local professional
rodeo cowboy by the name of Dallas Cates. Dallas was trouble and Joe knew it,
but he couldn’t prevent his 18 year old daughter from running off with the
dashing cowboy.
It soon becomes very clear that the badly
beaten woman in the ditch is April. She has endured serious blunt force trauma
and is barely alive. Even if she lives, which is in grave doubt, most likely
she has suffered irreversible brain damage. As April fights for life, Joe
Pickett works to figure out what happened to his daughter and deal with whomever
is responsible.
 |
| Paperback--October 2015 |
As one expect in the series, a
significant portion of the book deals with a secondary storyline involving the
ongoing situation with Nate Romanowski. Repercussions from events detailed in Stone
Cold continue here and provide a significant backdrop to the main
storyline.
Endangered: A Joe Pickett Novel is the fifteenth book in the Joe Pickett series by author
C. J. Box and a mighty good one. Family and the complex relationship between
humans and nature have always been a major element in these books and such is
the case here. The same is true in the short story collection Shots
Fired. At the same time those issues never get in the way of the complex
mystery or mysteries contained in each book. If you are new to the series start
at the beginning with Open Season and work your way
forward as family history is a major part of this great series.
Endangered: A Joe Pickett Novel
C. J. Box
G. P. Putnam’s Sons (Penguin Group)
March 2015
ISBN# 978-0-399-16077-6
Hardback (also available in e-book
and audio)
384 Pages
$26.95
Material was obtained for my use in
an objective review from the good folks of the Plano Library System and specifically
the Haggard Branch.
Kevin R. Tipple © 2015
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