I’m a long-time C.J. Box fan of his Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett novels. BATTLE MOUNTAIN is one of the better books in the excellent series. I want to say it flows like silk, but I’m not sure what that means. The novel has two storylines (three if you count an important supporting storyline involving Joe’s wife, Marybeth, his daughter, Sheridan, and a young child, Kestrel). This is the second consecutive novel I’ve read in which the series’ central character stars in the secondary storyline while another character dominates the main storyline. Joe’s falconer friend, the sometimes-violent Nate Romanowski (with his running buddy Geronimo Jones), takes the lead in this main story before the two storylines merge. Joe Pickett’s story begins when the Wyoming governor asks (orders?) Joe to locate his missing son-in-law, Mark Eisele, who he cajoled into working with a well-respected hunting guide. The governor wants Joe to find his son-in-law before the governor’s wife and daughter find out Mark is missing. Mark and the hunting guide were last known to be setting up a hunting camp in southern Wyoming. What readers know, but Joe doesn’t, is that the hunting guide has been murdered and Mark Eisele has been taken hostage (by bad people). Joe enlists the help of a relatively new game warden whose district is where the men went missing. Their main search area is on and around Battle Mountain. Meanwhile, Nate Romanowski and Geronimo Jones, unbeknownst to Joe Pickett, search the Battle Mountain area for Axel Soledad (who was the featured villain in earlier novels) with the intent to kill him. Axel, you see, committed the unpardonable sin of brutally murdering Nate’s wife. What neither Nate nor Joe know for a long time is there’s a secluded resort on the eastern slope of Battle Mountain called the B-Lazy-U Ranch where, annually, rich and powerful businessmen, politicians and military elites (called the Centurians; or as Joe Pickett calls them, “big muckety mucks”) gather. They happen to be meeting while Joe and Nate are also on Battle Mountain. The villain, Axel Soledad, has gathered a group of anti-government types on Battle Mountain. One subgroup consists of young civilian activists who are in way over their heads. Members of the other subgroup are veterans of foreign wars who feel betrayed by politicians and upper-echelon military brass. Axel’s group’s goal is to invade and kill as many of the Centurians as possible. At some point, Joe, Nate, Axel and the Centurians arrive at a bloody climax on Battle Mountain (which explains the novel’s title). BATTLE MOUNTAIN is a fast-moving story that flows seamlessly. There is violence. My rating – 5 stars.

I have been anticipating this book for over four months and the wait was well worth it. C.J. Box has written another fantastic story! From the opening pages to the end, this book has all the elements a reader wants: mystery, thriller, intrigue, suspense, and all supported by a list of nefarious characters who just won’t behave. Nate Romanowski is on a tear to find Alex Soledad, an evil and downright scoundrel who murdered Nate’s wife, Liv. And if you’re not familiar with Nate, he is someone who is relentless and lethal about reaching his target. Nate has a connection to his falcons like no other; and this novel showcases that well without going overboard. As Nate moves toward his target, you suspect Joe Pickett will end up in Nate’s crosshairs. But you will momentarily put that aside because you will be caught up wondering if a lot of people will be ambushed and murdered before the killers can be stopped. There are a lot of moving parts in Battle Mountain, and C.J. Box keeps things moving at a fast pace. And because of C.J.’s ability to move through the story at such a clip, I couldn’t find a dead spot in it. My only problem with this novel is FBI Agent Orr. He’s near retirement and has no authority, so I didn’t think he served a real purpose. C.J. would have fared well had he made Agent Orr a real problem for Nate. Even though you can read this as a standalone, you might appreciate it more if you read Three-Inch Teeth first. Battle Mountain is a sequel to it. Battle Mountain has turned out to be one of C.J. Box’s best! This novel Does. Not. Disappoint.

I've read almost every book in C.J. Box's Joe Pickett series, and this is one of the best. It has a compelling plot, excellent characterizations, tight writing, and lots of action. It also features the usual Pickett family dynamic that is one of the best parts of the series. Joe, his wife Marybeth and daughter Sheridan all play important parts in the story, and their morality and integrity are always a plus. Sometimes when action converges in one place at the end of a book, as it does here in Battle Mountain, it seems forced or too coindidental. Here two separate plot lines converge believably--Joe trying to find the son of his friend, Governor Rulon, a techie trying a new turn as a hunting guide, and his pal Nate Romanoski trying to track down his wife's murderer, Axel Soledad. I didn't enjoy Box's last book, Three Inch Teeth, which featured an unbelievable mechanical device that killed Nate's wife, but it did provide the setup for this much better novel. The reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is a few minor quibbles. The ending to a great story was a little too quick. Box wraps things up nicely, but it seems a little rushed and could've done with a postscript...after all, the catastrophe that was averted was the elimination of most of the top leaders of the military industrial compex. And Box's political leanings are becoming more apparent. I'm sensing he is sympathetic to the frustrations and disappointments of the anti-government, far right crowd, if not their methods. He had some ridiculous stereotypes of the activist "hippies" who joined Soledad's operation--purple hair, nose rings, almond milk. At one point, one of his angry vets refers to "shithole countries." He needs to be careful here not to go to far and lose a segment of his audience that will find those views distasteful.

Another fab Joe Pickett book - and Nate of course

Okay, that's it again. Finished reading book #25 "Battle Mountain". The development of the story was a bit slow, but this time from about 60-65% (I'm a Kindle reader) the story really picked up speed. Exciting as always. I enjoyed it. Now it's another year of waiting for book #26. What I always regret is that I can't attend readings because I live in Germany. Best wishes across the big water. The bottom line is a spoiler. -- No cliffhanger this time.

The great series continuous

A work of fiction that I’m certain could happen in real life, which is equal parts terrifying and mystifying…why would all those high ranking officials gather in one place at the same time….however, it made for a damn good story and I’m sorry that I finished the book so quickly. The Joe Pickett series is all I’ve read for the past 6 months…I’m going to miss him til his next adventure.

嬉しいことに猟区管理官ジョー・ピケットを虐め抜いた一時の知事アレンが失脚し、馴染みのルーロンが帰り咲いた。早速だが、とルーロンの義理の息子マーク・アイスリーがハンティングガイドの研修中にバトルマウンテンの森で消息を絶ったので、とジョーに知事が個人的に頼み込んだ。断れないジョーは不案内の土地に出かけた。先方の若い猟区管理官スーザン・ケイニーは快く迎えてくれたが保安官のレーガンは元々ルーロンと仲が悪くジョーも苦労する。一方ジョーの親友鷹匠のネイト・ロマノウスキーは愛妻を殺したアレクセル・ソレダードを追ってたまたま同じ土地へ入り込んでいた。マーク・アイスリーを巡ってアレクセル・ソレダード、ジョー・ピケット、ネイト・ロマノウスキーの行動が絡み合う。親友同士が別々の行動をしつついずれ合体するというプロットは「またそれか」と言いそうだが、そこにはFBI特別捜査官が介入したり、ナイーブな環境保護団体の若者たちが犠牲になったり、ジョーの愛娘シェリダンが色を添えたり、とシリーズファンを飽きさせない。やっぱり楽しかった。