Open Season (Joe Pickett #1) by C.J. Box


Looks like I've got a new series to read!

Published in 2001.

After reading rave reviews for another C.J. Box book on Amazon.com, I decided to give the series a try. So, I found the first one, Open Season, and gave it a chance.

In spite of being able to tell who the bad guys were from the first 75 pages (including motivations), this is one heck of a good story. The characters are interesting. Joe Pickett is as likable of a protagonist as you can imagine and his job is interesting. The descriptions of the countryside are also quite vivid and easy to imagine. The drama is real and visceral. The conversations don't sound forced or contrived.

In short, despite being a first novel, this is really very, very good, in spite of the transparent plot. Maybe even because of it - I could see the big climax coming from a mile away but the entire time I was wondering how bad it would be when it happened.

I rated this book 5 stars out of a possible 5 stars.

 This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Open Season (A Joe Pickett Novel)

Reviewed June 24, 2010.

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