Open Season (A Joe Pickett Novel)

I’m a frequent visitor to Wyoming, but the coronavirus put the kibosh on this year’s trip, so I decided to enjoy the next best thing by reading some Wyoming literature. Wyoming native C. J. Box has written a series of at least twenty mystery novels set in his home state that showcase the crime solving skills of game warden Joe Pickett. The first installment and Box’s debut novel, Open Season, was published in 2001. This is the first Pickett mystery that I’ve read, but it certainly won’t be my last.Joe Pickett is game warden for the fictional Twelve Sleep County. He lives in the town of Saddlestring, which borrows its name from a real Wyoming town but isn’t really based on that town. Joe is a family man with a wife, two daughters, and another child on the way. The Picketts struggle to make ends meet on a game warden’s salary. Joe is relatively new to his position in Twelve Sleep, but he’s already suffered one embarrassing gaffe on the job. While writing up a citation for poaching, the poacher in question, named Ote Keeley, steals Joe’s weapon from out of his holster. Though the situation is resolved without violence, the story eventually gets out, and it’s a hard thing for a lawman to live down. Months later, the Pickett family hears a disturbance behind their house. When Joe goes out to investigate, he finds the body of Ote Keeley sprawled across his woodpile, shot to death. The local police investigate, but Joe finds their conclusions rather hasty and sketchy, so he decides to look into the case himself.This mystery story is padded with quite a bit of family drama, but that drama is compelling enough to keep the reader interested throughout. Box delivers well-drawn multi-faceted characters, and one really learns a lot about the life of a game warden. The mystery itself is quite intriguing but not an extremely perplexing whodunit. The breadcrumb trail of clues that Box provides makes it possible for the reader to stay a couple steps ahead of Joe at all times. Box is very good at building suspense, however, which makes this novel ideally suited to a film adaptation. In Open Season, he almost draws that suspense out a little too far, to the point where the reader is about ready to cry, “Get to it already,” but the exciting climactic scenes are a rewarding payoff for the anticipation. Box adds one ingenious element to the story that is handled so plausibly he’ll have you Googling to find out whether it’s real or fictional.One of the best things about Box’s writing is that he establishes his setting with a great deal of realism. The natural environment of Wyoming, Joe’s work as a game warden, and the state government bureaucracy are all depicted with a ring of authenticity. The fictional locations, however, counteract this realism; it would have been better had Box set his novels in a real Wyoming county. The story also sacrifices some dignity with a few unnecessarily juvenile sexual references. A certain amount of sleaze often adds necessary spice and atmosphere to a mystery story, but when the grown men in this novel talk about women, they sound like teenagers from the movie Porky’s. Our hero Joe Pickett, thankfully, is not among the offenders.Box’s writing in Open Season calls to mind the crime thrillers of Elmore Leonard, but the Wyoming setting and game warden perspective result in something refreshingly original. This proved to be a fun, thrilling, and even educational read, and I look forward to following more of Joe’s cases.

Great characters, fast plot. Fun read, especially if you like all things outdoors. Looking forward to more in the series.

My brother-in-law recommended this series to me. He read the entire Joe Pickett series during lockdowns. I had watched Big Sky on TV which was based on this author's other series, so I decided to try these. I read book 2 first and liked it a lot, then I went to book 1 which I liked even more. Yes, there is violence, but Joe Pickett is a very moral man and sometimes it's difficult to find a main character that you admire. These are good versus evil. I can't put these books down. I keep my Kindle by my nightstand and if I wake up during the night, I read. Book 1 was pretty thrilling. It is not for people who cannot tolerate violence. I have always liked thrillers rather than other types of books. What I like about these is that the characters are described - it is not just action. I also like the descriptions of Montana and Wyoming and the wildlife. There are ranchers and environmentalists in the first books, but there are good people and bad on both sides. I ordered Books 3 and 4 after I finished Book 2. I normally do not read series - I like stand alone books, but these are very good and each one has its own story. The person who recommended them says that as the years go by, the books keep up with technology changes, so the stories change a bit. I love that these take place in an environment different from other books I have read - the wilderness. I could never do Joe's job of traveling in this environment to check on things (hunters, fishermen), which makes it all the more appealing to me. I highly recommend. The conclusion of Book 1 is very exciting.

Open Season by C.J. Box shows how far a Wyoming Game Warden goes to protect his family.Can Joe bring back the peaceful aura around his home again?Joe PickettJoe Pickett is the new Game Warden for Twelve Sleep, Wyoming, and he has a family. Marybeth is his wife and is pregnant with their third child. Sheridan is their oldest child, the apple of Joe's eye. Then they have Lucy, who is their youngest. This small family has been through a lot before coming to this small peaceful town. Well, as peaceful as one can get when it's full of hunters and people who are used to their game warden being a certain way.Once a guy is found dead on his woodpile behind his home, it gets personal for Joe. His home is his sanctuary, especially with two young kids and a baby on the way. Even more, for his family's sake, Joe wants to bring back the peacefulness they feel at their home, like it's a place that will protect them from harm despite being far from town.The MysterySheridan saw the monster, aka a man, that was dying by her window and saw him stumble to the woodpile—not thinking anything about it, except as a nightmare, and telling her sister about it in the morning with her dad in the room. Joe finds the dead body on his wood pile and calls the sheriff's department. The sheriff investigates as well as he can and thinks he has solved it when they find two more dead bodies and an easy suspect to pin it on. Joe doesn't think it's that easy and decides to investigate it himself. I admit I watched the first season of Joe Pickett on Paramount+ before reading this book, but even I was still surprised at how Joe solved it. The book is definitely different from the show.Five StarsI am giving Open Season by C.J. Box five stars and only recommend it to people who are 18 or older. Mr. Box has written an excellent book that is definitely a crime thriller and should only be read by people that can stomach its contents.Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Open Season by C.J. Box.Until the next time,Karen the BaronessIf you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out Baroness Book Trove.

De mis favoritos

Well written , real page turner

Sorry this book was just not for me it just seemed to get nowhere slowly eating sandwiches etc I have read other homely books and enjoyed them but not this time.

Great read. Superb language. I have decided to read more of C J Box’s novels. Nature lovers will love his stories.

A great involving read.