Out in the untamed Wyoming wilderness, there are only predators and prey. And Nate Romanowski is firmly in the former category in the opening pages of Battle Mountain, book 25 in CJ Box’s award-winning Joe Pickett series.
He is wading, thigh deep, in freezing North Piney Creek, dodging chunks of floating ice and wondering if he will ever feel his toes again. But Nate steadfastly puts all discomfort aside, his laser focus on only one thing – finally getting retribution for the death of his wife at the hands of Axel Soledad.
He is this close to achieving his goal, but after a brief and bloody gun battle Nate realises he has failed – again – and Soledad is once more free to formulate his latest nefarious plan. Crushed, Nate decides to take himself off grid and go back to nature for a while, with only his beloved hunting birds for company.
Fans of this series will know the back story between Nate, Soledad and Joe Pickett. If, like me, you are coming to it cold, then much of what went before is hinted at, which can leave you feeling a little like the new kid at school. Don’t be put off by this though, because soon CJ Box will have you hogtied and not about to leave this ride until the bitter end.
A new player in the game is FBI Special Agent Rick Orr, who is quickly at the site of Nate’s mass killing. He keeps his cards close to his chest, though. Does this guy have a secret agenda?
Talking of agendas, Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett is at the beck and call of state Governor Rulon. The pair have history, and Joe is summoned to the politician’s private jet for a meeting that doesn’t go in Joe’s favour.
He is soon reluctantly heading to Battle Mountain in the hope of finding Rulon’s son-in-law, Mark Eisele, who has vanished while working for an elk hunter there. Last the governor knows, the pair were heading out on a scouting recon, but nothing has been heard from them for more than a day. Rulon doesn’t trust the local law enforcement officers to do the job, and needs Joe to go there and find Eisele and Spike Rankin before his wife and daughter find out they are missing and make his life hell – after all, Rulon was the one who suggested Mark pair up with the hunter.
It’s Nate, though who takes centre stage in this tale, and when his friend and fellow falconer Geronimo Jones tracks him down to his secret hiding place, Nate is finally fired up to take on Soledad for one last, terrifying battle.
The narrative ducks and dives like a punch-drunk fighter as we follow developments with this pair, plus Joe Pickett and even Mark Eiseler. When they finally come together, expect action, shocks and plenty of blood. Amid the carnage, Box deftly weaves a compelling portrait of the Wyoming wilderness, from its wildlife and stunning views, to the area’s creeping battle with fentanyl addiction. At the novel’s very heart are the unbreakable bonds that friendship, family and loyalty bring to life.
After 25 novels in the series, you might give an author leeway to take their foot off the gas a little. Not CJ Box, who goes at it hell-for-leather, taking no prisoners in a book that goes from zero to 60 in two paragraphs or less. Readers who love to experience a sense of place will love this one, while fans of the action thriller won’t be disappointed either. Sleep deprivation could be on the cards though, because this author’s writing style will keep you reading, reading and reading until the final full stop.
Read our interview with Joe Pickett creator CJ Box here.
Head of Zeus
Print/Kindle/iBook
£5.03
CFL Rating: 5 Stars
