C. J. Box -- Blood Trail

Born in Casper, WY; Education: Graduated from the University of Denver, 1981. Addresses: Home: Cheyenne, WY. Office: Rocky Mountain International, P.O. Box 5031, 1815 Evans Ave., Cheyenne, WY 82003. Agent: Ann Rittenberg Literary Agency, 30 Bond St., New York, NY 10012. E-mail: cjbox@cjbox.net

C.J. Box, a native of Wyoming, is best known for his crime fiction series featuring the Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett. Blood Trail, Box's eighth "Joe Pickett" novel, "uses the conflict between pro-hunting and anti-hunting factions as the background for a story about hunters suddenly finding themselves on the wrong side of someone's high-powered rifle," declared James D. Watts, Jr., in his Tulsa World review. "When the body of a hunter is discovered field-dressed--gutted, skinned and decapitated, the way a deer might be--Pickett is brought in to investigate." …. "Box," declared a Publishers Weekly reviewer, "takes care to present both sides of the controversial issue of hunting." The author "always addresses a New West issue," Graff wrote in Booklist, "but there's something great about the way he's waited ... to tackle the one that would seem most obvious." "As usual, Box maintains the tension and action throughout," concluded Tampa Tribune reviewer Joe Guidry. "The bloody climate can't quite match the novel's captivating opening, but readers will finish Blood Trail ... eagerly awaiting the next."

Joe Pickett series:

Open Season (2001, #1)

Savage Run (2002, #2)

Winterkill (2003, #3)

Trophy Hunt (2004, #4)

Out of Range (2005, #5)

In Plain Sight (2006, #6)

Free Fire (2007, #7)

Blood Trail (2008, #8)

In the wake of an elk hunter's grisly murder, Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett is directed by the governor to investigate the relevance of a mysterious poker chip found at the crime scene.

Below Zero (2009, #9)

Nowhere to Run (2010, #10)

Cold Wind (2011, #11)

Force of Nature (2012, #12)

C. J. Box will be reading from his new book at the Belmont Library, 3/24/12 at 3:00.

Read-alikes from NoveList  for series:

Barr, Nevada  Anna Pigeon mysteries

Reason:  Anna Pigeon, a National Parks Ranger, and Joe Pickett, a game warden, solve mysteries in the context of the relationship between humans and the natural world.

McGarrity, Michael Kevin Kerney mysteries

Reason:  Joe Pickett and Kevin Kerney both solve their environmental mysteries in the Western U.S.

Krueger, William Kent  Cork O'Connor mysteries

Reason:  Joe Pickett and Cork O'Connor have a strong moral code and consider ethical treatment of the environment just as important as respect for one's fellow man.

Hamilton, Steve Alex McKnight mysteries

Reason:  C. J. Box and Steve Hamilton both write mystery stories in which the natural setting plays a large role and is therefore vividly described.

Ring, Raymond H.Henry Dyer mysteries

Reason:  Joe Pickett and Henry Dyer are both game wardens who solve mysteries

that threaten the wildlife in their care.

Rehder, Ben Blanco County, Texas novels

Reason:  The Joe Pickett Mysteries and the Blanco County, Texas Novels both have game wardens as protagonists, a strong sense of place, and stories that promote the protection of animals and nature.

Bowen, Peter Gabriel Du Pre mysteries

suggested by Janice; Gabriel Du Pre, a Metis Indian, in Toussaint, Montana, is a part-time sleuth.

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Stand-alone novels:

Blue Heaven (2008)

Three Weeks to Say Goodbye (2009)

Back of Beyond (2011)

The Highway (TBD)

Web site:  http://www.cjbox.net/

lists author appearances; books; blog; forum (and the author responds to many of the comments); interviews and photos