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yvo_about_books's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.0
Finished reading: June 3rd 2024
“Joe had always considered individual words as finite unites of currency, and he believed in savings. He never wanted to waste or unnecessarily expends words. To Joe, words meant things. They should be spent wisely.”
I finally tried one of this author's books last December, and it was without doubt a successful first meeting. I've been meaning to continue that series ever since, but I decided to read the first Joe Pickett book instead. Not only was I intrigued by that game warden angle, but the Wyoming setting also ment one more state for my Traveling Through The 50 US States challenge... Always a bonus of course. Now that I've read Open Season, I wasn't quite as taken away by it as I thought I would. It's not a bad read, but I can't say the story stood out all that much for me despite the fact that the main character is a game warden and not a cop. The plot itself was surprisingly predictable and certain parts of the plot dragged considerably. I basically guessed who was behind it all very early on, which is also a disappointment... And I wasn't a fan of the over the top focus on (child) abuse, threats, animal cruelty/death, crude comments in general and violence. A lot of the characters behaved in such a stereotypical way, and this made it so much harder to connect to the story. I did enjoy the descriptions of the Wyoming setting and nature as well as learning a bit more about life as a game warden, but I wasn't a fan of how the whole endangered species debate was portrayed. I will probably end up continuing this series at some point, but for now I prefer returning to the Highway Quartet books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Physical abuse, Violence, Confinement, Gun violence, Murder, Pedophilia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcoholism, Medical trauma, Vomit, Child death, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Grief, Blood, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Child abuse, and Gore
mghill40's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lordchampion666's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It was a solid and fun potato chip book. Joe's problems and ineptitude is more often frustrating than it is endearing. I also find the lack of communication from his daughter to him or his wife unbelievable based on their relationship. I did appreciate and enjoy the way he exacted revenge on the men who hurt his family at the end.
abookishwonderer's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
nlbogard's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
kathieboucher's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Is it great lit for the ages? Probably not. But with its interesting setting and absorbing plot, this was an engaging story. This series would be great for in-flight reading, or car trip audio.
cdjdhj's review
4.0
C.J. Box is a well known mystery/crime/suspense author. His books are set in the American West - mostly Wyoming and Montana. His "Joe Pickett" has 22 books, the first of which, Open Season, appeared back in 2001. I heard of C.J. Box from a "true crime" podcast I listen to from time to time. I decided to give his books a try. I was not disappointed by this first book. The characters in the book where realistic and well-developed and the descriptions of the wild Wyoming back-country where story takes place is magnificent and spot on. The plot was skillfully developed and suspenseful. All-in-all, this was an good solid crime/mystery novel and I will definitely look for the other books in this series.