The badge number of a Wyoming Game Warden is a ranking of their seniority in the system. Will Jensen is #4 and oversees the district that includes Jackson Hole. Paranoia and depression have destroyed his marriage before he finally ate a .44 magnum bullet. The state asks Joe Pickett to fill in until a permanent replacement can be found and he reluctantly agrees to the assignment. When Joe arrives in Jackson, he quickly learns that he has stepped into a world of political hurt that seems to swirl around a planned development that needs one last signature, Jensen, to break ground. And Jensen wasn't going to sign as the plans blocked elk migration routes.
The development is the brainchild of Don Ennis who wants to not only put up million dollar homes but to also make the community part of the good meat movement, which raises their own stock, slaughters, and sells their 'pure' meat to the residents. With Jensen dead, Joe must sign off on a project that has the approval of the governor on down. The biggest mouthpiece against the project is the legendary outfitter Smoke van Horn who has his own issues with the wildlife folks, Jensen in particular.
Pickett tries to get up to speed on his new assignment by reading Jensen's log books, but the last one is missing. Now Joe has to make the rounds of the camps run by outfitters to check on licenses, permits, etc. so he packs up a couple horses and starts out for about a week. Once he gets to the state house in the wilderness kept for wardens, he finds Jensen's last log book and all the details about his slowly deteriorating mind.
He makes a wrong turn that takes him up a high ridge that, when he looked down on a meadow, spots Smoke placing salt blocks meant to lure elk for a easy shot by their mountain man wannabes. Joe takes some photos and continues on to the state house. That evening Smoke shows up and starts into it with Joe and knows that Joe will have to arrest him and he will then lose his license and livelihood. The next morning, Smoke shows up drunk, armed, and ready to take Joe out. As they face each other down, Smoke raised his gun, fires and Joe returns fire with his shotgun killing Smoke, killing the one man he's met whom he really understood.
Ennis thinks it easy sailing now until Joe says he won't sign off either so Ennis reaches out to the governor to add more pressure. After reading Jensen's log, he realizes that Ennis is behind Jensen's death and cooks up a scheme to get Ennis to admit to his crimes.
CJ Box was introduce to MRB by Midwest Dave with added support by WCDon. Add me to the list. I've read a bunch of man against the wilderness books and Box is added to my list with a single read. Michael Connelly wrote a cover blurb saying Box was in the mold of Tony Hillerman. High praise, but Hillerman took us deep into a foreign culture - Navaho nation. And the lack of that 'new world' link will, for the time being, keep Box a rung below Hillerman.
I did find one common thread. The bad guy is this book is a developer, just like Carl Hiaasen's books set in Florida. But I doubt that developers will show up book after book like Hiaasen. Also, I read an author's acknowledgements and have found a couple other titles used by Box in his research that I'll pursue.
Nonetheless, count me in. Box is a welcome addition to all of us here at MRB. Won't be long before the 3 of use will have run through them all.
East Coast Don
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