C.J. Box |
This is one of my favorite series of thrillers. It's quite violent, but this is nicely balanced by Joe Pickett's reputation as being a "Dudley-Do-Right." Joe is a family man who seeks to make good decisions. His wife Marybeth, and daughters are main characters in the books.
Joe's best friend is an off-beat ex-Special Forces loner named Nate Romanowski. Nate is a falconer who seems to have a special relationship with nature and his birds. Only one of the books really veers into the paranormal, but it hovers around the edges of Nate's personality.
C.J. Box states that he started the series because he wanted to write Wyoming-based stories that genuinely portrayed the attitudes of people in that state.
The series begins with Joe as a rookie warden. He and the characters age and evolve. His children grow up, and his ever-the-nemesis mother-in-law becomes more and more outrageous in her quest for power and money.
I recommend the audio books, read by David Chandler. He is one of the best readers I've come across, and once you get his voicing for the characters in your head, you'll forever hear them when you read the books.
Recurring Characters:
Joe Pickett- Wyoming Game Warden
Marybeth- his wife
Sheridan, April, Lucy- his daughters
Missy- his mother-in-law
Nate Romanowski- master falconer
many other characters appear in several books
#1 Open Season 2001
The first book in the series won more awards than any other first novel, starting with a New York Times notable book award.
Joe has just come to Saddlestring, a rookie warden with a wife and two daughters, and another baby is on the way. They live in small, old state-provided housing, and Marybeth's mother Missy, has little use for Joe, believing her daughter could have done much better.
The book begins with Joe trying to ticket Ote Keeley for poaching, and Ote grabbing Joe's gun from him, an embarrassment he will never live down. A few pages later, that same man turns up at Joe's house one night with a cooler full of animal scat from an unknown creature, and badly injured. Ote dies before Joe finds him sprawled on the woodpile.
When Joe, the warden from the next county, and a deputy from the sheriff's department go to check out Ote's outfitter camp high in the mountains. What they find only raises more questions.
#2 Savage Run 2002
#3 Winterkill 2003
#4 Trophy Hunt 2004
#5 Out of Range 2005
#6 In Plain Sight 2006
#7 Free Fire 2007
#8 Blood Trail 2008
#9 Below Zero 2009
#10 Nowhere to Run 2010
#11 Cold Wind 2011
#12 Force of Nature 2012
Joe Pickett's friend, Nate Romanowski, has a past in Special Forces, but he ran afoul of most authority figures long ago. He lives off the grid both literally and emotionally. His former commander is out to eliminate all those who know anything about a high-level crime. He figures he can draw Nate out of hiding by targeting his friend Joe Pickett and Pickett's family.
#13 Breaking Pointh 2013
#14 Stone Cold 2014
#15 Endangered 2015
#16 Off the Grid 2016
#17 Vicious Circle 2017
#18 The Disappeared 2018
#19 Wolf Pack 2019
#20 Long Range 2020
#21 Dark Sky 2021
#22 Shadows Reel 2022
#23 Storm Watch 2023
#24 Three-Inch Teethy 2024
#25 Battle Mountain 2025
An old outfitter is scouting for elk herds prior to the season when he will guide hunting parties. He's training an assistant. They are ambushed and captured by a team of commandoes in camoflauge.
The new assistant turns out to be Governor Roulon's son-in-law, and Joe is called in on special duty to find out what has happened to the men.
The side story involves the continuing search by Nate and Geronimo Jones to exact revenge on Axel Solidad.
The culmination of the story is on Battle Mountain, a totally fictitious location, but it is provided with a plausible history for the name.
There is only one little paranormal episode between Nate and a falcon.
#26 The Crossroads (Putnam, February 2026)
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