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danubooks's review
4.0
A group of people unhappy with the direction the country is headed have plans to create change.
As March becomes April in Wyoming, a major snow storm is rolling in as Game Warden Joe Pickett heads out into the foothills of a large ranch to track a badly wounded elk. He finds the animal and puts it down as planned, but also discovers a dead body in a strange building nearby. With the storm almost upon him, Joe can’t haul the body out with him; instead, he documents the scene as best he can with his phone and heads out, but not before someone fires a couple of shots at him. When the local sheriff’s office heads out the following day only to report that there is no body there, Joe knows that this is going to get complicated. Before long, the governor is ordering him to keep quiet about what he saw, the ranch’s foreman won’t tell him for what the mysterious building is being used, and his friend Nate is approached by a fellow former Special Ops type who wants him to become part of a growing movement to restore the values of the West to the country. Add in a deceased Chinese professor, BitCoin mining and federal agents sniffing around, and Joe quickly finds that the repeated blizzards are the least of his problems.
Joe is a man who believes in the law and doing his job to the best of his ability, a bit of a Dudley Do-Right according to a friend. Here he finds himself surrounded by people who feel that they can do what they want regardless of what their job demands that they do. Others talk about bringing the country back to its basic values, but are not particularly concerned about doing so in a law-abiding way. Joe must deal with poachers, spies, and domestic extremists at the same time….and discover what if anything these different groups have in common.
This is a solid entry in an excellent series, and fans of the previous books will enjoy this as well. The action moves along quickly, the different threads weave together as the story reaches its climax, and Joe along with his friends and family is determined to get justice in the end. He may not wreck another truck in this outing, but he’ll wreak a little havoc nonetheless. If you haven’t read a previous PIckett novel, this one stands on its own (but I suspect you’ll want to read some others once you finish it).
As March becomes April in Wyoming, a major snow storm is rolling in as Game Warden Joe Pickett heads out into the foothills of a large ranch to track a badly wounded elk. He finds the animal and puts it down as planned, but also discovers a dead body in a strange building nearby. With the storm almost upon him, Joe can’t haul the body out with him; instead, he documents the scene as best he can with his phone and heads out, but not before someone fires a couple of shots at him. When the local sheriff’s office heads out the following day only to report that there is no body there, Joe knows that this is going to get complicated. Before long, the governor is ordering him to keep quiet about what he saw, the ranch’s foreman won’t tell him for what the mysterious building is being used, and his friend Nate is approached by a fellow former Special Ops type who wants him to become part of a growing movement to restore the values of the West to the country. Add in a deceased Chinese professor, BitCoin mining and federal agents sniffing around, and Joe quickly finds that the repeated blizzards are the least of his problems.
Joe is a man who believes in the law and doing his job to the best of his ability, a bit of a Dudley Do-Right according to a friend. Here he finds himself surrounded by people who feel that they can do what they want regardless of what their job demands that they do. Others talk about bringing the country back to its basic values, but are not particularly concerned about doing so in a law-abiding way. Joe must deal with poachers, spies, and domestic extremists at the same time….and discover what if anything these different groups have in common.
This is a solid entry in an excellent series, and fans of the previous books will enjoy this as well. The action moves along quickly, the different threads weave together as the story reaches its climax, and Joe along with his friends and family is determined to get justice in the end. He may not wreck another truck in this outing, but he’ll wreak a little havoc nonetheless. If you haven’t read a previous PIckett novel, this one stands on its own (but I suspect you’ll want to read some others once you finish it).
mamah11's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
stevem0214's review
4.0
Not my favorite, but not bad. I read reviews that said Box was getting too political, and there is a little of that here, but not over the top I don't think. Hoping the next one in the series will be more like the old Joe....but characters DO have to grow and changes must be made to keep a series alive.
nathalieisg's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I had a hard time following and staying focussed on the story line and when the peak of the action was over and all loose ends were quickly wrapped up, I was left feeling a bit disappointed in the abrupt ending where of course Joe and his buddies had conquered all, no thanks to any outsiders. Also, I just don't agree with the underlying political stance of the author so I'm sure that has an influence as I was rolling my eyes a lot.
littletaiko's review
3.0
So much going on in this book that it seemed a bit overwhelming. Some story lines just sort of drifted off, maybe it was setting things up for the next book? Still enjoy the setting and the characters, especially Sheridan, but this wasn’t the strongest in the series.
shandawarren's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
brookesbooks57's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lokroma's review
1.0
I vowed I was done with Box after I gave up on an audio version of Shadows Reel because, despite my love for game warden Joe Pickett, I was appalled by the anti Antifa and BLM sentiment. Nevertheless I succumbed and listened to this one. Lots of far right idiocy which the main characters mostly condemn, but there is far too much gun adulation and trashing of Eastern elites and the federal government. Box has a clear political agenda, which he kept out of his earlier novels, but regretfully is on display in the recent ones. I think I'm done.
liberrydude's review
2.0
This is a nicely paced story until we find that the bad guy is not the right wing morons instigating a revolution but the federal government for mounting a sting against them. What a crock. Adios C. J. Box.