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Not often do readers pick up a writers first book and find themselves totally enthralled. CJ Box¹s book ³Open Season² does just that. The main character is Joe Pickett a poorly paid game warden in Wyoming. Joe is a family man with two small girls and a third child on the way. His family sometimes sees him and friends as perhaps a little slow because he thinks long and hard about things before he answers or reacts. He made a mistake early in his career by giving the governor of Wyoming a ticket for fishing and has never lived it down. Everything seems right in Joe¹s life until he has a confrontation with a big mountain of a man called Ote Keeley. Ote is a hunting guide and cannot afford to accept a ticket for hunting illegally. It will cost him his guide license. In the issuing argument Ote makes quite the fool out of Joe. Once more Joe must take ribbing from many of his cronies but this time he may face charges from his superiors as well. Time passes and things settle down until Joe¹s oldest daughter Sheridan, a precocious youngster is overheard telling her naïve sister a scary story about a bloody monster coming out of the canyon at night. When Joe confronts her and goes to investigate he finds Ote Kelley laying on his woodpile very bloody and very dead. In the investigation that follows Joe must find out who his true friends are and who he can trust. Poaching, politics and yes even sexual antics. Very slight I must add all mix it up. This book was highly enjoyable. I felt true empathy for Joe when his mistakes were made. Sheridan and her little sister Lucy were very well portrayed. Sheridan ends up playing a large role in the book and we learn to enjoy the little imps character. I hope that CK Box is indeed planning follow up books. There is a brief excerpt in the book for the next Joe Picket book called ³Savage Run². I will definitely be on the lookout for it and many more. Perhaps one of this readers top 10, nope make that 5 books for the year 2002.
Reviewed by Susan Johnson, July 2001
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