Force of Nature (A Joe Pickett Novel)

In this 12th edition of author C.J. Box’s long running Joe Pickett series we find that instead of the plot focusing on the hapless game warden and his needy family the plot features the Pickett family friend Nate Romanowski. For those not familiar with the Pickett universe Nate is a former special ops dude/master falconer and fugitive from the FBI who lives off the grid and likes to carry (and use) large caliber revolvers and provides Ninja support when Joe is in trouble (which is frequently). “Force of Nature” finds Nate living off the grid out in the wilds of Wyoming hunting with his peregrine falcon. He’s on edge since one of his old associates from the special ops days disappears and a failed attempt to kill him resulted in the death of his girlfriend Alisha. Later on when three shady locals try to take him out he knows that his mysterious former boss from the ultra-covert Mark V Peregrines is coming for him to protect a dark secret from their past. Meanwhile, Joe is saddled with a new game warden trainee and deals with the usual family drama at home. As I’ve written in reviews of the preceding 11 Pickett books this series is not my favorite work by Mr. Box (his “Highwayman” novels are far better) but my wife likes them so I keep buying them for her. Joe is kind of a sad sack who makes an unlikely hero. Game Wardens are about one rung above meter maids in the law enforcement hierarchy so the misadventures Joe gets involved in are so far outside his lane that it’s just laughable. He’s also managed to alienate or p.o. every law enforcement agency in the state as well as the feds by sticking his nose into places where he shouldn’t and he does this repeatedly. His desire to do what’s right is admirable but honestly by now this ‘Dudley Do-right’ would be fired or dead. I’m not a big fan of the larger than life Nate Romanowski character so “Force of Nature” was not destined to by my book of the year but the story is serviceable enough. Box knows how to spin a yarn and he is very skilled at keeping up the pace so readers don’t lose interest. He does make a major error in describing Joe stuck in a snowbound pickup truck “catching the sharp whiff of carbon monoxide through his heating vents”; pretty impressive since carbon monoxide is odorless, colorless, and tasteless. This book has some pretty grisly scenes such as falcons slaughtering ducks at 200 mph, or Nate ripping apart said ducks with his bare hands to prepare them for dinner, or talk about a guy sawing a child’s face off with piano wire, which is beyond the usual arrow impalements or head exploding .50 caliber shootings. If you’re sensitive to graphic depictions of violence, you have been warned. The big climactic showdown is exciting enough and as expected Joe winds up injured, but not fatally of course. The enigmatic Nate Romanowski though wounded lives to fight another day as well so Nate lovers rejoice. In Dec 2021 a Joe Pickett TV series was released by some obscure streaming service; the trailer looks like it has potential. Joe appears to be portrayed as an even bigger doofus than in the books, Marybeth is now a former lawyer, and Nate is no longer a blond ponytailed, blue eyed ‘Viking’ but is Black. Internet rumors suggest a second season is possible so hardcore Pickett fans might want to check it out.

I've been hooked on CJ Box since his first Joe Pickett book and this latest didn't disappoint. Won't go into the plot summary, since other reviews have done that far better than I could, so I'll touch on a few of the things I most enjoyed about this one. First and foremost: the suspense. I have a certain love/hate relationship with these book: I love them, but sometimes I hate turning the page, because I'm so filled with dread. There's something about Box's simple prose that serves to heighten the suspense--the spare quality of the writing not only matches the nature of the American West but also serves to put the reader's focus solely on the action. There's an immediacy to the pacing that also serves to keep the pages turning. I also love that Nate Romanowski is central to this story. Without spoilers, we find out finally how his mysterious past turned him into the reclusive enigma he is when Joe Pickett first met him, and we see him resolve some of the issues, albeit in a way that will surely have consequences in future books. That leads to the second strength of this book, and the rest of this books: they're written in, as CJ Box has said, "real time". The events in this book happen roughly a year after the events in "Cold Wind", and whatever happens in the next installment will presumably take place around a year from the final scene in this book. So characters and their relationships grow and change realistically, and there are threads that still dangle that the next book will pick up--I like it when a book doesn't tie up every last detail, because life never does and sometimes fiction can feel too neat and pat. Characterization, which is one of Box's strong suits, is as solid as always. He writes family life exceptionally well. Joe doesn't solve his crimes in an emotional vacuum in any of the books, including this one. The stresses of his personal life affect him and influence his decision-making. There's not a lot of mystery/thrillers out there that include that a protagonist who is a strong family man, and it's always something I've appreciated about the Joe Pickett character. His family life isn't quite so turbulent this time, which is probably just as well considering how much stress Nate brings to the party in this book. Finally, some of Joe's more humorous quirks, including (and this might be a very mild spoiler) a certain recurring, um, vehicular issue, are present and accounted for this time around.So a solid read, filled with all the good things about Joe Pickett novels that we who love them have come to expect. I bought the Kindle edition and it had a few little glitchy typos, nothing too distracting but it and the fact that there wasn't much of Tube in this novel--I adore that goofy dog--kept me from giving this the full 5-star treatment. But the characterization, suspense, action and explosive ending were all spot on.

A well written book. Gripping reading. A book you will not want to put down. Cannot wait to read more from this writer

ジョー・ピケット シリーズだが、今回は無二の友人で法律の外で過ごす「ネイト・ロマノフスキー」が主役を勤める。自然のなかで鷹と共に暮らすネイトは突然3人の刺客に襲われ、手傷を負いながらも返り討ちにする。わけがわからないまま次々にネイトの知り合いが襲われ、かつての特殊部隊の仲間に狙われていることに気づき、ジョー一家にすぐ逃げるように告げたが、ジョーは友人を見捨てることができず単身車を駆って山の中を応援にでかける。ワイオミングの大自然を愛情たっぷりにおおらかに描写する作者だが、今回はネイトの戦歴からしょうがないにしても人がばたばた死に、サスペンスとしては一級品だがいつものしっとり感が得られず、ファンとして我儘ではあるがすこし辛めの星３つとした。

Good fast reading, ? The 9/11 story. Sounds like great country side to visit sometime in the future. A different lifestyle depicted and well explained.

loved it

Great as always right up till the end.