Rating: Summary: Trophy Hunt a true trophy Review: After months of waiting, I anxiously dove into the latest Joe Pickett adventure -- Trophy Hunt. CJ Box did not disappoint this reader with his fourth story about this modern-day sleuth. Once again, Pickett takes on the bureaucracy, knows he is right and plunges ahead. With a number of well timed twists and turns, Box exposes Pickett for who he is -- an everyday guy trying to do his job against tough odds. Draped with the Wyoming Rockies as a background, Trophy Hunt weaves myth and fact together in great tale. Box has once again captured the essence of a great story and a character with whom everyone can identify. From shady dealers to mysteriously mutilated livestock, with a couple of murders thrown in, Trophy Hunt is another trophy on BoxÕs shelf! Long live Joe Pickett!
Rating: Summary: Time to run for sheriff Review: Another great story rewards the reader of this Wyoming mystery. But it's time to give Joe reason to stick his nose where it don't belong. Joe for sheriff.
Rating: Summary: Trophy Hunt a true trophy Review: Box creates the Big Horns in your living room. A truly great read. Impossible to put down and leaves you wanting the next book to be done. A wonderful author and "painter."
Rating: Summary: Not up to his previous writings Review: C.J. Box's latest `Trophy Hunt" is a disappointment in comparison to his first novels. The good news is that the character of Joe Pickett continues to grow but the bad news is that the plot and ending of the book are quite unbelievable. The first half of the book is relatively gripping with the discovery of mutilated animals and then suddenly, the discovery of the mutilated bodies of two local men.
The second part of the books veers into Stephen King territory and it is a rare author who can emulate King convincingly. I found that even with that understanding the ending was way off in "woo woo" land as Pickett describes it.
All in all, a disappointment from a writer who has delivered very engrossing books in the past. Hopefully, Box's next novel will live up to his original promise
Rating: Summary: BOXED IN Review: Having truly enjoyed this series up to this point, I must admit that I was somewhat disappointed in TROPHY HUNT. C.J. Box has created a truly remarkable hero in the likeable and decent Joe Pickett and his family. This time, however, I found myself getting bored in the early part of the book as it takes quite a while to tie in the animal mutilations and the two similar human murders. Marybeth has taken on a job and has become embroiled in it so much that it hurts her family life; not trying to be chauvinistic, but it gets a little repetitious having takehome food or frozen casseroles for dinner every night. But Marybeth is an interesting and complex character; also the children are used in the subplot, and Sheridan is a typical teen, while Lucy and Jessica merely become plot devices. Other than the Picketts, there aren't a whole lot of likeable characters in this book. As the plot develops, we begin to question Cam and Marie Logue, the Picketts' good friends; we continue to hate the sheriff Barnum and his deputies; Nate is likeable, but seems at times a little out there. And the mystical/alien aspect takes Box out of his usual realistic plots and dialogue.
I certainly won't stop reading Box, I've really enjoyed the journey so far; just hope he returns to a more accessible plot development, gets rid of Barnum and lets Joe become a real cop!
Rating: Summary: Trophy Silliness Review: I was extremely disappointed by the last Pickett novel and hoped this one would return to the quality of the first two. The book opens with an intriguing mystery-the inexplicable mutilation of wild animals-followed by two horrific murders. Joe Pickett has found his moral compass again. The portraits of Joe and his family are superb. The first half of the book is a page turner. Then, the resolution.... The villains were ridiculous, the solution of the murders was extraordinarily contrived. High hopes for this outing--not fullfilled. I'll pass on Pickett five.
Rating: Summary: clever cerebral crime caper contrasted to nature's beauty Review: In Saddlestring, Wyoming, game warden Joe Pickett and his two daughters are fishing when they see dead fish floating in the water. As they walk the river, he finds a man who is taking the fish for sport and throwing them back in the water. While Joe lectures him about the ethics of what he is doing he smells something rancid. The angler points him in the direction of a dead moose. When he goes to investigate, he finds that the moose was mutilated with surgical precision; his organs removed as if someone took them for a trophy.Not long after that a call comes in that some cows were killed, just like the moose with no signs of predator or clues to who or what did it. People in Saddlestring are very nervous and property values plummet even though there is an economic boom going on thanks to new technology that allows natural gas to be taken easier out of the ground. When two men are found in the same condition as the cattle and the moose, a task force is formed but Joe goes his own way to find out what is turning his town upside down. Award winning author C.J. Box has a natural gift for describing the beauty of nature contrasting it to the depravities of man. This is a very cleverly constructed mystery, with many different sub-plots tying back to the main storyline. A touch of mysticism and the supernatural enhance the battle between good and evil and it is judiciously applied so readers will have no trouble believing in it. TROPHY HUNT is must reading for cerebral mystery fans. Harriet Klausner
Rating: Summary: clever cerebral crime caper contrasted to nature's beauty Review: In Saddlestring, Wyoming, game warden Joe Pickett and his two daughters are fishing when they see dead fish floating in the water. As they walk the river, he finds a man who is taking the fish for sport and throwing them back in the water. While Joe lectures him about the ethics of what he is doing he smells something rancid. The angler points him in the direction of a dead moose. When he goes to investigate, he finds that the moose was mutilated with surgical precision; his organs removed as if someone took them for a trophy. Not long after that a call comes in that some cows were killed, just like the moose with no signs of predator or clues to who or what did it. People in Saddlestring are very nervous and property values plummet even though there is an economic boom going on thanks to new technology that allows natural gas to be taken easier out of the ground. When two men are found in the same condition as the cattle and the moose, a task force is formed but Joe goes his own way to find out what is turning his town upside down. Award winning author C.J. Box has a natural gift for describing the beauty of nature contrasting it to the depravities of man. This is a very cleverly constructed mystery, with many different sub-plots tying back to the main storyline. A touch of mysticism and the supernatural enhance the battle between good and evil and it is judiciously applied so readers will have no trouble believing in it. TROPHY HUNT is must reading for cerebral mystery fans. Harriet Klausner
Rating: Summary: Trophy Hunt Review: In the words of the books hero and I quote What a bunch of who-who crap. This was a huge disappointment after reading the first three books of the series.
Rating: Summary: I love these books! Review: Ok, I'm from Wyoming. But I would love them no matter where I hung my hat. They are wonderful stories, full of the mountains, and sage and low oxygen air. Joe Pickett is a great character; a very likable, human personality who seems to end up in the thick of things about once a year or so. Anyone who likes mysteries would enjoy these books. I highly recommend all four. The only problem with them is that you get to the end, you wonder what you're going to do 'til summer 2005 when the next one comes out. (Hey, no pressure to the author! :) )
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