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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Runnin' Wild, June 21, 2002
C. J. Box has more than lived up to his high promise of his debut novel "Open Season," This time out, the writing is more polished, graceful and the plotting is more tightly controlled. I also hereby award the author "The Best First Line Prize of 2002" I was hooked after this: "On the third day of their honeymoon, infamous environmental activist Stewie Woods and his new bride, Annabel Bellotti, were spiking trees in the forest when a cow exploded and blew them up. Until then, their marriage had been happy." Hard to resist, right? Joe Pickett is called in as game warden for a sighted "livestock slaughter." At the time, no one knew any humans were involved. This is not the story of golden haired environmentalists vs. evil developers. There is good, bad and sometimes just plain silly on both sides. But Joe gradually becomes aware that some seemingly unconnected deaths of major environmentalists have links with his cow explosion. The action is fast, the violence sudden and graphic and has a gratifying climax. I felt guilty about feeling satisfied, but I just couldn't help it. The characterizations are extremely sharp. Though Joe has a very low opinion of his abilities, you have to listen how other people judge and estimate him to get a balanced idea of his true worth. Someone compared him to a Jimmy Stewart character and I think the comparison is apt. His wife Marybeth (the consensus is she's a "babe") is anything but a dim presence. She is Joe's other self, and sometimes the wiser one. The author handles the Wyoming scenery and ambiance like a master. You feel as if he has stepped on every foot of ground. An excellent read, and I await my next meeting with Joe Pickett with pleasure.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great suspense and action but a bit violent, November 5, 2003
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.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Make the Run!, July 24, 2003
Following up on his successful debut novel Open Season, C. J. Box brings back Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett for another adventure in the Wyoming backcountry. As in his first book, this novel has flatness to the writing at times, but the last 100 pages are filled with nerve-racking enjoyment. As the novel opens, a massive explosion rips through the Bighorn Natural Forest just outside of Saddlestring, Wyoming. A fire lookout sees the blast and the resulting plume of smoke and falling debris. He calls the local Sheriff's office to report it and soon Sheriff O. R. "Bud" Barnum calls Joe. Sheriff Barnum does not have any idea what exploded but believes a number of animals were killed and requires the services of Joe. Joe meets the Sheriff out at the explosion site and for a brief period of time, they are both able to put their mutual animosity towards each other aside. Dead cattle are everywhere as well as downed trees and a blasted crater several feet deep. The sheer enormity of the blast amazes and sickens both men. But soon, human remains are found and the Sheriff asserts his authority over the investigation, as the deaths of people are his domain. He forces Joe to the sidelines of the investigation but word of the victims soon leaks out and appears in the local small town paper. Stewie Woods and his wife were apparently both killed in the explosion. Stewie Woods, who some considered an ardent environmentalist and others considered him to be an ecoterrorist is blamed for the blast. Sheriff Barnum's theory is that Stewie, long known for sabotaging ranchers, miners and everyone and everything around in defense of the environment as he saw it, was attempting to sabotage some of the cattle that were grazing on federal land. Theoretically, he mishandled explosives that he was attaching to the cattle in protest and accidentally killed himself and his new wife. Joe thinks the answer is just too pat and has a personal stake in the situation, which becomes a major portion of the book. He launches his own investigation and soon finds himself in the cross hairs of a sniper's rifle as a killer chases him across the high country of Wyoming. As in Open Season, C. J. Box is best at describing the rugged beauty of the Wyoming landscape. Those scenes come alive and for a moment it seems as if you are on a horse next to Joe as he surveys elk flowing across the spring grass under a stark blue sky with a gentle wind blowing. Unfortunately, when his characters speak, the illusion is cracked as many of the dialogue sections seem just a bit stilted. One kind of winces at times knowing that most folks do not really speak the way he writes in the scenes he describes. However, his last 100 pages of this novel make you forget the limitations that came before them. Something happens and everything begins to click and run together as the chase winds across the rugged mountains with Joe chased by a determined killer bent on finishing his job to the last man. What follows is some of the best writing I have had the pleasure to read in sometime and ranks up there with some of the best written chase scenes by the masters. What starts off rather slow becomes a nerve-racking finish and certainly well worth the read.
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