I had to force myself to read this book at the start, but midway through I could NOT put it down. All strings were tied together at the end with the exception of one or two. ( )

4th in the Joe Pickett series.

Joe discovers the disfigured corpse of a moose while on a fishing trip with his daughters. There are odd overtones to the discovery, but all Joe knows for sure is that someone or something has mutilated the corpse. A grizzly is known to be in the area, and while at first glance, this may seem to be the work of a bear, there is something about the kill that doesn’t sit right with Joe; the corpse has been mutilated but not fed on.

Then a dozen dead cattle turn up with the same type of mutilations. It’s now clear that something else besides a bear is involved. Joe, reluctantly, becomes part of the investigation.

When a dead human being turns up mutilated in the same way under odd circumstances, the situation turns weird as well as dangerous.

There are two interesting aspects to this book: one is that it’s based on a true case of a series of cattle mutilations that happened in 2000 and 2001, and the other is the insertion of the paranormal. The book has a definite woo-woo edge to it that is really unusual for Box’s down-to-earth Joe Pickett.

Back for another appearance is Joe’s odd friend Nate, who has a mysterious background that may include Special Forces and who assists Joe with the more unusual aspects of the case. Nate is not particularly original as a character, but Box uses him well.

Again, box continues to improve as a writer. He’s never going to win awards for outstanding characterization, but Joe s believable and so, for the most part, is his family. Box is at his best in action scenes, very much less so in emotional situations, but overall the book is an excellent read. Highly recommended ( )

Excellent as all the Joe Pickett novels. Love the descriptions of Wyoming and the attention to environment without being preachy ( )