Rating: 
Summary: Crisp writing, grisly murders, beautiful setting =great read
Review: Starting with probably the most intriguing first paragraph of any novel I have ever read, I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of conspiracy to kill environmental advocates/ecoterrorists that is set in the beautiful Wyoming mountains. The hero of this tale is game warden Joe Pickett, an ordinary guy who takes his job very seriously. Pickett gets called to the scene of an explosion in a cow herd that kills 10 cows and an unknown number of people. In between his work to enforce fishing and hunting licenses or count Elk calves, Pickett gets involved in investigating the apparent murder of ecoterrorist Stewie Woods who we find out was a teenage lover of Pickett's "babe" wife Marybeth. As the story evolves we track the progress of assassins who are working their way down a hit list of environmental activitists, Congressmen, lawyers etc. As part of their agenda, the killers dispose of their victims in an ironic way--often having the animals or setting that are being protected resulting in the deaths of the victims. Particularly gruesome was a situation involving bacon and some wild animals....I enjoyed author C.J. Box's writing style including his droll humor and his ability to turn ordinary, everyday people into very interesting and likable characters. There was nothing particularly special about Joe Pickett: his work seemed routine, he had several bad and possibly fatal blunders and his straight-arrow personality and dogged pursuit of out of season hunters irritated some politicos in the state. But his devotion to his job and family and his integrity endears him to the reader. Box, a former ranch hand and fishing guide, is a Wyoming native and does a great job of describing the rugged Western scenery as well as the pioneer spirit of the people. I look forward to more in this series.
Rating:
Summary: Good One
Review: The author scores in the second entry in what is hoped to be a great series. The characters, the Wyoming wilderness and a good story are the rewards of this one. Keep em coming. You know Tom Horn?
Rating: 
Summary: Keep them Coming
Review: The second great book in this series. A great read. Joe simply does the "right thing" to the best of his ability. Great relationship between him and his wife and kids. Lots of action just simply a excellent book. Cann't wait for the next.
Rating:
Summary: Keep them Coming
Review: The second great book in this series. A great read. Joe simply does the "right thing" to the best of his ability. Great relationship between him and his wife and kids. Lots of action just simply a excellent book. Cann't wait for the next.
Rating:
Summary: Game Warden Detective
Review: This is an interesting series, and Open Season was an interesting first novel. One question I had then was how long the author would be able to sustain the series with some believability, given that the main character is a Game Warden in rural Wyoming. It's not every day that a Game Warden gets involved in a shootout with nasty bad guys who are out to kill someone, out in the wilderness. This time around, Joe Pickett, Game Warden, has been lying low, dealing with his job and the aftermath of his debut book, Open Season. In the opening sequence, a radical environmentalist and his ditzy new bride are blown up by a bomb attached to a cow (sounds strange, but actually it sort of makes sense in the story) and Joe is called to help with the investigation. When it's discovered that no wildlife was killed, he goes on his way, and nothing seems to come of the explosion. Radical environmentalists aren't that well liked in the wilderness: their politics often mean unemployment and poverty for the locals. Then things go kind of sideways, when a local rancher who's a retired personal injury lawyer appears to have poached an elk. Meanwhile, there's a legendary Stock Detective, a descendant of Tom Horn, in deed if not blood, roaming the country with an assistant killing radical environmentalists, like the one he blew up with the cow. As if things aren't complicated enough, the guy blown up by the cow might not be dead, and reporters are questioning Joe Pickett's wife, because she apparently dated the guy in High School. There are other assorted characters wandering in and out of the story. This is a good novel, though the ending is a bit anti-climactic. I enjoyed it, and would recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Savage Run -Thrill Ride great summer read
Review: This was a very entertaing and thought provoking book, that is very possible. The conlflicts that happen and the reasons and people behing them were quite possible. His 2nd book with Joe the game warden was as good as the first and a great one two combination I read them both back to back and with I had a third one. I love the state of Wyoming and the characters and the story remind me why,
Rating:
Summary: Great Follow-up to Strong Debut
Review: With Open Season, C.J. Box introduced a great new protagonist in Joe Pickett, a fairly ordinary game warden who has a knack for stumbling into extraordinary situations. This new Pickett novel shows that Box is more than just a great storyteller. With strong characterizations, excellent descriptions, and an even-handed approach to laying out the current range wars between old-time ranchers and overzealot environmentalists, Box weaves a great tale, starting with an exploding cow. Pickett once again relies on his stubborn determination to do the right thing, and it leads him into situations that are probably over his head. But he's smarter than even he thinks he is, and Savage Run provides plenty of opportunities for him to show us. The plot twists are unexpected, and the writing keeps you turning the pages. Great stuff. Russell Rowland, author, IN OPEN SPACES
Rating:
Summary: Great suspense and action but a bit violent
Review: Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett meets Sheriff Barnum and Deputy McLanahan to head up the mountain to determine what the explosion was that a fire lookout reported. Part of the way they have to ride their horses. They find a large crater. It appears that a cow exploded and killed a woman and a man. It turns out to be environmental activist Stewie Woods and his new bride. The cattle belonged to ranch owner Jim Finotta. When Joe goes to notify him of the death of approximately 10 of his cattle, he notices an elk head on Finotta's wall. Joe determines that Finotta killed it out of season and left the meat to rot. He tries everything he can to prosecute Finotta, but he is so well connected that Joe is stopped at every turn. Unbeknownst to Joe, his wife, Marybeth, knew Stewie many years ago. His death stirs up her memories and puts them in danger as well. Then more environmental activists die in bizarre accidents. Joe knows something is going on, but can't quite put his finger on it. More things begin happening, and the next thing he knows, he is being hunted. Will he ever get home in one piece to his family? I like Joe. He is a great guy. He always tries to do what is right. Quite often that ticks other people off and makes his job harder. This series is a step out of my normal genre. I usually only read cozy mysteries (little sex, violence and cussing). This goes over that line, but because I like Joe Pickett and Mr. Box's writing style, I read this series. I do want to mention that this book is a bit violent and graphic. I found I had to skip over some of those parts. I recommend this book. This is one series that you will want to read. The suspense keeps you guessing and the pace moves quickly.
Rating:
Summary: Great suspense and action but a bit violent
Review: Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett meets Sheriff Barnum and Deputy McLanahan to head up the mountain to determine what the explosion was that a fire lookout reported. Part of the way they have to ride their horses. They find a large crater. It appears that a cow exploded and killed a woman and a man. It turns out to be environmental activist Stewie Woods and his new bride. The cattle belonged to ranch owner Jim Finotta. When Joe goes to notify him of the death of approximately 10 of his cattle, he notices an elk head on Finotta's wall. Joe determines that Finotta killed it out of season and left the meat to rot. He tries everything he can to prosecute Finotta, but he is so well connected that Joe is stopped at every turn. Unbeknownst to Joe, his wife, Marybeth, knew Stewie many years ago. His death stirs up her memories and puts them in danger as well. Then more environmental activists die in bizarre accidents. Joe knows something is going on, but can't quite put his finger on it. More things begin happening, and the next thing he knows, he is being hunted. Will he ever get home in one piece to his family? I like Joe. He is a great guy. He always tries to do what is right. Quite often that ticks other people off and makes his job harder. This series is a step out of my normal genre. I usually only read cozy mysteries (little sex, violence and cussing). This goes over that line, but because I like Joe Pickett and Mr. Box's writing style, I read this series. I do want to mention that this book is a bit violent and graphic. I found I had to skip over some of those parts. I recommend this book. This is one series that you will want to read. The suspense keeps you guessing and the pace moves quickly.
Rating:
Summary: Author's Second Book Lives Up to the Promise of His First
Review: _Savage Run_ is one of those rare books, a follow-up that is just as good as--if not better than--the author's first. Box is an excellent writer and this is a very fast-moving and gripping story. There are echoes of Nevada Barr here, as well as other writers who've written about the West and Western themes, but I found myself reminded more of William Kent Krueger, a Minnesota-based author. Both Box and Krueger are masters at developing setting and both write about lead characters who are primarily family men, concerned with keeping their loved ones out of harm's way. The main similarity, though, was in the extended chase that makes up most of the second half of the book--it reminded me very much of Krueger's _Boundary Waters_, which also has an extended chase through the wilderness. One of the things I really like about Box's work so far is that the bad guys get what's coming to them--they meet their well-deserved just desserts. Here, it's in a very memorable and fitting way. Also, it should be noted that Box doesn't really take sides--his story concerns the clash between environmentalists and ranchers in the West and both sides come off looking pretty bad, though the ranchers might just be a shade worse (they have, after all, hired a crazy stock detective to eliminate key environmentalists). I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be impatiently looking for Mr. Box's next Joe Pickett novel.
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