A great novel. The first I’d read in the joe Pickett series but I’ll look out for the others. Exciting storyline with plenty of mystery and intrigue

Absolutely brilliant thriller with a fabulous plot which I could not put down. Brilliant characters, and twists and turns. Highly recommend to other fans of this genre!!

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc, which I have enjoyed reading.
Long Range, like all the Joe Pickett series by C J Box is a tremendous read. You have all the descriptions of the Montana area and the wildlife living in the area, which is totally different from the world of the majority of his readers. Then you have the characters that appear regularly in his books. Joe and his family, including his mother in law and Nate and his family. I have read all of CJ Box’s books, including his stand alone novels and even now I cannot believe I am totally engrossed, time after time by the life and times of a game warden. That is the power of a storyteller who is a grandmaster of his class.
Highly recommended.

C J Box at his best.

Wyoming game warden, Joe Pickett, had almost reached the spot where a bear had attacked and killed a local elk-hunting guide when his mobile rang telling him to return immediately to Twelve Sleep County. The judge’s wife was in a critical condition after being shot in what looked like an attempted assassination of the judge.

Nate Romanowski is warned by an FBI agent that he on the hit list of the Sinaloa Cartel after he’d help take down the Wolf Pack. Nate has only recently married and has a baby daughter. He and his wife are running a commercial falconry business.

The investigation into the shooting of Judge Hewitt’s wife forces Joe Pickett to work with the new county sheriff, Brendan Kapelow. This is going to prove to be a nightmare investigation for Joe. Joe asks Nate to help him find where the actual shooting took place. Discovering this vital piece of information is not sufficient. Trying to find out the identity of the perpetrator is going to take more than Joe’s expertise as his investigation is continuously interfered with by members of the team the judge has put together.

I love the Joe Pickett series. CJ Box has a beautiful way of writing so that you, the reader, can feel part of the action and the beautiful countryside where this action takes place. If like me, you’ve read most of the series, the joy is catching up with all the other characters in Joe’s life, his wife and daughters and of course his friendship with Nate, his new wife and baby daughter. I think it’s one series, where one could so easily go back to the first book and re-read them because they all have brilliant plots, and so much more.

Rony

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.

I'll be short: this is a great instalment in a great series. It's as enjoyable and entertaining as usual and I loved what I read.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Long Range is the twentieth instalment in the game warden and law enforcement officer Joe Pickett series, set in Twelve Sleep Country, Wyoming, United States. Each of the books can be read standalones without any issue but this is such a cracking series it's difficult to see why you would choose to miss out on all of the other spectacular stories which were just as thrilling as this was. When Joe Pickett is asked to join the rescue efforts for the victim of a startling grizzly attack, he reluctantly leaves his district behind. One survivor of the grizzly's rampage tells a bizarre story, but just as Joe begins to suspect the attack is not what it seems, he is brought home by an emergency on his own turf. Someone has targeted a prominent local judge, shooting at him from a seemingly impossible distance. While the judge was not hit, his wife is severely wounded, and it is up to Joe to find answers--and the shooter.

The search for the would-be assassin becomes personal when Joe's best friend, Nate Romanowski just as he's adjusting to the arrival of his first child--falls under suspicion for the crime. It's a race against the clock as Joe tries to clear Nate's name and identify the real shooter, all while deciphering the grizzly encounter. Beset by threats both man-made and natural, the two men must go to great lengths to keep their loved ones safe. The scariest thing about all of this is he appears to have nothing left to lose meaning he is extremely dangerous and unpredictable.

The story opens with a satisfying bang and to my surprise barely let-up the entire way along making it a rollicking, stellar read and one with more twists and turns than spaghetti junction. The scenic, richly-rendered locations throughout the states of Wyoming and Montana were truly exquisite and were ever so vibrantly depicted; I could literally vividly transport myself there in my mind. I view Mr Box as really quite underrated in the UK and he absolutely shouldn't be if his ability to produce books with taut plots, superb characterisation and heart-pounding tension is anything to go by. It is a thoroughly riveting, highly entertaining, and fast and furious all-action adventure and with a satisfying denouement to boot. A cracking read and truly captivating stuff; roll-on number twenty-one. If you enjoy your crime fictionpace and frenrtic with plenty of excitement and a likeable hero, you cannot go wrong. Many thanks to Head of Zeus for an ARC.

This is an ever improving series of books. Joe Pickett is a really likeable character and book 20 in the series is just as fresh as the first one. You can't fail to enjoy the adventures of Joe and Nate and this is one of the best to date. With a grizzly bear killer, the murder of a judge's wife and the beautifully described settings of Wyoming and Montana, this is another winner for C J Box. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

I have read every Joe Pickett book and loved each and every one of them. Joe is a highly principled and dedicated game warden in Wyoming who has to cope with occasional unlicensed and unprincipled game hunters and other ne’er-do-wells he encounters. He also has to to deal with officialdom which doesn’t sit well with him. C J Box is a brilliant writer, describing the beauty of the area and the animals Joe watches over as well as the hard and brutal scenes he is called to and the crimes he has to investigate.
The characters in his books, which include his family, his friend Nate, a falconer with a ‘past’, the local law enforcement etc., as well as the criminals, are so well described that you can ‘see’ them in your head.
The stories just pull you in and make you want to read the book at every spare moment - I’m always wanting to know what happens at the end, but dread the end coming!
I recommend all of the Joe Pickett books to you.

Joe Pickett, Wyoming games warden is on his way up the mountain to secure the body of a hunter killed by a bear when he is urgently called home because of the attempted murder of Judge Hewitt.
And all that happens in the first few pages!
I still cannot pinpoint why I enjoy this series of books so much. It could be because the main character is an honest hardworking family man – or the description of the beautiful scenery – the exciting storylines or the well-drawn characters. It certainly is not the violence both of nature and that caused by man. It must be the great story telling.
If you have not read this series before they can be read in any order , but best to start at the

Joe Pickett , a Wyoming game warden, is out on horseback with 2 other members of the Predator Attack Team trying to find an injured elk-hunting guide, who has been mauled by a bear. With them is the guides’ client who was with him when he was attacked. But to Joe and the other 2, there’s something not quite right with the mans story. However, Joe is called back to his base, at the insistence of the state governor, to assist with a shooting at Judge Hewitts’ home.

Nate Romanowski, a falconer, is settling into being a first time father; ex special forces, his name comes up as a suspect for this shooting, due to his prowess with long range rifles. He is also being targeted by someone who wants him dead, as revenge for an incident where an assassination team was itself wiped out. Joe and Nate have been friends for years, so when Nate is arrested, Joe sets off to find the real killer, aided by his wife, Marybeth.

This is the latest in a long list of Joe Pickett books, and although it helps to have read previous ones, this is still a stand alone read. The writing is very well done, very descriptive and with fully rounded characters. The story is fast paced, with enough twists and turns to keep your interest, and some surprising ones. My only slight criticism would be Nates dealing with his would be killer which feels a bit rushed towards the end. However, I still really loved it, and would give it 4 1/2 stars.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.