In Plain Sight

Purchased what I thought was a C. J. Box book and got some dreg by Emma Holly

Wyoming Game warden Joe Picket reports to a man with whom he does not get along in a town whose sheriff likes having the persona of a "Western Lawman" without having to bother with enforcing the law. The power in the town is the Scarlett family and matriarch Opal Scarlett is missing leaving the two of the sons literally fighting over ownership of the ranch and the town members forced to take sides. The greater threat is J.W. Keeley who blames Picket for the death of his brother, sister-in-law and daughter, and Keeley is out for revenge. This is a story of conflict on multiple levels and is superbly done. It's not just the conflict of the good guy against the bad guy, but Joe against his boss, doing what is right versus what is expedient, being who he is versus who others might like him to be, doing what is just versus what is legal. Even in the story, a character is advised not to underestimate Joe and that is exactly the way Box has conveyed him; as someone who is not powerful or successful, but rock solid and dependable as time. In addition to strong characters, Box creates excellent sense of place and knows how to build suspense. For me, this was an excellent book in a series I recommend reading in order.

Joe Pickett is just the most decent guy and you wish he was your friend and neighbor. I love these books, but as usual I have consumed it in one sitting and now I have to wait a year for the next one. How can you not be rivited by a book with an opening paragraph that has three brothers fighting it out "with shovels"? I have relatives like this. I could hardly get off the first page for laughing. Sure do wish you would come to the Carolinas for a book signing.

C. J. Box's novels featuring Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett have a richness about them while being infused throughout with a sense of truth, capturing at once both the tranquility and sudden violence that one encounters in nature at all of its levels. Box's presentation is evenhanded --- those with business or environmental concerns will find both support and opposition for either position --- and never gets in the way of his own story, which at its most basic is about the ongoing struggle of a good man interacting with the quiet evil around him. Pickett is a bit of an Everyman. He's not so much an underachiever as a man with limited talents and gifts, shortcomings balanced by determination and a sense of right and wrong that never falters. He's the antithesis of a political animal, and while that is not necessarily a shortcoming in the real world, it is the kiss of death for anyone who ostensibly seeks a career in government service. This stark reality is brought to the foreground within the pages of IN PLAIN SIGHT, the latest of the Pickett novels. IN PLAIN SIGHT proceeds along twin tracks, both of which involve Pickett and will dramatically affect his future. The first concerns the wealthy Scarlett family, a long-established presence in rural Colorado whose influence extends to the state capital in Denver and beyond. The sudden disappearance of Opal Scarlett, the family matriarch, sparks the already-smoldering feud between Arlen and Hank Scarlett, two of her three adult sons. Arlen and Hank are successes in their respective rights, and both see themselves as the heir apparent to the family fortune and influence. Wyatt, the third son, is buffeted between his two brothers, outclassed intellectually and emotionally, but is not without primitive, unexpected resources of his own. When the local community begins taking sides, Pickett finds himself caught uneasily in the middle --- not only between the warring Arlen and Hank but also between local law enforcement and Randy Pope, Pickett's boss and adversary. Pope, in particular, is riding herd on Pickett, inflicting upon him the governmental equivalent of "the death of a thousand cuts" in the hope that he'll eventually quit or give cause to fire him. Meanwhile, there is a dangerous and malevolent force that has visited the area in the form of John Wayne Keeley, a homicidal sociopath whose motivation for living is a seething anger fueled by his desire for revenge against Pickett for what he believes are wrongs occasioned by Pickett against his family. When Keeley quietly and expertly interjects himself into the midst of the Scarlett family dispute, Pickett suddenly finds himself under attack from a seemingly invisible foe who has no limits with respect to what he is capable of doing. As events move forward and intersect on their way to an apocalyptic ending, Pickett must marshal what few resources he has, not only to save himself but also to preserve those whom he holds most dear. Often outclass

Spring has finally arrived in Saddlestring but Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett is not a happy man. With a new democratic governor in charge of the state, Joe now has to report directly to the agency director Randy Pope. The two men don't get along and Pope is doing everything in his power to make Joe's life miserable and has ultimate goal is to find a way to fire him. More trouble is coming to town in the form of J.W. Keeley who, just been released from prison, committed murder and grand theft auto. He blames Joe for the death of his sister in law and his daughter, and intends to make the law enforcement official pay. He takes advantage of the feud between the brothers Hank and Arlen Scarlett who are fighting over ownership of the family ranch since their mother Opal disappeared or was murdered. Keeley is hiding is plain sight and is doing a great job of instilling fear in the Pickett family. Joe knows someone is after him and he intends to hunt that person down even if it costs him his job and his life. C.J. Box has a special kind of talent that he imbues in his police procedurals. He is able to touch the heart of readers through his protagonist who cares passionately about the family, land and wildlife. Pickett refuses to play politics which gets him in trouble with the director yet it is his straight shooting that allows him to be effective in his job. This mystery is totally awesome due to brilliant characterizations and a tense down home storyline. Harriet Klausner