Shadows Reel

23 and counting! This may be the second longest I've ever stuck with a series behind only to Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone's series. Most series become too formulaic and the joy of reading them diminishes until I just give up. Not so with the Joe Pickett series! I get just as excited for the next one and I did the first ones. Each book seems to center around some social justice issue that Box wants to explore. Finding a way to put Wyoming Game Warden, Joe Pickett, into the thick of it and destroy yet another vehicle. This book was no different: Nazi's and Antifa are the issues Box chose to highlight Shadows Reel. Rest assured, however, both are explored without really any biases (like there is some other acceptable stance regarding show more Nazi's). And as far-fetched as the Nazi storyline seems the author's notes will explain that it was based on truth.

In Shadows Reel Joe's wife, Marybeth, the local librarian, is anonymously gifted a photo album of one of Hilter's inner circle. While Joe stumbles across more than one body. And his best friend, Nate, a falconer, picks up where the last book left off; chasing down the man who stole his birds and harmed his wife and child. Joe and Marybeth's story runs parallel to Nate's coming together at the end. While all the regular characters make an appearance, including all of Joe's daughters, the piece that was really missing for me was the great outdoors. None of this book takes place in nature, which I think is part of why I love this series so much. But nonetheless I tore through this book at lightning speed and here I am again: left impatiently waiting for the next Joe Pickett.

I can not recommend this series highly enough and while I enjoyed this book, I absolutely recommend any newcomers to Saddlestring, WY start at the beginning. You won't be sorry.

Many thanks to #NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy of #ShadowsReel in exchange for my honest opinion. show less

Starting just a month after the end of the previous book in the series, we find Joe still not fully recovered from his injuries (but back to work already) and Nate on the road, chasing the man who stole his birds and terrorized his family. It is the Thanksgiving week and all 3 Pickett girls are coming home for the holiday. But before the family can get to its celebration, reality crashes the party - a man is found dead, a Nazi album is left at the library and before long, a second person dies. Which if you have been reading the series sounds just like a normal week for the Picketts. Add the bad guys' viewpoints (both the ones in Saddlestring and across the country in Nate's trip) and the novel quickly finds its pace. Except that it does show more not feel like a Joe Pickett novel.

Long series will often have a novel or 3 that simply seem forced into the series. I tend to consider them part of the experience of reading long series. But even like that, this one felt off - the series strength is in the wildlife and nature scenes and these are entirely missing. The new sheriff's inability to do his job is played up to almost a comic effect, the part of the novel that deals with Nate veers into current US politics (not that the series had never had that but it seems to get there a lot more than it used to) and even though the girls are back in town, they felt more like caricatures of themselves.

With this being said, the story in Saddlestring actually works - albeit being a bit predictable. Joe even manages to wreck another truck (which did feel like a Pickett novel and made me laugh). Nate's part of the story on the other hand was resolved by a character overhearing a bad guy who just then decided to spill his guts to his friend. Which is so much of a cliche in the genre that almost no author will go there anymore. And with Geronimo Jones coming back to Wyoming (at least for a bit), I suspect that the series is going to lean into the politics a lot more than it had before. I hope it will also returns to the nature and wildlife part of the novels. show less

CJ Box continues to excite me. This book has all the characters we've come to know plus another falconer---Geronimo Jones and a new sheriff. The sheriff does a face plant and probably won't be seen again. Who knows about Geronimo Jones? Just when you thought Sheridan would take on the life of an independent 20-something enlightened woman, she reverts to giggly teen with her sisters. The plot takes us all over the Western USA, and includes a swipe at Antifa and BLM. It's got Nazis, Thanksgiving dinner, law violators, Nate and a couple of dead bodies while MaryBeth shines.

Joe takes a backseat to let his wife, Marybeth, take the spotlight in this thriller. An old photo album gets dropped at the library anonymously. Marybeth gets a glimpse of the man who left it, and tells Joe. It seems to be an authentic album from Nazi Germany. While she is trying to decide what to do with it, two other people want it badly enough to kill for it. Wanting to protect her family from danger, Maribeth comes up with an idea to trap them before they can strike again. Meanwhile, Nate is off on his own mission: to track down the man who attacked his wife and stole his falcons. This installment is infused with suspense and action from beginning to end. It’s another great addition to this exciting series, and was especially nice show more to see Marybeth’s character take charge of the situation. show less

While engaged with a publisher on my second book, I am taking time to read other author’s works, posting reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Most of them are nonfiction, although the last was a mystery by a female author.
This is my first Joe Pickett novel. Not usually prone to commercial fiction, I thumbed through this one after hearing a relative is a fan. Its about a Wyoming game warden with a knack for getting entangled in criminal cases.
Box is good at giving information, moving scene to scene, building a story of how Pickett stumbles into a murder mystery while facing the usual family problems in a household with a wife and three daughters. The story is told mostly through dialogue and internal monologue, moving quickly with short show more chapters often ending with questions that lead the reader to keep turning pages.
One third through the book the author introduces a second plot involving a friend of the Pickett family, retired from military special ops with “revenge on his mind and violence in his heart.” This character called Nate, is on a quest to recover stolen falcons and right a wrong inflicted on his family. Box alternates chapters, jumping smoothly between dual stories without jarring the reader.
While not at a literary level, the writing achieves a seamless blend of plot and action, doing so sparingly, and cogently as the story moves effortlessly through the thoughts and words of characters. Joe’s stream-of-consciousness supplies the reader with back story, revealing tension with Sheriff Tibbs who feels the game warden is exceeding his authority.
As the story unfolds, cliches and excess words creep in. Redundancies are noted by the brain, slowing the narrative. As I read, I was mentally cutting words. But this is likely Box’s style, spooning additional details to help readers along. But sometimes, what is left unsaid pushes the readers mind to fill the gap, and this has a special effect and when done right can be deeply satisfying. I saw nothing like that here. Rather the style of writing is typical light fare for casual consumption.
The story is well told but could have been improved by the more critical eye of an editor. Despite the author’s rich descriptions, the characters never rise above flatness. Surprises in the story become almost predictable with the steady drumbeat of chapters every ten pages. A lot of the narrative is used to fit the book with the previous Pickett titles. There is little variation in the writing. It is simply the means of conveying information, albeit about an interesting story with sympathetic characters.
While most genre authors dispense profanity freely, believing it shows realism, Box uses it sparingly.
But one instance is particularly off-putting, when the author has Tibbs’ emit a choice phrase to show the Sheriff’s orneriness. This particular wording can be jarring or even offensive and will preclude my buying the book if I see it, but this one slipped by.
“Shadow’s Reel” will be well received by followers of previous books in the series. If you’re looking for light escapist fare, C.J. Box is your ticket. show less

I'm not sure why reviewers are mad about Box criticizing anarchists.

Otherwise, the book was fine. The Wyoming plot was a bit far-fetched, but the characters are still fun, so it's okay. I'm still amazed that I've gotten to the 22nd book, and I'm not rolling my eyes and thinking that the series has gotten annoying. That's down to the characters.

Second CJ Box mystery that I have read though both are from different series. Well written with enough complexity to keep it interesting. Wyoming cattlemen are the background often punctured with modern issues like the Antifa bit in this book. Great summer reads.