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unclebuddy's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Another great Joe Pickett book. C. J. Box has done a great job with this series so far. There are some storylines that have carried over. It is also fun to see each character grow. C. J. Box always finds a way to throw a twist in each book that I didn't see coming.
On to the next one.
On to the next one.
hollie313's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
jen_schnakenberg's review against another edition
3.0
2.5. When you set a murder-thriller in a small town, and it becomes a series, that town is disproportionately full of all kinds of criminal pathology such that is strains belief. This novel was more cleanly plotted than the last two Joe Pickett books, so there’s that.
plantbirdwoman's review against another edition
4.0
And now for something completely different - a western mystery.
It has been three years since I last read one of C.J. Box's Joe Pickett mysteries, so it was time for me to check in once again on the Saddlestring, Wyoming game warden and his family. This is the sixth book in the series and here's a caveat for potential readers: Don't read this book until you've read the previous five; you will be lost.
Joe is still the game warden in Twelve Sleep County but that's one of the few constants in this story. The old sheriff of the county, Joe's nemesis, is gone. There is a new sheriff in town and he has quickly become another Pickett nemesis, mainly because he seems incapable of caring about or upholding the law.
Joe's old supervisor, who had helped shield him from some of the bureaucratic minutiae and infighting that he hates, is gone. There's a new head of his department who has taken over the direct supervision of his Twelve Sleep game warden, with an eye to "getting the goods" on him so he can finally push him out.
His friend and ally, Nate Romanowski, is out of the picture - at least at the beginning of the book. Various law enforcement agencies are looking for him, especially the FBI. Joe doesn't know his whereabouts and hasn't heard from him, but before Nate absconded, Joe had promised to feed his hawks and he still honors that promise.
Joe's wife, Marybeth, has started a successful accounting business, which is a good thing because Joe's job doesn't pay much. Their two daughters are growing up and Marybeth is saving for their college education.
In Plain Sight finds Twelve Sleep County in turmoil because the matriarch of the most powerful family in the county, the Scarletts, has gone missing. Opal Scarlett had spent her life setting her sons against each other and now the two older of them are at war over who will control the vast family ranch holdings. The prevailing opinion regarding Opal's disappearance is that one or the other of her sons has killed her and disposed of the body, but the local sheriff doesn't seem to be too eager to investigate.
Meanwhile, a ghost from Pickett's past (which is why you need to read those earlier books) is stalking the family. A series of violent acts involving the killing of wild animals Joe is sworn to protect and leaving the carcasses on or near their house is distressing to the family. Joe searches his memory to try to think who would do such a thing, but he doesn't have a clue.
Box does a good job of describing the Wyoming landscape and the isolation of the inhabitants. His Joe Pickett is a multifaceted character. He first presents as a rather bumbling, ineffective upholder of the law, but there is more there than meets the eye and, as one of the other characters opines, it is dangerous to underestimate him.
The plot moved along at a good pace which kept me turning the pages. There's not a lot of nuance in the characters; they are either good or evil. On the whole, I found this to be an interesting reunion with the Picketts and the ending of the book left me wondering what's going to happen next, so I don't think it will be another three years before I pick up the next one.
It has been three years since I last read one of C.J. Box's Joe Pickett mysteries, so it was time for me to check in once again on the Saddlestring, Wyoming game warden and his family. This is the sixth book in the series and here's a caveat for potential readers: Don't read this book until you've read the previous five; you will be lost.
Joe is still the game warden in Twelve Sleep County but that's one of the few constants in this story. The old sheriff of the county, Joe's nemesis, is gone. There is a new sheriff in town and he has quickly become another Pickett nemesis, mainly because he seems incapable of caring about or upholding the law.
Joe's old supervisor, who had helped shield him from some of the bureaucratic minutiae and infighting that he hates, is gone. There's a new head of his department who has taken over the direct supervision of his Twelve Sleep game warden, with an eye to "getting the goods" on him so he can finally push him out.
His friend and ally, Nate Romanowski, is out of the picture - at least at the beginning of the book. Various law enforcement agencies are looking for him, especially the FBI. Joe doesn't know his whereabouts and hasn't heard from him, but before Nate absconded, Joe had promised to feed his hawks and he still honors that promise.
Joe's wife, Marybeth, has started a successful accounting business, which is a good thing because Joe's job doesn't pay much. Their two daughters are growing up and Marybeth is saving for their college education.
In Plain Sight finds Twelve Sleep County in turmoil because the matriarch of the most powerful family in the county, the Scarletts, has gone missing. Opal Scarlett had spent her life setting her sons against each other and now the two older of them are at war over who will control the vast family ranch holdings. The prevailing opinion regarding Opal's disappearance is that one or the other of her sons has killed her and disposed of the body, but the local sheriff doesn't seem to be too eager to investigate.
Meanwhile, a ghost from Pickett's past (which is why you need to read those earlier books) is stalking the family. A series of violent acts involving the killing of wild animals Joe is sworn to protect and leaving the carcasses on or near their house is distressing to the family. Joe searches his memory to try to think who would do such a thing, but he doesn't have a clue.
Box does a good job of describing the Wyoming landscape and the isolation of the inhabitants. His Joe Pickett is a multifaceted character. He first presents as a rather bumbling, ineffective upholder of the law, but there is more there than meets the eye and, as one of the other characters opines, it is dangerous to underestimate him.
The plot moved along at a good pace which kept me turning the pages. There's not a lot of nuance in the characters; they are either good or evil. On the whole, I found this to be an interesting reunion with the Picketts and the ending of the book left me wondering what's going to happen next, so I don't think it will be another three years before I pick up the next one.
meera01's review against another edition
3.0
I had last read the previous book in this series almost 7 years ago. And for whatever reason, when I had started this then, I couldn't get into it and I had stopped reading the series. I gave this another try and while I was more interested in it this time, I still thought it could have been better. I also didn't like the short sectionings within the chapters. It reminded me of [a:John Sandford|4610|John Sandford|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1202524015p2/4610.jpg]'s Davenport series, another series I have stopped reading. But it intrigued me enough to keep going and I will try the next one at some point too. This one had a bit of a cliffhanger so I am curious about what happens next for Joe Pickett.
sloane_of_arc's review against another edition
Far more suspense than mystery in this one.
burnman325's review against another edition
3.0
This one didn't do it for me. I like the series, but this one seemed forced. The ending felt like Mr. Box had moved on to the next book.
skinnypenguin's review against another edition
3.0
Joe Pickett is a game warden in a small town in Wyoming. He has a contentious relationship with the sheriff and his boss. He butts head with both on a regular basis. Thrown into this mix is a fight between two powerful brothers in town each trying to get the rest of the town on their side and making charges against each other with Joe caught in the middle. The one brother is accusing the other of game violations, Joe can't check on those without authorization from his boss and can't go onto the other brother's property without a warrant and all this is difficult to procure. The brothers along with their mother are from a family that originally settled the town and they are a piece of work. The mother believes everyone owes her and she tries to extract her due from anyone using the river that goes thru the property. When she vanishes there are lots of suspects but no one can prove if she is alive or not and who might have done her in.
There is a man recently released from prison who wants revenge on those he feels were responsible for his family being killed and he believes Joe Pickett is one of those. He comes to town and is hired by both brothers and uses them to help his own means of getting Joe. He is terrorizing Joe and his family by leaving dead animals on his porch and land. Joe is frustrated as the sheriff is no help and his boss yells at him for not being able to take care of it. In the meantime, Joe is worried about what is happening and how to protect his family.
Good paced story with good descriptions of local scenery, some good characters and some nasty ones. Quite a few that I really didn't like such as the whole Scarlett family. Shows stresses of living in a small town and also family values both good and bad.
There is a man recently released from prison who wants revenge on those he feels were responsible for his family being killed and he believes Joe Pickett is one of those. He comes to town and is hired by both brothers and uses them to help his own means of getting Joe. He is terrorizing Joe and his family by leaving dead animals on his porch and land. Joe is frustrated as the sheriff is no help and his boss yells at him for not being able to take care of it. In the meantime, Joe is worried about what is happening and how to protect his family.
Good paced story with good descriptions of local scenery, some good characters and some nasty ones. Quite a few that I really didn't like such as the whole Scarlett family. Shows stresses of living in a small town and also family values both good and bad.
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