C.J. Box's Open Season is a rare debut mystery that "immediately sets itself apart from the crowd" (Booklist). This thrilling novel stars Joe Pickett, a game warden in Wyoming who finds his life in danger after he looks into a murder investigation and discovers a conspiracy involving an oil pipeline and its threat to an endangered species. "Box remains square on target throughout this superb debut."-Booklist
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"I enjoy this series based around a man who is a wildlife ranger. It melds crime mystery with the interesting backdrop of wild country not only is he solving crime but he is battling the elements. Each book develops the different characters of his family. This book introduces us to the characters that travel through the series. The narrator perfectly captures teh vice of the main character and makes it an enjoyable listening experience "
— RK (4 out of 5 stars)
“A great crime novel.”
— Lee Child“Open Season is a muscular first novel...Box writes as straight as his characters shoot, and he has a stand-up hero to shoulder his passionate concerns about endangered lives and liberties.”
— New York Times Book Review“Pickett [is] an engaging change from the fast-driving, trigger-happy male heroes of so many contemporary crime novels…Open Season offers several unexpected twists and is greatly enlivened by concise but heartfelt descriptions of the Wyoming landscape…a very promising debut.”
— Washington Post Book World“Intriguing, with a forest setting so treacherous it makes Nevada Barr’s locales look positively comfy, with a motive for murder that is as unique as any in modern fiction. Pickett is a refreshingly human and befuddled hero…But it’s Box’s offbeat way of telling the story that puts it on the best of the year track.”
— Los Angeles Times“A fascinating, well-scripted debut novel...It’s a classic tale of Wild West justice.”
— USA Today“An appealing first novel.”
— Boston Globe“The unusual setting and flawed characters make for an enlightening...suspenseful read.”
— New York Daily News“C. J. Box might represent an endangered species himself: a first novelist who is getting his due…Box’s book has it all—suspenseful plot, magnificent scenery, and a flawed male hero who is tough but truly connected to his family…profoundly memorable.”
— Boston Herald“[A] debut mystery to be savored...Joe Pickett is a modern-day Gary Cooper, soft-spoken and good-hearted...Box has created an enduring hero in Joe...Once you stake out Open Season, you won’t want to turn loose until the limit is bagged and the back cover is closed.”
— Jackson Clarion-Ledger“C. J. Box has written a fast-paced, intelligent mystery that draws us into the wide open spaces of Wyoming and introduces a memorable hero: Game Warden Joe Pickett, unwilling detective and a man with a conscience. A page-turner and a remarkable debut.”
— Margaret Coel, author of Buffalo Bill’s Dead Now“[A] superb debut...Without resorting to simplistic blacks and whites, Box fuses ecological themes, vibrant descriptions of Wyoming’s wonders and peculiarities, and fully fleshed characters into a debut of riveting tensions. Meet Joe Pickett: he’s going to be a mystery star.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Every few years a novel appears that immediately sets itself apart from the crowd...Taking dead aim with his first sentence...Box remains square on target throughout this nearly word-perfect debut...Best of all, the soft-spoken Joe Pickett is a Gary Cooper for our time.”
— Booklist (starred review)“A high-country Presumed Innocent that moves like greased lightning.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)" Very slow to get going, and then it improved. Nice characters, but I felt the story line was a bit weak "
— Kate Dayman, 4/23/2023" Great book for a long drive. Just a few characters so easy to follow along and not get confused. Will definitely continue this series. "
— StevenS, 11/29/2020" This is a great Cowboy mystery. Excellent character development and good story line. Working on his 2nd book now. "
— StevenS, 11/25/2020C. J. Box is the author of thirty books, including the Joe Pickett series and the Cassie Dewell series, and a story collection. His books have been translated into twenty-seven languages. He has won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, Gumshoe, and Barry awards, as well as the French Prix Calibre .38, and has been a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist. A Wyoming native, Box has also worked on a ranch and as a small-town newspaper reporter and editor. He is an executive producer of ABC TV’s Big Sky, which is based on his Cody Hoyt/Cassie Dewell novels, as well as executive producer of the Joe Pickett television series for Spectrum Originals.
David Chandler is an Earphones Award–winning narrator who has read numerous titles for New York Times bestselling authors William Kent Krueger and C. J. Box, among others.