Blood Trail by C.J. Box

Now I don't know the details of the Joe Pickett's backstory like how he got to be so buddy-buddy with the Governor, what he did to get his duty station yanked and assigned to the Governor's office, and importantly how he developed a friendship with Nate Romanowski and what did Nate do end up in jail. I just jumped in and held on tight.

The game warden's office is funded primarily through hunting and fishing licenses. And that could be a problem because the Governor has shut down hunting in Wyoming.

Three hunters have been killed. While the first 2 could be considered as accidents, the third rules out accidental death. The third guy was shot, strung up like an elk, gutted, and his head removed. A red poker chip was under the carcass in the grass. And upon further review, a poker chip was found with the other two.

The fish and game boss is so spooked he abandons his office to head up the investigation and brings a friend, 'someone I can trust' (he couldn't trust his own officers?). While tracking the shooter, the friend and another officer are shot; 5 dead. No wonder the Governor shut down hunting until the shooter is found.

Enter Klamath Moore, an animal rights activist bound to spread the gospel of Moore to the gathering media. His wife is a native American who grew up on the local reservation and was a basketball player of some note before a sick grandmother and living on the edge dragged her down into the dumps until she met up with Klamath.

The Governor inserts Joe into the investigation that includes Fish and Game, local cops, and the FBI. While all eyes are on Moore's entourage, Joe's instincts say otherwise and manages to finagle the Governor agreeing to let Nate Romanowski out of jail to help Joe get to where the law can't be expected to operate. And no sooner does Joe get Nate into the search area, Nate disappears and Joe is in everyone's doghouse for not having solved the case and for losing Nate. The boss is nervous, the Governor is under pressure, Moore is crowing about the hunters getting what they deserved and the best bet for a solution is Pickett's former boss who happens to be biding his time in prison (more missing backstory) and wants his sentence commuted in exchange for his testimony. Be careful what you wish for former Mr. Warden . . . Nate is still out of jail.

This is only my 2nd Joe Pickett book, but this was one of the better mystery stories I've read recently. The locale, the detail, the plotting, and twists all remind us why Box is an Edgar winner and NYT bestseller. How in the world did we miss him?

What else is there to say? Can you say power rotation? Thanks to Midwest Dave for the introduction to Box.

East Coast Don