CJ Box puts out books at such a great rate that I have fallen behind! Well, here's a start to catching up. The main story here is that a judge's wife is shot with a long-range weapon and that judge is on the warpath to find the shooter, especially because it looks like the shooter was aiming at the judge himself and only happenstance led to his wife being shot instead. Joe Pickett is pulled off an investigation of a suspicious bear mauling and brought back to town to help with this investigation. The thing is, the new sheriff doesn't seem to want Joe's help.

Meanwhile, Nate Romanowski has been trying to play it straight with his raptor pest control business and his new family. He receives a warning that there may be someone hunting him because of the Mexican assassins that he and Joe took out in the last book (Wolf Pack). And Missy, the evil mother-in-law, is back in town!

Box manages to bring the whole thing together except maybe the bear attack. I figured it out a bit before the book reveal but hey, I like feeling smart, and I was in the dark for most of the book. I picked up this book because I broke an ankle and I needed something that I knew would entertain me and not depress me or make me lose the plot. This is a reliable author for me and one who is exploring the modern West in a way that I don't see many other authors doing. He knows how to entertain too!

I'm not sure what I like best about C.J. Box, but they are always an enjoyable read, with just enough twists and turns to keep you interested. If you've read him from the beginning, you feel you're in Joe Pickett's life and family

First Sentence: The sleek golden projectile exploded into the thin mountain air at three thousand feet per second.

A grizzly attack causes game warden Joe Picket to leave his district and join members of the Predator Attack Team. Joe has suspicions about the attack but is called away before being able to investigate further. A shooter targets a local judge, seriously wounding the judge's wife. The shot came from an extremely long range, and Joe's best friend Nate Romanowski is suspected leaving Joe to find the killer, clear his friend, and uncover the answer to the bear attack.

Talk about a hook! Box sets the scene well, contrasting the beauty of the location with the cold, hard terror of a lethal element coming from through the air, so that one experiences the horror of when the two elements combine. The suspense continues once we join Joe.

Reading Box is both exciting and an education in everything from grizzly bears, technology which enables a cell phone to be tracked even in a no-service area, an air force of predator birds, and long-range rifles. Box explains each of these in a way that is fascinating even to urban dwellers, and each has an important role to play in the plot. There is a nice piece of information regarding the role of a Wyoming game warden which helps explain Joe's involvement in the shooting investigation.

The characters are alive. Some are those series readers have met before. Some carry over from a previous book, but in a way that their backstory is apparent and their incorporation into the present story handled seamlessly. There are good guys; bad guys, and those about whom we are uncertain, which adds to the suspense.

Joe is a compelling character, refreshing for his imperfections—not the best on horseback, not the finest shot, has a penchant for destroying his county vehicle--and his phobias, particularly his fear of flying. Marybeth, his wife, is a true partner both in their marriage and due to her position as director of the county library, which can aid in Joe's investigation. The personal side of their struggle of being empty nesters, personalizes and humanizes them.

One of the characters who has developed and changed most in the series is Nate Romanowski. The suspense and excitement always escalate whenever Nate appears. The friendship between Nate and Joe is admirable. When you combine the two men in a scene, non-stop action ensues.

It is not all action, however. While not overtly political, the story does connect to present events—" It was a new political world, Joe had learned. Politicians who were snared in scandal didn't fight back or resign in shame, because there was no personal shame."

One may identify one of the villains quite early, others are less obvious, and one whose appearance may cause series readers to roll their eyes in dismay. Box's wry humor is always a pleasure and "Pickett's charge" a definite high point.

LONG RANGE (GameWard-Joe Pickett/Mate Romanowzki-Wyoming-Cont) - G+
Box, C.J. -20th in series
G.P. Putnam's Sons - Mar 2020


"Long Range" has an exciting, dramatic climax followed by a wonderful ending making one feel it was over all too soon.

Another winner from CJ Box. I anxiously await the Joe Pickett novels each year and polish them off in 3 days or so.
In "Long Range," Joe is Investigating a death by bear in Teton County when he is summoned back home to 12 Sleep County. The local judge, a tyrant of a man, is up in arms because his wife has been shot and killed. The judge wants every person in local law enforcement, even ranger Joe, to investigate his wife's shooting.
Or was the judge the real target?
Joe jumps all the usual hurdles, including the obtrusive Sleep County sheriff, to uncover the murderer. He enlists his pal, master falconer Nate Romanowski to aid in the hunt.
Things begin to go sour when Nate is accused of the crime and becomes a wanted man, again.
CJ Box has produced another fine and fast read with "Long Range." Long time fans and even newcomers will love the quiet hero Joe conveys. And things always go a little western when lives are at stake. Go Joe and CJ Box!

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This is a classic Joe Pickett novel. Box gives his characters a depth of reality that is commonly lacking in modern storytelling. Pickett is an aging agent who just seems to get caught up in the workings of the bad guys. He does not rely on super fighting techniques or inhuman shooting ability to get things done. Just common sense and a need to do what is right, all the time.

Joe Pickett is back, this time as part of the Predator Attack Team, formed to deal with bear attacks. Nate is being stalked by a sniper. What more could happen? Always look forward to catching up with the Picketts- and any time Nate is around is a definitely plus.

A woman, the wife of not-exactly-beloved Judge Hewitt, is shot from long range by a bullet meant for her husband. Or was he the actual target?

One way or another, the judge is determined to find who did it, and doesn’t feel he can rely on Saddlestring’s new sheriff, a go-by-the-book man whose sole action puts restrictions on the investigation. The judge calls in game warden Joe Pickett to find his wife’s killer, taking Joe away from a bear-mauling incident.

Good thing Joe has his wife, Marybeth, an experienced researcher, and good friend Nate to help. Naturally, complications arise. Missy, Joe’s narcissistic MIL shows up and is buying drugs. Nate’s wife and baby daughter are abducted. And Joe himself must face a crack shot in the exciting final moments.

There are a few side plots that don’t add a whole lot to the central story, although each is interesting. The one with Nate and his abducted family deserve a novel of their own. Be assured, a C.J.Box novel will always keep you turning the pages.

C. J. Box has once again hit it out of the park with his intense new mystery Long Range. When the wife of a prominent Wyoming judge is shot in her home through a window, game warden Joe Pickett is called to investigate. With the help of falconer and close friend, Nate Romanowski, and librarian wife, Mary Ann, Joe uncovers dark secrets that put himself and those around him in danger.

I’ve enjoyed all of Box’s books and this was no exception. His writing style has such an ease to it, like an old friend, and his descriptions of the Wyoming wilderness fully draw the reader into the setting. I can practically hear the birds and smell the pine while reading and forget that I’m sitting in my living room. Joe and Nate are both complex and evolving characters, along with their respective families, and, with each book, I look forward to discovering what will happen next in their lives.

Many thanks to Netgalley, G. P. Putnam’s Sons and C. J. Box for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Long Range(Joe Pickett#20) by C. J. Box- I'll admit I have never read any books in this series, but that's about to change for sure. Game Warden Joe Pickett is a likable, fallible but intuitive character to base this series on. This story reminds me slightly of Tony Hillerman's Navajo Mysteries, with its lush landscape and wildlife that are more than just scenery. Also the supporting characters all have interesting back stories and different exacting personalities. Thanks Netgalley for the ARC and the chance to discover this engaging read.

Judge Hewitt is not well liked in Saddlestring, Wyoming because he’s tough on everyone, the criminals, the lawyers (on both sides), law enforcement, his wife, everyone. So when someone takes a shot at him while he’s home sitting at his dining room table, no one is particularly surprised. But the shooter misses the judge and kills his wife who most everyone adored. The judge calls a team of Saddlestring law enforcement together including the sheriff, county prosecutor, municipal police chief, and area game warden, Joe Picket. Judge Hewitt instructs each member of the group to provide a list of names who have motive to take a shot at the judge and clarifies the sheriff is in charge of the investigation. The sheriff is new, inexperienced, and ambitus so Joe is skeptical he will be effective. So, Joe with the help of his pal, Nate Romanowski, set out to do their own investigation. Sure enough Joe stirs the pot enough to alienate everyone involved and of course becomes a target himself.

Long Range is classic C.J. Box. His favored protagonist, Joe Pickett stubbornly follows the trail of the bad guys in his clumsy but endearing manner and once again saves the day. Great continuation of Box’s popular series.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance reading.

LONG RANGE: A Joe Pickett Novel
C. J. Box
Putnam Books
ISBN 9780525538233
Hardcover
Thriller

LONG RANGE by C. J. Box is an impressive mile marker by any standard. In an era where it is sometimes difficult to find someone who has read twenty books over the course of their adult life Box has written twenty books involving the Wyoming game warden (as well as a number of other worthy novels) and created a literary icon in the process, one who is a contemporary Western Everyman. It’s an admirable feat and LONG RANGE, as is Box’s wont, contains some of his best writing and plotting to date.

LONG RANGE begins with a minute account of what occurs during the few seconds between the firing of a projectile from a long-range rifle and the moment of impact. The bullet strikes and seriously injures a woman who is in her kitchen preparing dinner. As is clear to the reader immediately and to those in LONG RANGE in due course, the victim, Sue Hewitt, was not the intended target. The target was her husband, a Sandstring, Wyoming judge with a mercurial temper who is extremely unpopular with prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement, defendants, and everyone in between. The number of potential suspects thus for all intents and purposes includes almost everyone in the area and beyond who may have had contact with Judge Hewitt’s court. Joe Pickett when the shooting occurs is hundreds of miles away, involved in the investigation of a hunting guide who was killed by a grizzly bear under suspicious circumstances. He is summoned back home by Judge Hewitt, however, to aid Brendan Kapelow, the newly elected county sheriff, in his investigation. Kapelow is afflicted with an extreme case of generalized confirmation bias which impedes his ability to successfully lead the investigative team. So it is that when Joe is able to prove that Sue Hewitt was shot by a long-distance sniper he earns Kapelow’s enmity in spades. Meanwhile, Joe’s good friend Nate Romanowski is attempting to adjust to a dramatic lifestyle change as he lives on the grid, rather than off, with the responsibility of a wife and infant daughter. He assists Joe in the investigation while being unaware that he has been targeted for revenge by members of the Sinaloa drug cartel. Joe’s outside problems are relatively minor, though not unimportant. He and Beth, his wife, are dealing with the prospect of being empty nesters for the first time, a situation which may change by the end of this installment, if, indeed they --- or anyone else --- are able to make it to the end of LONG RANGE. Not everyone does in this fast-moving tale which combines Box’s unique characterization with a couple of puzzling but plausible mysteries that keep the reader and Pickett guessing almost to the end of the book.

The quiet power of Box’s writing is such that it is understandable should one choose to read LONG RANGE while sitting well away from any windows, given the manner of the attack on Hizzoner in the opening pages of the story. I didn’t, but I still occasionally feel an itch at the back of my neck and head some weeks after reading this new installment in Pickett’s life. If that isn’t masterful prose, I don’t know what is. Highly recommended.

Once again Joe Pickett rides to the rescue in the latest installment of C.J. Box's Wyoming Fish and Game Warden series. He doesn't destroy a truck this time (he's known to be hell on state vehicles) but he must leave his own behind for a while and its fun to see him discombobulated by this. Fun whether you're out west, planning a trip, or just like to openness of the Rocky Mountain states.

I keep repeating myself when it comes to C.J. Box
I LOVE THIS AUTHOR I LOVE THIS SERIES I LOVE JOE AND NATE
Everyone at my library know these facts of me, so with another release -
I am again repeating myself -- LOVE LOVE LOVE

You need to read this book, this series, this author!!!

I am entranced from the first word to the last period.

Now, I am looking forward to the next book ...

Long Range
by C. J. Box
PENGUIN GROUP Putnam
G.P. Putnam's Sons
Mystery & Thrillers

Highly recommend! Readers write this down: This book comes out in March and you will not one to miss this one. One of C. J. Box's best writes yet.
Thanks to Net Galley and Penguin group for my ARC.

Always reliable, CJ Box is at his best in Long Range. Interwoven stories keep readers on their toes, and the action never stops. It gets quite violent at times, so if twisted off ears turn you off, this isn’t the book for you. Long-time fans will rejoice and new readers are sure to become fans.

I feel this is C.J. Box's best Joe Pickett book yet! I love the story line, I had a hard time putting it down. His stories really make me take a different viewpoint about what is going on in the world. I can only imagine the work and dedication it takes to research all the different subjects he writes about. I love how the kids are growing up and becoming into their own persons and how Nate is growing mentally. Love Love Love this book!!!

In Long Range Joe and Marybeth continue to make a great crime solving team. C.J. Box created a thrilling ride that culminates in surprising ending.

The latest CJ Bpx Joe Pickett book does not disappoint! The books in this series seriously get better with each new novel. I loved seeing the usual characters. Another great suspenseful story! Thank you for the advanced reader copy. Our library will definitely be purchasing.

Okay, readers. Write this one down because it comes out in March and you definitely need to put it on your to-read list.

I love this character, in fact I like all these characters and look forward to a new addition to this series all the time. This one will not disappoint. I was hooked from the opening quotes. There is certainly enough action and mystery to make this one of the best C. J. Box has written! Bring on more!

Highly recommended!