Off the Grid

The books are entering the territorial fatal flaw of all long-running series, but once you love the characters, you give yourself permission to overlook those flaws. This series is no different.

I'm going on pure memory here. The book is upstairs, and I need more coffee to go up and get it. I don't remember a single antagonist name outside of Ibby.

I could go with the story, but had a hard time suspending my disbelief that Sheridan was at the camp. I love Sheridan, but all three of the tough, athletic, smart, quick-thinking people in the story brought together, once again, at exactly the right time to make a happy ending for the good guys? That's stretching the story a bit thin.

The beheadings were awful. I've never been able to show more understand it except as a cultural touchstone during the Dark Ages. The stereotypes and the mumbo jumbo reasoning of the baddies in this story didn't help. None of them were smart enough to be anywhere near the EMP project, including the Americans who manipulated Nate. His bad guys were stereotypically awful people, but the stereotypes deserve stereotyping. It's not always wrong.

Daisy is the best dog. Box writes great dogs with distinct personalities.

Joe surrendered his Stoic power level to Nate. Again. At least Nate came out of it hurt and human. We'll see how he does in the real world.

The action scenes were exciting, and there were some nice comedic touches in the story. Two officially owned trucks ruined in this book!

Falconry has an important role. I was glad because I like that part of Nate, and I don't like him in general. Box tends to write him as some sort of mystical force that defies the physical rules of living on earth. He ups the metaphysical ante in this book with dreams and believers, which irritated me a little, but I'm familiar with the audience of his books, and have been mentally preparing it. No big deal. Roll my eyes, move on.

It's one of the things I don't understand why one side of the metaphysical world can't see their reflection in the other, but Joe has a glimpse when he wonders if the baddies have children or wives. Box also has an atheist provide information at a critical juncture, which was different. She's also portrayed as kind of a sexually promiscuous woman that likes to break up marriages. LOL. Okay.

In the end, I loved what Box had to say about America's 4th Amendment. It's a right that's been eroded terribly after Ruby Ridge, Waco, 9/11 and during the rise of technology. In case anyone has forgotten:

Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

For that alone, this book deserves five stars.

And now more coffee. I'll correct all of my errors later. show less

C.J. Box
OFF THE GRID: A Joe Pickett Novel
G.P. Putnam Sons, 2016
384 pages
Thriller / Suspense

So, it turns out C.J. Box has an entire Joe Pickett series. Some fourteen or fifteen Joe Pickett novels. And I, fortunately, just discovered him--or them--or him, the author--Pickett the character. I will admit, I am super excited. Thing is, OFF THE GRID is the latest. Now I must go back and read the other books in the series. (This I shall do gladly!)

Anywho. OFF THE GRID is a brisk thriller. This can be called a Nate Romanowski Novel as much, or as equally, as it can be called a Joe Pickett novel. Seems I missed a lot not having read the earlier books in the series, but I did not feel lost as a reader jumping in at the end. (Good thing!).

By court show more order, and law, and signed agreements and such, Joe and Nate are not allowed contact with each other. In fact, Nate is wanted by the law. Crimes committed, laws broken. Living off the grid, Nate and his girlfriend, Olivia Brannan are in hiding in Wyoming. They're making a living at not getting found. That is, until they are found.

When the Wolverines come calling, this super secret team of government employees across all branches of the government, Nate has no choice but to hear them out. They need his help. Because of his unique talents as a falconer he may be the only one who can infiltrate a terrorist cell somewhere in the Red Desert. In return, Nate is promised his record will be wiped clean. Erased.

However, if he fails, if he is caught, if anything goes wrong--the Wolverines will deny any involvement, and Nate will go to prison for previous criminal activity, and pay for whatever new charges tacked on.

Joe Pickett, a game warden, is called upon by the governor (once again, apparently) to help on a special assignment. He knows he can use the tracking of a rogue bear as a cover. The task will lead the game warden down a road similar to Nate's. The threat of terrorism is all around.

As if never separated, Joe and Nate work together, without knowing the other is even involved, gathering up evidence, and information with the hopes of shutting down, preventing, an act of terror before the terrorist act can be committed!

Box writes terse, taut scenes. His characters are well drafted, and authentic. He pulled me right into the story (which I didn't think would be easy because I knew I was on the latest book in the series, and not the first -- which is the kind of thing that bothers me as a reader). It didn't matter. OFF THE GRID worked as an independent tale, a stand alone novel. It isn't. But it worked as one. Loved the dialogue, and the action. And as I stated up top -- I will be reading the other books in the series!

Phillip Tomasso
Author of The Severed Empire Saga,
and the Vaccination Trilogy show less

I once had a writing teacher who had a theory that each author who is insecure with his manuscript has a "tell." And the "tell" is to let his insecurities be reflected in something said/thought by one of the characters about whom he's writing.

The "tell" in this book screamed out when a hostage thinks, "It all looked like a bad cartoon, but it wasn't."

Sorry, I beg to differ. It WAS.

I have to admit that this is the only C.J. Box novel I've read. I understand that this is the 16th(!) in his series featuring Joe Pickett. Maybe his earlier novels were better. I am suspicious that any author can stay fresh after the 16th novel in a series. But I had heard something good about this book, and I was looking for a pass-the-time thriller, but this show more was sorely disappointing.

First of all, the villains were all cookie-cutter "types." All good thrillers are distinguished by great villains. Otherwise, they just become cardboard targets in a shooting gallery.

And I can't say the other characterizations are much better. Perhaps the author counts on his readers having read other books in the series to know what flesh to hang on their skeletons, but Joe Pickett was impossibly incorruptible--John Wayne playing a fish and game warden--and his friend Nate was Dirty Harry with a bit of a softer heart.

Real human psychology is neither present in this book. An idealistic activist has built a device to sock it to a government data-collection facility by means of electromagnetic pulse, just to teach a lesson, and thinks the use of the device could be constrained just that one usage. What could possibly go wrong? Even though he has an obviously menacing sidekick, he sees no threat in him. His followers believe him to be a charismatic visionary. They're obviously idiots, and so is he.

Further, when a bunch of those followers are taken hostage by gunmen, and after hostages witness the violence their captors are willing to visit upon them by a couple of grisly deaths, no one seems particularly traumatized. A couple of them are even wise-cracking under their breaths. Indeed, it's here where the one hostage thinks, "It all looked like a bad cartoon . . ." REALLY? A leader is beheaded before them and a fellow hostage summarily shot in the head, and these actions to the witness seems a bad cartoon?

It's the book that's a bad cartoon. If C.J. Box's earlier books were better, I'll never know. Because this one has discouraged me from finding out.

[P.S. There was one good scene: tracking an errant grizzly bear. In his telling of that episode, Mr. Box showed he certainly has talent. I just wish the rest of the book were up to that caliber.] show less

I have enjoyed the entire series of mysteries/thrillers about game warden Joe Pickett, sometimes involving his iconoclastic friend Nate Romanowski. The novels have been characterized by a realism about the relationship between humans and the natural environment, with respect for wildlife while allowing hunting and fishing within limits, with a balanced attitude toward the carrying and use of firearms. Set amid the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, the series has been filled with interesting, believable characters, both good and bad. Consequently, I was shocked by this latest addition to the series, resorting to paranormal portents appearing in the dreams of not one but two normally rational protagonists. Cartoonish characters run show more the gamut from stereotypical terrorists to radical leftists to antisocial rightists. Both the good guys and the villains are engaged in completely unbelievable scenarios, and I am not talking about the usual suspension of disbelief common to the genre. (view spoiler) While some may say that it resembles recent terrorist incidents the world over, it does not. It's hard to believe this was written by the same author as previous episodes. Were it not for the usual terrific narration by David Chandler as well as my past familiarity with Joe and Nate, I probably would not have finished listening. show less

4.5 stars.

Off the Grid by C.J. Box is a terrifyingly realistic thriller that takes place in the very isolated Red Desert area in Wyoming. This sixteenth installment in the Joe Pickett series reunites Game Warden Joe Pickett with his good friend, Nate Romanowski, when their paths unexpectedly cross after the outgoing governor asks Joe to investigate the suspicious happenings in the desert.

Nate has been living completely off the grid when an unspecified government agency sends two of its agents to coerce him into finding missing journalist Muhammad "Ibby" Ibraaheem. Although Ibby's reputation is impeccable, his disappearance nearly two years earlier certainly caught the attention of the federal government and it appears he may be involved show more in some type of terrorist plot. Nate wants nothing more than to be left alone, but the agents' promise of expunging his record coupled with some very unsubtle threats convince him to accept the assignment.

Just as Joe is heading home from a long day in the field, a distress call about a rogue bear possibly attacking a hunter puts his evening plans on hold. Using info from the GPS trackers on both the hunter and the bear, his worst fears are realized when he finds the nearly dead hunter in the bear's cache. Joe narrowly escapes the hunter's fate when the bear returns but both he and the bear escape the encounter unscathed. With the bear's whereabouts now unknown, he thinks outgoing Governor Spencer Rulon is planning to assign him the nearly impossible task of tracking the bear but much to his surprise, Rulon wants Joe to investigate what is going on in the Red Desert.

Neither Nate nor Joe is prepared for what is awaiting them in the desert. The conditions in the remote area are harsh and unforgiving but what they discover at Ibby's camp ratchets the danger level into the stratosphere. Ibby's idealistic plan is about to come to fruition but, unbeknownst to him, the other men he is working with are planning an attack so catastrophic that it is nearly incomprehensible. Nate and Joe are determined to foil the terrorist plot but they are so completely outnumbered and outgunned, they cannot help but wonder if they will escape with their lives.

With a plausible plot and plenty of action, Off the Grid by C.J. Box is a pulse-pounding thriller that is fast-paced and engrossing. The storyline is horrifyingly realistic in this post 9/11 era and the bad guys are chillingly brutal and willing to die for their cause. The beautiful yet desolate Red Desert is the ideal setting for these nefarious dealings and it is also the perfect backdrop for Joe and Nate's final stand against the evildoers. A riveting novel of suspense, this sixteenth installment in the Joe Pickett series can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend the entire series. show less

Box is still going strong with this series. Sure, the plot strains credibility to an extent, but it is cleverly executed and a lot of fun. The hallmarks of the series are still evident in this 16th volume in the series: Box's wit and solid writing, clever plotting, very vivid descriptions of setting, well-drawn characters, and delivering the goods with plenty of action and peril for the main characters. This is till one of the most enjoyable mystery series going right now. The series seems to be going in a darker direction of late, which I don't mind at all.

Another successful outing for C J Box in his long-running Joe Pickett Series.

Although there is an improbable encounter between Pickett, his daughter Sheridan and Family Protector Nate Romanowski in the dry desert of souther Wyoming, this book is well paced and keeps you in the story.

As usual, Box successfully makes the outdoors a part of the story. His description of the Red Desert of Wyoming, a place I had never heard of before, is fascinating and makes me want to visit to explore at some point. This story brings Wyoming's outdoor culture and modern day terrorists together in a believable tale of the development of a terrorist plot against critical American infrastructure. Fans of "false-flag" spy stories will appreciate the turn the show more story takes near the end with the chief (dupe) provocateur.

As usual, Romanowski is a critical and fascinating figure around who this tale turns. Pickett remains the guidon of probity and right; his every-man qualities and shortcomings making him again a tremendously sympathetic figure easy to relate to. The story moves and has Box's usual mix of great characters, twists and turns, a well described landscape critical to the tale and touches of larger contemporary questions facing civil society. show less