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Stone Cold C J Box Books

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Stone Cold C J Box Books

I'm a big CJ Box fan and am reading the Joe Pickett series in order. I think I've given them all five stars, but this one stood out for even this fan.

The action and pacing are quick, believable and the book is tightly written. I flew threw the couple-of hundred pages and went "wow" at the end in acknowledgement of the great writing Box puts on display.

The action here is in eastern Wyoming and some of the best characters are part of the tale. Nate Romanowski has a very interesting role and Governor Rulon (love his character) sets the wheels in motion by once again giving his most trusted (but kept at arm's length until needed) game warden a special assignment. As usual, Joe and Marybeth's trio of daughters are growing and as young women/older teens are constantly on Joe Pickett's mind as he tries to deal with another harrowing and violent situation.

Great and believable escapist reading and continue to love the author's ability to evoke natural Wyoming as a key component of his stories.


Tags : Amazon.com: Stone Cold (9780399160769): C. J. Box: Books,C. J. Box,Stone Cold,G.P. Putnam's Sons,0399160760,Thrillers - General,Game wardens;Fiction.,Murder;Investigation;Fiction.,Wyoming;Fiction.,American Mystery & Suspense Fiction,Crime,Fiction,Fiction - Espionage Thriller,Fiction Crime,Fiction Mystery & Detective General,Fiction Thrillers General,Game wardens,Investigation,Murder,Mystery & Detective - General,MysterySuspense,Pickett, Joe (Fictitious character),Thrillers - Suspense

Stone Cold C J Box Books Reviews

C. J. Box is one heck of a good writer and "Stone Cold" would appeal to the outdoors type looking for non stop action involving murder + corruption rural Wyoming. The action is exemplified in one Joe Pickett, game warden and father of 3 girls. Between his personal life and official duties, their is never a dull day. Then, their is the fact that once again his pursuit of the bad guys involves a situation where he will need another truck, much to the chagrin of the Director.

The excitement begins when Governor Rulon orders Joe to work with the FBI to investigate the suspicious Wolfgang Templeton, a wealthy landowner in a distant county. It doesn't take long for Joe to learn that all county law enforcement is corrupt, as is the local game warden. Of course, the bad guys come after Joe, but he manages to stay one step ahead. An interesting subplot is how Joe's friend, Nate Romanowski is involved with Mr. Templeton and then in the end he regains his since of morality and comes to help on the side of the law.

But their is more Templeton meets Joe's mother in law Missy van Kueren but before the FBI is able to effect an arrest; the pair make an exit in the Templeton Gulfstream jet. This will no doubt lead to a follow up story in the next Box adventure of Joe Pickett.

"Stone Cold" is a terrific read and I'd give it 6 stars if possible. The characters are "alive" and seem real! Even on the home front, Joe has to deal with the daughters who present some interesting problems. The only negative thing is that the wealthy bad guy did get away; so I await the next installment in the life and adventures of Joe Pickett.
The title of this review is a profound statement attributed to Yogi Berra. It came to mind as I finished this book. Up to about the eighty percent mark on my I thought this book was strong, excellent indeed. Then, the basic premise on which the book is apparently based became clear, whereas it was lurking in the background before. The last twenty percent was just a weak rendition of a theme that had already been worn out by scores of writers.

Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett must be the most heroic game warden in all of Fiction Land. In this novel author C. J. Box has Pickett investigate a super-rich man who likes to fund the murders of really bad guys who have managed to escape punishment because they "lawyered up" and beat the system. So, Pickett ends up in a remote corner of the state conducting a special investigation at the request of his friend, the governor. The investigation centers on a county that had, decades before, been booming because of rich mineral resources. But the resources have long since been depleted, and it seems that the remaining population consists of dullard thugs and corrupt law enforcement. These folks like to hunt, fish, and tool around the rough terrain in their four-wheel drive pickups. They gulp their booze. In the middle of all of this the aforementioned gazillionaire has established his base of operations after buying up much of the county.

Box is a master of characterization. His settings sparkle with realism. I do not hesitate to recommend this book based on everything except the last several chapters. Then it goes downhill faster than a snowboarder on Mount Slippery.
It is almost as if Box was following a word delimited formula. He set up a great plot, an intriguing sub-plot, and some potential conflict between compelling characters - including Whip and NR. Then, suddenly he realized he had used too many words to set everything up and directed the story-line down hill to a rapid conclusion. This was structurally unsatisfying. The resolution of the situation between NR and Whip -- big gun vs. small gun -- was anti-climactic. The resolution of the sub-plot was too rapid and left too many questions unanswered, it was actually a bit silly in its details. And what was the fallout of what happened in Medicine Wheel County?

This has been a weakness of Box throughout this series. He is excellent at the setup, but when it comes time to resolve everything and tie it all together he often does it too rapidly and with details that are incomplete and puzzling. Typically this is OK, not great but OK. In this case his rapid conclusion, lack of attention to completing the plot and sub-plot and explaining what the final resolution was just about ruined the whole book.
Nate's gone over the fence again, Joe's on a mission for the governor and the girls are giving Joe and Marybeth's hair go prematurely gray....again. The action starts from the beginning....again. Even worse, Joe's mother-in-law shows up once again. That women just can't keep from getting into Joe's business. Fast action, vast scenery and a lot of miles. Oh, and he wrecks another vehicle.... Maybe more than his. A great read that's hard to put down and hard to believe a game warden can get into this much trouble. He even checks a couple of fishing creels and licenses. The game wardens I have known never ever have this kind of day.
I'm a big CJ Box fan and am reading the Joe Pickett series in order. I think I've given them all five stars, but this one stood out for even this fan.

The action and pacing are quick, believable and the book is tightly written. I flew threw the couple-of hundred pages and went "wow" at the end in acknowledgement of the great writing Box puts on display.

The action here is in eastern Wyoming and some of the best characters are part of the tale. Nate Romanowski has a very interesting role and Governor Rulon (love his character) sets the wheels in motion by once again giving his most trusted (but kept at arm's length until needed) game warden a special assignment. As usual, Joe and Marybeth's trio of daughters are growing and as young women/older teens are constantly on Joe Pickett's mind as he tries to deal with another harrowing and violent situation.

Great and believable escapist reading and continue to love the author's ability to evoke natural Wyoming as a key component of his stories.