In Plain Sight

This is the sixth full-length story in the series, so I feel like I know these characters pretty doggone well. Joe is working his butt off as a Wyoming game warden and not being paid nearly enough. Sheridan is 14 years old now and just as much of a firecracker as she ever was. Marybeth's business has really taken off which has really helped with their income level. Nate Romanowski the Falconer begins this story off somewhere after leaving town in the last book, but Joe has all confidence that he'll return when he's ready.

This story features the Scarlett family, the uber-wealthy owners of the biggest ranch around. The matriarch of the family has disappeared, and her three sons are beating each other up with shovels as the book begins. show more Like, really hurting one another. It turns out that they're fighting over control of the ranch, which adds fuel to the fire that already exists between Hank and Arlen Scarlett. (Wyatt Scarlett loves both of his brothers and doesn't plan to take over the ranch.)

ALSO, a man has come to town with his sights on Joe. He really has it out for him, but why? (When I realized this guy's connection to the earlier books in the series, I GASPED OUT LOUD because I knew things would get crazy. And I was right.)

My very favorite things about this installment are: 1) it's a revenge story and 2) CJ Box brought back characters connected to the earlier books in this series. There aren't huge environmental issues in this one like there have been in the earlier books. Rather, the conflict in this case is extremely personal to Joe and the Pickett family. But I loved that, that we could spend some time focusing on the Pickett family for a while, especially after the way things were for them in the last installment while Joe was away on assignment in Jackson, Wyoming. My gosh.

I held my breath for Joe in several places when he was in danger or when he was less-than-adequate. We all know that Joe isn't the best shot when he carries a handgun and that not all of his superiors like him. I just wanted things to work out for him, I wanted his family to be safe, and I wanted Nate Romanowski to come on back home.

Ultimately, I like how this one ended. I stayed up late last night to finish it and my heart was pounding for a few pages. Joe will (likely) begin the next installment very different than he began this one in terms of his work and his position in Saddlestring, but I'm eager to see where things go from here.

This series is so freaking good, I can't even believe it. By now, you have to know that I'm one of Joe Pickett's biggest fans.

(Sidenote: just before my library closed for the coronavirus pandemic, I went and checked out the entire rest of the series so I would have them all at my fingertips, ready to read #obsessed)

Audiobook Notes: This is my favorite audiobook series and I couldn't recommend it more highly than I already do. David Chandler is the best narrator to portray every side of Joe, Nate, and Sheridan. Love, love, love listening to these so much.

Title: In Plain Sight by C.J. Box
Series: Joe Pickett #6
Narrated by: David Chandler
Publisher: Recorded Books
Length: 8 hours, 23 minutes, Unabridged show less

Although it’s light on the ‘woo-woo’ stuff that often shows up in Joe Pickett mysteries, this still pushes the boundaries of Western crime fiction. There's a strong Gothic presence in it, such as a gloomy ancestral home and a grotesquely evil villain; even the weather gets in on the act. Be sure to read the third book, Winterkill, before this one since the events in it trigger the bad guy’s acts of revenge.

This novel sees game warden Joe Pickett's life take a turn for the worse after millionaire Opal Scarlett goes missing. As Pickett discovers more and more disturbing truths, it becomes clear that someone wants the dogged game warden to keep his nose out of the investigation.

Joe Pickett is in a tough situation right from the start of this story. He and his
family are being harassed by someone but the sheriff doesn’t like him and won’t help. His new boss wants to drive him out of his job. And a local rich, powerful man won’t cooperate when Joe tries to investigate an illegal hunting complaint against him. There’s tension throughout, which is sometimes worsened by Joe’s stubbornness and independence. The story’s well-rounded by show more good family relationships and an exciting ending. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. show less

The matriarch of the Scarlett family disappears, and the residents of Twelve Sleep County are forced to choose sides as her sons begin a battle of succession. In the meantime, game warden Joe Pickett and his family are the target of an escalating series of threatening acts. While the source of these entwined situations are well-telegraphed, I found the climax, including Box's incorporation of nature's fury, to be thrilling and suspenseful. I rate this 2006 Library Journal Best Book at 7 of 10 stars.

Joe Pickett is such a man's man. Novel is well paced and does not loose your interest. C.J. Box has added several facets that make Joe's life interesting: mother in law, boss, co workers all add drama. Great edge of your seat story. Characters are not new, but embellished somewhat. Fun read, I liked it.

6th in the Joe Pickett series

Unfortunately, this installment does not make it to the standard that Box has set with his previous novels in the series. Box’s plotting is always workmanlike—not outstanding but good. However, he generates much of the tension in his novels by putting Joe’s family in danger; he does it again with this book, and it’s a tired-out device.

There are two things that lift this series above the average: Box’s exploration of New West issues, such as environmentalism and land and wildlife management, and his lyrical descriptions of the Wyoming high country.

There is an issue here—the passing on of large family ranches in the third generation. And while that’s central to the plot, it isn’t of riveting show more an interest as his treatment of other issues has been.

But as usual, he comes through with his ability to pass on to the reader his love of and feel for waking up in the morning to a spectacular sunrise, what happens during too much rain too soon, the beauty of the high mountains. It’s a real gift and more than compensates for his rather ordinary prose in other respects.

However, keeping the interest going: box introduces the new governor of Wyoming, a definite iconoclast whose very personal way of being governor is absolutely fascinating. He’s so well done as a character, that I am going to look up the current, real Wyoming governor to see if Box has based his fictional one on the real thing. If not—Governor Rulon is a great addition to the book and to the series.

This is not a book I would recommend on its own merits; I think it’s only valuable to those fans of the series who want to keep up with Joe and what is happening in his (and Box’s) beloved Wyoming. show less

Another pretty good outing for Fish and Game ranger Joe Pickett. The formula of family in danger and Joe skirting or exceeding legality is getting a little tired. Indications of a job change will maybe stir things up.