Joe Pickett Fan Alert: Where to Start With C.J. Box

Open Season is the first book in the prolific Joe Pickett series, which is why it’s a must-read for those looking to get started with C.J. Box.

It introduces Joe, a new, no-nonsense game warden in Twelve Sleep, Wyoming, who has just found a local hunting outfitter dead in his backyard. He’s had run-ins with this outfitter before, but that doesn’t mean that Joe is okay with the easy explanation offered by the local police, especially considering other outfitters have been going down like flies. 

Joe begins his own investigation, but quickly discovers that the outfitter who died on his wood pile has also left Joe another gift: an endangered species that was originally thought to be extinct is now living in that wood pile.

But if word got out about the species’ existence, it would halt all operations of InterWest, a multi-national natural gas company, coming to Wyoming. The closer Joe gets to solving this case, the closer he gets to destroying everything important to him. 

The first in another C.J. Box series, Back of Beyond is about Cody Hoyt, is both a brilliant cop and a struggling alcoholic. Two months into his sobriety, Cody’s sponsor, 14-years-sober Hank Winters is found burned to death in a remote cabin.

Everyone is convinced this is the act of an addict who fell off the wagon, but Cody knows better, and one close look at the crime scene makes foul play incredibly apparent. Cody’s bad behavior with his department puts him in no position to be investigating this case, but Hank is a good friend, so he goes off to investigate on his own. 

The investigation leads him to an outfitter-led multi-day tourist horseback trip around the remote corners of Yellowstone National Park. Among the tourists are Cody’s son Justin and a 14-year-old girl named Gracie Sullivan, an intelligent but awkward loner who is beginning to suspect that someone in their party is dangerous.

The investigation turns into a fatal cat-and-mouse game as Cody journeys into the forest to stop the killer from taking everything from him. 

Shots Fired is a collection of 10 short stories that show off Box’s genius storytelling and world-building skills. It includes three stories that had never been previously published—and four of the ten stories are Joe Pickett short stories.

It ends with the title story, “Shots Fired”, which is a Joe Pickett story about his investigation into the radio call referred to in the title that almost ends up being the last thing Joe ever does.

Additional stories contained in this riveting collection:

• “One-Car Bridge”
• “Pirates of Yellowstone”
• “The End of Jim and Ezra”
• “The Master Falconer”
• “Every Day Is a Good Day on the River”
• “Pronghorns of the Third Reich”
• “Dull Knife”
• “Le Sauvage Noble” ("The Noble Savage")
• “Blood Knot”
• “Shots Fired: A Requiem for Ander Esti”

In a different vein from Box’s western stories, Three Weeks to Say Goodbye focuses on Jack and Melissa McGuane, who, after trying for years to have a baby, have finally had a successful adoption of a little girl named Angelina.

But nine months after her adoption, they get a call that ruins everything: Angelina’s teenage biological father never signed away his parental rights…and he wants Angelina back. 

And to make matters worse, his father is a ruthless Denver judge who is not afraid to use every loophole to their advantage. The McGuanes meet them in person in an attempt to talk it out, but it becomes apparent very quickly that love for Angelina is not the motivation behind them wanting her back.

A disgusting game of intimidation and double-crossing ensues, and quickly becomes a death spiral where no one is safe and everyone is suspect, only encouraging Jack and Melissa to protect Angelina at all costs, whatever it takes…

One of Box’s most beloved works, Blue Heaven is a standalone novel that is an incredibly fast-paced thriller, spanning over just 48 hours. It focuses on 12-year-old Annie and her younger brother William, who are on the run in the woods of North Idaho.

They’re trying to escape four retired Los Angeles cops who they’ve just seen commit murder. But the problem is, not only have they convinced the gullible sheriff to let them lead the search for the missing children, but the murderers also know exactly where their mother is—and they’re not afraid to take her down too. 

Annie and William are unexpectedly saved by an old-school rancher on the brink of foreclosure. But Jess Rawlins knows he needs allies, but where he’s surrounded by ranchettes who are complete strangers to him, finding people to trust will be quite a daunting task.

Delivering twists and turns until the very last page, Box sees to it that the urgency prevails until you’re done reading. 

This is an award-winning Joe Pickett story that ends with a showdown between man and nature.

The governor of Wyoming tasks Joe with taking a tech baron on an elk hunting trip. But as Joe and his high-profile companion reluctantly tromp through the woods, they discover a man-hunter is coming after them, looking for revenge. 

With no weapon, no horse, and no way to communicate, Joe has to rely solely on his knowledge of the outdoors to keep himself and his partner alive.

Meanwhile, Joe’s best friend, Nate Romanowski, and his daughter, Sheridan, find out Joe is in danger, and they follow him into the woods.  

Another Joe Pickett favorite, this time, Joe is asked to leave his district briefly to help join the rescue efforts for the victim of a grizzly attack.

One survivor of the attack begins to tell a ludicrous story, but just as Joe is suspecting that the attack is not quite what it seems, a personal event drives Joe back to his district. 

Someone attempted to shoot a prominent local judge from a seemingly impossible distance. The judge was not hit, but his wife was severely wounded; and the suspected culprit? Joe’s best friend and new father, Nate Romanowski.

Now Joe has to clear Nate’s name, find the real shooter, and clear up the grizzly bear business before time runs out. 

Another novel in the Dewell series, Paradise Valley focuses on Cassie Dewell’s three-year hunt for the Lizard King. He’s a long-haul trucker who preys on the truck stop “lot lizard” prostitutes, and she almost caught him…once. 

She and the rest of the Bakken County, North Dakota sheriff’s department lured him into a depot where there were half a dozen undercover officers, Cassie’s fiance Ian included, ready to take him in. But the plan went horribly awry, and Cassie ended up losing her job. 

Meanwhile, Kyle Westergaard, a troubled kid that Cassie has taken under her wing, has disappeared. He tells everyone he is going on a long-planned adventure, but Kyle’s grandmother begs Cassie to go find him.

So while planning a new Lizard King trap, she takes this investigation on too. No allies, no support, and only her wits to rely on, Cassie sets out; but Kyle’s disappearance may be more telling than anyone realizes.

Can she take down this killer alone? 

An enthralling and heartwarming read for Joe Pickett fans, Joe Pickett is the story of all things Joe; his childhood, his family, the motivations behind his career choice, and more.

In it, Joe's daughter Sheridan persuades Joe to let her tag along on a poaching investigation during Thanksgiving dinner.

As they get ready to leave, Sheridan shares that she is writing a school essay about her father, so she needs all the information she can get.