Snow is not the only storm about to descend on Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett. C. J. Box maintains his high standards as he leads readers through a complex story that involves high technology, foreign intrusion in state politics, and immoral behavior. Box treats "place" as one of the novel's important characters, engaging the reader from the start and differentiating this latest book in his series from other novels/series that try to do the same. Box's loyal readers will be thrilled to read Storm Watch. Readers who are unfamiliar with the series will not be at a disadvantage if they start with this entry, although they surely will want to read the series from its start once they've tasted the delicious prize that awaits. Libraries should be prepared to provide access to the entire series.

Another good Box novel featuring Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett. After hunting for an
injured elk in the start of a raging snowstorm and finding the body of a university professor murdered in a hidden, out of sight computer warehouse, Joe is thrust into the middle of another anti government faction, plotting an event in his corner of the Wyoming wilds. When local officials do not seem interested in pursuing the professor's killer, or the circumstances of his death, Joe takes it on. With the help of his friend and falconer, Nate Rymanowski Joe sets out to find the killer and unwind the trail to what is being plotted.
Very wild west type characters, as is usual for this Box series, and each is sharp and easily recognizable as central to the plot.
Waiting now for the next adventure.

Joe Pickett is back. Somehow always finding trouble and ignoring orders. He discovers a body but is told to stand down and stay away from the case. Joe can’t help himself, he has to find out what is going on. The case leads him in unexpected directions. This is a good addition to the series and could be read as a stand alone. This is a fast paced book with plenty of suspense. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

I eagerly await every Joe Pickett novel. This new one doesn't disappoint. I love how this series and its characters have evolved. If you're a fan, don't skip this one. If you're not (yet), start at the beginning - it's worth it to see the evolution of the characters.

I was thrilled to get this copy of Storm Watch by C.J. Box. The story starts off with a bang and just doesn’t let up. The descriptions of the landscapes are phenomenal and you’ll feel part of the story, that’s how good the writing is.
I Love Joe Pickett and his family. And, of course Nate Romanowski, Joe’s trusted and loyal friend….(or is he)? You’ll have to read on to see what transpires. Great novel and is as fast as the storms that are coming. So, grab your favorite blanket, and your most comfortable chair and hunker down, you’re in for a treat.
Thank You To NetGalley, the Author C.J. Box and the Publisher Penguin Group Putnam for allowing me to read this novel.

C. J. Box did not disappoint with the continuation of the always compelling story of Joe Pickett. I appreciate the character development of familiar faces as well as new ones. Joe, who always seems to find himself in trouble, takes it to an all new level in this book. But I think that’s what makes the story work so well. The suspense starts at the beginning and carries through to the end. With each new development, I was drawn in and was unable to put it down until the answer was revealed. It kept me guessing until the very end which surprised me. I read a lot of mysteries, and I am rarely surprised. I loved this book. One of the best in this series thus far.

(The below review will appear on my blog on 1/26/2023)

Storm Watch Boxx

The worsening weather this day in late March for Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett means that he is on the clock. A major snowstorm is coming down from the Bighorn Mountains. He is on foot and on the hunt for an injured elk after a collision between the elk and a car earlier that morning. The elk had left the scene on three good legs according to a state trooper, so now Game Warden Pickett has to find that elk and end its suffering before the storm hits.

Snow is heavy on the ground as it is thanks to a winter of relentless and constant storms. More snow and high winds are going to make a bad situation way worse. Time is of the essence. He calls and gets permission from the foreman of the Double Diamond Ranch known to all as “The Double D” to cross their land in pursuit of the badly injured elk. With one eye on the darkening sky rolling down from the mountains, he sets out following the trail.

After being on the trail of the elk for a few minutes, he finds a vehicle hidden in the trees off of an old small two track road. He investigates and nobody is in the SUV. Thanks to the fact that it is unlocked, he also finds that the interior is fairly warm. Among other things inside is a topographical map with four locations marked by x’s in a black marker. The person or persons from the car are not lost. They meant to be here in this isolated spot though they may not have counted on the powerful storm closing in on the area by the minute.

As Pickett begins to look around the immediate area, he realizes he is hearing a mechanical scream coming from somewhere nearby, He gets up on a ridge and starts looking for the missing person or persons as well as the source for the noise. As the snow begins to build in intensity, he can see tracks from the SUV to a nearby small metal building of some type. The longer he looks at the structure, he realizes that a dark form is hanging out of the steel louvers on one side of the building

The dark form is a person and not moving.

What follows is a complicated read that touches on espionage, the growing Sovereign Citizen movement, domestic terrorism, and a host of other issues driving our nation’s politics at this time. The MAGA crowd comes in for their fair share of criticism as do other groups on the far right. Various characters depict those positions and their behavior and statements may offend readers who believe in their cause.

While there is a mystery here as to what is going on, this is a politics heavy thriller more than anything. It shows the ongoing shift of the last few books from the solidly good mysteries that began the series to more of thrillers populated with cardboard cutouts as secondary characters.

It is my hope that Mr. Boxx returns to his roots that made this series so good in future installments in this series.


My reading copy came by way of the publisher through NetGalley.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2023

CJ Box's STORM WATCH, the twenty-third entry in the Joe Pickett series, fails to live up to the quality of the early books but will probably satisfy devoted readers. The author tries to walk a fine line with regard to anti-elite, anti-government sentiments espoused by many of his characters, and his POV choices--and pacing--are baffling as the stories limps through side plots that are boring compared to the main storyline.

This one was a lot of fun! The best thing about Box is that the way he describes the scene makes you feel like you’re right there in the story. You feel like a character in the mountains surrounded by the beauty. The suspense was great, and was just as fun as all of the other Pickett novels!

crime-fiction, politicians, politics, political-corruption, Wyoming, snow-season, blizzards, falconry, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, trafficking, animal-welfare, scandal, espionage, family, family-dynamics, librarian, militia, poaching, conspiracy, spooks, series, unputdownable, friendship, mystery, suspense, game-warden, domestic-terrorism, FBI, NSA, thriller, threats

The case of the disappearing mutilated body and the multiplying bad guys.
Excellent read! The suspense and surprises never end and the characters are so real.
I requested and received an EARC from PENGUIN GROUP Putnam/G.P. Putnam's Sons via NetGalley. Thank you!

Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝕊𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕞 𝕎𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙
𝗖𝗝 𝗕𝗼𝘅
Thriller
368 pages

Sʜᴏᴿᴛ Sʏɴᴏᴘsɪs

Game Warden Joe Pickett is back, solving problems and causing trouble. This time, he finds dead bodies, solves a political scandal involving spying, and escapes death. Joe’s gumption in the face of danger and his do what is right attitude make him a character I can’t get enough of.

Nate Romanowski is back as well. He solves problems in a much less legal method. Nate and his friend, Geronimo, work together towards earning money using crypto mining while taking care of some issues in the area, before those problems interfere with their lives.

Mʸ Tᴴᴼᵁᴳᴴᵀs

I love the family dynamic in this series. Joe’s family has grown and changed throughout this series. In this book, his wife and daughter are brought into the mix. As a librarian and book lover, I enjoy Mary Beth’s job at a library. She isn’t afraid to help Joe whenever he needs it, be it looking up information or getting her hands dirty. She’s a brave woman.

The big Wyoming snowstorms throw a wrench in the plans throughout the story, adding some extra drama to the plot. Joe ends up buried in trouble every time you turn around. That seems like it would be overkill, but alas, it isn’t! Every mess he ends up snagged up in somehow seems realistic and expected for this game warden.

Government corruption, antler poaching, local militia, political corruption, and murder make this a fast-paced and well-written book.

I am always excited when a new Joe Pickett book is released, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to receive this ARC from NetGalley. I started this book last night and finished it today! Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing this ebook for me to read and review.

I’ve read all this authors books and with the exception of the last one have loved them all .
This one was much better and not so politically motivated as the last one although Pickett does depict the states far right ideology.
I did like this one and it is classic Box at his best .
It was fast paced and as always depicts the mountain west correctly . Thanks for letting me review the book to Netgalley and the publisher

MANY thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons & Netgalley for the free e-ARK in exchange for an honest review.

Who does not love stories about cowboys, game wardens and the rugged outdoors of Wyoming? This is another fantastic installment in the Joe Picket, Game Warden Series, by CJ Box. I tore through this one in a day! Its a suspenseful read filled with our favorite, colorful and well developed characters set in the beautiful Rocky Mountains.

Joe starts his day trying to track down an injured Elk before an impending blizzard and finds a murdered, chinese nationalist who is a UW professor, and the body is in an odd building on the Ranch. Joe's investigation is quickly blocked by Governor Allen and the FBI. Nate, Sheridan, Marybeth and Joe work together to figure out this latest mystery!

I tripped across this series in an audio book and was stunned by how magical the storytelling is. The nature, mountains, snow and Elk descriptions have you visually there with the characters. I quickly have started at book one and was thrilled to receive this latest installment. If you get the chance to listen to the audio books, they are very well done.

HIGH RECOMMEND!!

Pick a hot-button topic: Cybercurrency mining. Survivalists hoping to overthrow the government. Conspiracy theories. Politicians with questionable campaign donors. Chinese interference (find better word). You'll find 'em all in here. And caught smack dab in the middle are Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett and his falcon-loving, former fugitive-from-justice friend Nate Romanowski.

The whole thing begins as Joe is looking for a wounded elk that needs to be put out of her misery and seems to be wandering around on a friend's remote property. Mission accomplished, but in the process Joe comes across something a bit more worrisome: a dead body half in, half out of a building from which strange sounds are emanating. The friend is evasive, and the subsequent identification of the body brings more questions than answers.

Meantime, as Nate is dealing with burgeoning demand for his bird abatement business, he's approached by a shady guy who wants him to join a group of men who, like Nate, don't trust the government - but who want to kick their distrust up more than a few notches. Given his background, Nate is willing to listen - but will he jump in knowing the guns may come out?

In the midst of this is the weather - snow deep enough to bring a several-ton plow to its knees - and a state governor who's power hungry, itching to get reelected and decidedly not a fan of Joe, who was aligned with the previous governor who just might decide to run again. All told, once the action gears up it's full speed ahead right up to an ending that probably has more potential to go wrong than right - and the whole thing held my attention throughout. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review another of the books in one of my favorite series. Well done!

When I read the first book in this series it was a subject totally out of my wheelhouse, but now reading book twenty-three I feel like I am visiting old friends. For those that don’t know, Joe Pickett is a game warden in Wyoming who plays by the rules. He’s married to Marybeth and they have three grown daughters Samantha, Lucy, and April. Joe’s mother-in-law Missy is a thorn in his side and goes out of her way to cause trouble in their marriage every chance she gets.
Joe finds himself embroiled in a number of complicated and dangerous situations, but along with his best friend, Nate Romanowski, a falconer and former government operative who lives off the grid, manages to find a way out of each one and solve the case.
I encourage everyone to ride along with Joe while he patrols his Wyoming territory along with his dog Daisy. Of course, Joe has a propensity for damaging or destroying his government-assigned trucks much to the consternation of his supervisors. There is never a dull moment, and I am always eager to get my hands on the next book.
When these books started, Joe was a young man with a young family, but now he’s fifty-one years old. I hope that this series will continue for a long time, but if not, maybe hopefully daughter Sheridan can pick up the slack. She works for the audacious Nate Romanowski, is a falconer herself, and likes to help her father solve crimes.
I really enjoyed Storm Watch and am looking forward to the next one. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read it in exchange for my honest opinion. I gave it four stars.

Storm Watch by C.J. Box(Joe Pickett #23)- Another exciting entry in a rewarding series. Joe Pickett, Game Warden, always finds himself in the middle of something strange, moving faster than he can keep up, and more dangerous than he realizes, until it's almost too late. It starts off with a startling incident and builds from there to a fiery climax, never letting off on the relentless threat. Highly recommended! Thanks to NetGalley for this exciting ARC.

Oh, to win an ARC of a CJ Box Joe Pickett story - MY DREAM COME TRUE!  But seriously.  CJ Box has always been so so solid.  I've been following the Pickett family and crew for decades and they never disappoint.  And you know the real question to come out of each one of these:  Will Joe need a new truck by the end?

So let's begin.  Joe is up in the mountains, tracking a wounded elk while the storm of the season rolls in.  And what do you know...he finds a dead body. 

As usual, I absolutely loved this one and it didn't disappoint.  There was less action than Dark Sky and a slower pace, yet it was still the same old Pickett family and Nate as we know (and love) them.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.  (THANK YOU!)

Box has returned Joe Pickett to his Game Warden roots with this latest effort in Storm Watch, and I found myself immersed in an interesting mystery that, typically, Joe needed Marybeth's and Nick's help to solve.

Joe Pickett is a great character and I feel like the time I spend with him is safe because I know he's always going to do the right thing. It's nice to see him find himself again with this book. And Nick is always going to be Nick - bad to the bone and the perfect anti-Joe to create just enough tension to make the story feel suspenseful. Geronimo Jones - a character from the Shadows Reel book - makes a cameo appearance in this one, and it feels like Box might be planning to develop Jones into another series like he did with Casey Dewell.

The story is tight, current trend and topic, and as with all the Joe Pickett books, Wyoming and it's beautiful Bitterroots play front and center. Joe Pickett readers won't be disappointed with this one!

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is another Joe Pickett home run,. He and Nate Romanowski are fabulous characters and C.J. Box continues to develop wonderful stories about them. I love everything about this series and how it has grown in character development and plot. He continues to include current issues which keeps the stories fresh and relevant. In Storm Watch Joe is dealing with murder and domestic terrorism and Nate is confronted by a militant group wanting to secede from the United States. There are lots of bad guys and conflict which make for a wonderful, enjoyable read. If you enjoy a good mystery with terrific characters, you can never go wrong with a Joe Pickett novel. Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to review this book.

I absolutely love this series. This definitely didn’t disappoint. Can’t wait for more! Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the chance to read this fantastic book.