C.J. Box, In Plain Sight

In Plain Sight

C.J. Box

Putnam, May 2006, $24.95, 320 pp.

ISBN 0399153608

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 his ultimate goal is to find a way to fire him.

More trouble is coming to town in the form of J.W. Keeley who, having 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 in 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.