FREE FIRE: A Joe Picket Novel
C. J. Box
Berkley Trade
Mystery
Hardcover: 0399154272
Paperback: 9780425221242

C. J. Box has quite a resume. The author of six previous novels, he is the recipient of the Anthony, Macavity, Gumshoe, Barry and French Calibre .38 awards; has been nominated for an Edgar Award; and was a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist. So why isn't Box a household name? He should be. Joe Pickett, his creation, is a much-less-than-invincible Wyoming game warden around whom no vehicle is safe and who seems to bring bad luck and misfortune to those around him.

About the highest praise I can give FREE FIRE, Box's latest, is that part of me wishes I had not read it so soon --- or so quickly --- as I will have to wait another year or so for a new C. J. Box novel. Three-quarters mystery and one-quarter western, FREE FIRE finds Pickett fired from his game warden job, working and living on his father-in-law's ranch. Part of Pickett's duties involve attempting to show his brother-in-law (a true waste of skin) the ropes; while the interludes involving this are brief, they do provide some comic relief to balance what is to follow.

Pickett's routine and life are upended when he receives an unexpected visit from Spencer Rulon, the governor of Wyoming. Rulon offers Pickett his game warden job back and an opportunity to investigate the circumstances of a multiple murder spree that took place in Yellowstone National Park. Clay McCann, an attorney of questionable reputation, slaughtered four people in an area of the park known as the free-fire zone. Though he has freely admitted to the killings, he cannot be prosecuted for them by either the state or federal government.

Pickett begins his investigation, but is stymied by some of the local park rangers who appear to distrust him as an outsider for more than one reason. He already knows the who, what, where and how of the murders, but is puzzled by the why. As he begins to investigate the reasons behind the cold-blooded, apparently senseless killings, he slowly becomes aware that he and his family are in the sights of an unknown, dangerous killer. Nate Romanowski, Pickett's enigmatic friend, is there to help, even with the potential jeopardy to his own freedom. Their friendship is dramatically tested as they draw their investigation to a cataclysmic conclusion, when it becomes clear that they can trust nobody but each other.

C. J. Box is a marvel. I learned more about Yellowstone National Park in the night it took me to read FREE FIRE than I did in 19 years of school. While the main plot is resolved, Box leaves enough lines dangling for another two or three books to grab onto. If you aren't addicted to him yet, then treat yourself to a copy of FREE FIRE.

   --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

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