Endangered, the latest
Joe Pickett novel by C. J. Box is the best yet of the series.
There are all the right ingredients: a realistic plot, well
developed characters, a vivid setting, clear prose and ratcheting
tension. Box merges detailed descriptions of Wyoming’s
landscape, western culture, and the personal drama regarding
Pickett’s family into a thrilling action packed novel.
There are three storylines that appear autonomous, but at
the end are weaved together brilliantly. The first is related
to environmental issues and government overreach. Box made
it very clear what could happen to a state’s economy
when the Federal Government decides to put a bird, in this
case the sage grouse, on the endangered species list. Besides
having to deal with a personal tragedy Joe must outwit the
Federal Bureau of Land Management, officials of the US Fish
and Wildlife Service.
The tragedy is the second storyline involving Pickett’s
adopted daughter April. After running away with the local
bad boy/rodeo cowboy Dallas Cates several months ago, she
is found beaten horrifically in a ditch along the Wyoming
highway. Joe suspects Dallas Cates but he and law enforcement
are thrown roadblocks by the Cates family, including the mother
who is manipulative and cunning. Box superbly writes how Joe
must tread the fine line between being a father and a law
enforcement officer. This storyline is relatable to any parent,
especially with the quote, “a parent’s worst nightmare.”
Box explained, “This is the first time in the series
where one of Joe’s daughters is severely injured in
a very violent way. I wanted parents to understand the tension
Joe must go through when receiving the phone call. I know
what my reaction would be. Like Gabby Giffords April had a
medically induced coma. I had a doctor give me their opinion
on how to write these scenes. People are put in a coma until
the brain swelling goes down. Sometimes they fully recover
and other times they could have brain damage. Readers will
find out what happens by the end of the book.”
The last sub-plot has a cameo appearance by Falconer, Nate
Romanowski. He is forced to cooperate with the FBI, being
used as bait to catch the billionaire gun for hire Wolfgang
Templeton. But this storyline involves more of Nate’s
girlfriend Liv Brannan who is being held captive by the Cates
family after Nate is critically shot. As these sub-plots intertwine
it becomes obvious Joe is intent on finding the truth behind
the killings of the birds, the attempted murder of Nate, the
beating of April, and the disappearance of Liv.
The general theme of the book is a Libertarian’s dream,
the overreach of the Federal Government. These few quotes
from the book hammer the point home: “We can do whatever
we want, we’re Government,” “That’s
why I hate explaining a business plan to a bureaucrat who’s
never worked in the private sector in his life,” and
“Nobody in a federal agency ever gets fired.”
Of course what comes to mind are the numerous scandals of
the Obama Administration.
Box noted, “The state’s rights versus the federal
government fuels many of my Pickett novels. Think about how
much of the western states lands are controlled by the federal
government. For example, 50% of Wyoming is federal land so
this state really does not have autonomy. There is a movement
going on that has started in Utah where the state legislatures
are demanding the Federal government sell their land back.
The quotes came out of my personal experiences with some government
employees who have the attitude that they can do anything
and never have to worry about losing their job. They start
to think of themselves as officials instead of what they truly
are, servants of the people. This attitude runs amuck now.
I wanted to show how a bad egg, maybe someone with a chip
on their shoulder, who works for the Federal Government can
make life hell for someone else.”
Endangered is a great read that is fast-paced, suspenseful,
and action-packed. Within the storyline readers can get a
glimpse of important issues that relate to the current day
as they take a journey along with the characters. A word of
warning, make some time to read this novel in one setting
because no one will want to put it down.
C. J. Box also gave a shout out about his up and coming books.
The next Joe Pickett novel will be centered on Nate Romanowski
and his attempt to free himself from the FBI’s control
while reuniting with Joe. Another book, out this summer, Badlands,
features a character, Cassie, from the last stand-alone novel,
The Highway. It takes place in North Dakota’s oil
fields and is described as a “modern Wild West,”
that includes the drug trade.
Reviews
of other titles in this series
Trophy
Hunt
#4
Cold
Wind #12
Shots
Fired (Short Stories)
Stone Cold #14 [review
1] [review
2]
Endangered #15[review
1] [review
2]
Vicious
Circle #16
Off
The Grid #17
Disappeared
#18
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