Reviews
While engaged with a publisher on my second book, I am taking time to read other author’s works, posting reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Most of them are nonfiction, although the last was a mystery by a female author. This is my first Joe Pickett novel. Not usually prone to commercial fiction, I thumbed through this one after hearing a relative is a fan. Its about a Wyoming game warden with a knack for getting entangled in criminal cases. Box is good at giving information, moving scene to scene, building a story of how Pickett stumbles into a murder mystery while facing the usual family problems in a household with a wife and three daughters. The story is told mostly through dialogue and internal monologue, moving quickly with short chapters often ending with questions that lead the reader to keep turning pages. One third through the book the author introduces a second plot involving a friend of the Pickett family, retired from military special ops with “revenge on his mind and violence in his heart.” This character called Nate, is on a quest to recover stolen falcons and right a wrong inflicted on his family. Box alternates chapters, jumping smoothly between dual stories without jarring the reader. While not at a literary level, the writing achieves a seamless blend of plot and action, doing so sparingly, and cogently as the story moves effortlessly through the thoughts and words of characters. Joe’s stream-of-consciousness supplies the reader with back story, revealing tension with Sheriff Tibbs who feels the game warden is exceeding his authority. As the story unfolds, cliches and excess words creep in. Redundancies are noted by the brain, slowing the narrative. As I read, I was mentally cutting words. But this is likely Box’s style, spooning additional details to help readers along. But sometimes, what is left unsaid pushes the readers mind to fill the gap, and this has a special effect and when done right can be deeply satisfying. I saw nothing like that here. Rather the style of writing is typical light fare for casual consumption. The story is well told but could have been improved by the more critical eye of an editor. Despite the author’s rich descriptions, the characters never rise above flatness. Surprises in the story become almost predictable with the steady drumbeat of chapters every ten pages. A lot of the narrative is used to fit the book with the previous Pickett titles. There is little variation in the writing. It is simply the means of conveying information, albeit about an interesting story with sympathetic characters. While most genre authors dispense profanity freely, believing it shows realism, Box uses it sparingly. But one instance is particularly off-putting, when the author has Tibbs’ emit a choice phrase to show the Sheriff’s orneriness. This particular wording can be jarring or even offensive and will preclude my buying the book if I see it, but this one slipped by. “Shadow’s Reel” will be well received by followers of previous books in the series. If you’re looking for light escapist fare, C.J. Box is your ticket.