Finished 8-31-11, rating 3.5/5, mystery, 278 pages, pub. 2001

Book 1 in the Joe Pickett series

Joe lived, but it wasn’t something he was particularly proud of.  It was now fall and Sunday morning dawned slate gray and cold.  He was making pancakes for his girls when he first heard of the bloody beast who had come down from the mountains and tried to enter the house during the night.

Chapter 1 

Joe Pickett is a stand up guy.  He has a loving wife and two little girls with another baby on the way and he has his dream job as a Wyoming Game Warden.  When a dead man shows up in his wood pile, a man Joe has a history with, Joe wants to know why even if the local cops don’t seem to care.  When more hunters end up dead Joe knows something is up, but he’s hampered at every turn of his investigation.

Saddlestring is a small town that has seen better times.  Jobs have been lost and a potential pipeline through the town could mean big bucks.  Joe knows this but remains a man of principle.  He is easy to like and unlike some characters in mysteries who have to do bad things they never thought they’d do, Joe remains a steady and predictable character.  I like him a lot.  And his older daughter Sheridan is a great kid who is wise beyond her years, but not too much so that she doesn’t make kid mistakes.

I’ve never been to Wyoming but this book made me feel like I was there.  I’ve never hunted either, but I was immersed into that life for a while.  This book captured this atmosphere perfectly for me, which is great because I picked it up for the States Challenge.

I’ve read a few bloggers who really like this series and I admit I’m on the fence about recommending it.  I liked it, but don’t really have any desire to read any more of the series.  I think if this region appeals to you then the series might be a better fit.

This was from my personal library.