Rating: 
Summary: Did I read the same book?
Review: I admit it, I was sucked in by the hype. There is nothing original in this book, other than the fact that the main protagonist is a game warden. The writing is average, at best, and the plot and characters are predictable. I am mystified by all of the good reviews. Don't waste your time.
Rating: 
Summary: Winner!!!
Review: C J Box's debut novel OPEN SEASON is a masterpiece from beginning to end. His authentic dialogue and realistic characters add the ring of truth to his plot. This page-turning novel will keep you engrossed well passed midnight. Mr. Box's talent shines from every page like the chrome on 50's classic car. Readers will easily sign on as fans eager for the next offering from this ace writer.
Beverly...author of Righteous Revenge
Rating: 
Summary: Promising debut for a new series
Review: I'm not as impressed as I was told I'd be with C. J. Box's first novel, but it was good enough to convince me to buy the second, *Savage Run*, in hardcover. Box's game warden Joe Pickett is a bit too much of a stumblebum to be endearing, and his Ozzie and Harriet family drifts dangerously close to a tiresome cliche.But he pulls it off here, adding a plot detail at the end that leavens the family and giving Pickett a moment of vengeful rage that is believeable and horrifying. One wishes someone had told Box that a mongoose is not a mustelid, but most readers will slip right past that bit of faux zoology. The scenery, and scene, are accurate and sometimes spectacular. The villains are a bit obvious, and the hero a bland Jimmy Stewart. But it's a good read, and *Savage Run* invites comparison to the top guns--Nevada Barr, Michael McGarrity, Kirk Mitchell, J. A. Jance. Buy it in paper, a couple of evenings' entertainment.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent 1st novel
Review: Open Season is the most original debut novel I have ever read. C. J. Box displays writing skill that many seasoned bestselling authors have yet to show. This book deserves all the awards and recognition it recieves. If you think crime fiction has to be set in an urban area this book will change your opinion. I highly recommend this Edgar winning novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Engaging
Review: A very nice story about an honest and caring Wyoming Game
Warden, who is thrust into some nasty local politics, that
eventually extends to the state level, and who is realistic
enough to question whether he is in the right job. He wonders whether a game warden who cares about both wildlife,
and the people in his community, can tread the fine line between
enforcing the law, even some unpopular ones, and having friends
among the local residents. The author paints a nice portrait of life in parts of Wyoming
in today's complex legal and environmental tangle that affects
so many of us. The actual mystery is also engaging, and the hero is very human
in working out its solution. Perhaps most interesting of all, however, is the author's
resolution of the age-old question about how a law officer
treats a criminal who has hurt him and his family. This is
not a "politically correct" solution, but, instead, a more
human, realistic, and, eventually, more satisifying, answer.
This book is a good, entertaining one, but the ending will
make you wish you had read a bit faster. The last few pages
of this author's work will make most readers really sit up
and wonder about the ending. That ending raises some good
questions that will engage the reader, and this book won't be
forgotten very soon. An extremely good first novel, and we hope the writer has
some more ideas to write about that will continue our attention
to his special outlook.
Rating:
Summary: Pickett's Charge
Review: CJ Box has written a winner with OPEN SEASON. Set in Wyoming, the story circles around a good man, Joe Pickett, who stubbornly refuses to yield when his sense of morality is at stake. This story involves business greed and smalltown corruption. Joe Pickett is a caring man with a loving wife who is pregnant. He becomes entangled in homicide, and he insists on doing what he views as right. OPEN SEASON is a terrific debut novel. It lives up to its advanced billing.
Rating:
Summary: Spotlight on Wyoming
Review: Dare I say "different" when speaking of a mystery/thriller? Just when I think I have seen every possible setting, hero/anti-hero, cozy, hard-boiled, police procedural out there; along comes "Open Season" with something new and fresh. Joe Pickett is as nice as they come, but prone to embarrassing errors. His family plays a starring role, not only with him but also as an integral part of the story. His wife and two daughters don't play cute characters or trite supporting roles; there would be no story without them. Edgar-nominated, Mr. Box's debut novel is set in a Wyoming that could only be written by a native. Someone said a writer should write what he knows about; Mr. Box has followed the advice. He makes Wyoming so real, you can smell the air and feel the forest. He is also honest enough to admit all parts of Wyoming are not nature's paradise, but strikingly ugly. He understands and depicts the particular politics that are unique to small or under-populated states. When almost everyone is on a first name basis with the governor, everyone is in on some kind of a deal or another. Joe is particularly shocked and offended when a body is found on his backyard woodpile. When three other bodies are found at the victim's outfitters camp, the case is closed quickly and neatly as a falling out among the four of them. Joe is not satisfied, no one is quite who they seem to be, and corruption at every level is gradually exposed. The closer Joe comes to a solution, the more his family is endangered until tension is at the snapping point. "Open Season" has an agenda: the Endangered Species Act and is it a well thought out piece of legislation. Mr. Box thinks not, and whatever the reader believes, the book will give them something to consider. The characterizations are excellent; I was surprised at how much I cared. "Open Season" has my vote for the best mystery of the year.
Rating:
Summary: Pow-Whop. It's A Hit!
Review: From the opening sentence this book captured me and refused to let go. C.J. Box has produced an exciting debut book and introduces us to Joe Pickett and his family. Joe Pickett is an incorruptible game warden in the wilds of Wyoming who is drawn into a dangerous situation after a man who has been shot stumbles into his backyard before dying from his wounds. The strange thing about the man is that he was carrying a cooler that had obviously contained animals of some kind, but they had escaped when the man had collapsed. Joe begins to investigate, trying to answer a few questions, such as: who shot him; what was in the cooler; why did the man choose his backyard. As he begins to investigate it becomes obvious that someone is working against him, trying to stop him from digging further. Another strong character is Sheridan, Joe's eight-year-old daughter. Quite often, authors have difficulty writing down to this age, giving them too much maturity making them an unbelievable character. This isn't the case here. Sheridan has an important role to play, yet she is given fears and beliefs that are common to her age group. This combined with believable reactions to stressful situations gives her role immense credibility. This story contains a bit of everything, a good intriguing puzzle, a beautiful and well-described setting, a strong, yet endearingly flawed lead character and an ecological dilemma. There's just enough of each factor to tie up into a very enjoyable book.
Rating:
Summary: Fast-Paced and Suspenseful
Review: Open Season literally starts with a bang and never lets up. Mr. Box has created a main character, Joe, who is more interesting because of his flaws. The book's depiction of Wyoming is so vivid you'll feel you are there. Just don't make the mistake of reading anywhere near the end of the book before bedtime, or you will go to bed too late the way I did.
Rating:
Summary: Refreshing Start
Review: A hero, who is all too human, sometimes inept and sometimes heroic, is a pleasant addition to the genre. The author knows Wyoming and is able to impart the texture of the country to the reader. Bring on the sequels.
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