Below Zero (A Joe Pickett Novel)

Another exciting Joe Pickett novel. Nice to see that April is alive and going back with the family. Can’t wait for book 10.

Who am I to critique a prolific and successful writer? I read a ton of fiction. I'm in the range of two novels a month and write a lot myself. This is a great book. It's not 5 stars, in my opinion, only because it seems 5 stars is perfection. In this series, Joe Picket makes a lot of unnecessary decisions that put his family in harms way. I get that family and close relationships up the "what's at stake" level, but I get tired of that and get disappointed when I see it happening. It means I have slog through a lot of bothersome tropes to get to the meat of the story. I've always liked detective shows on TV. I like Magnum p.i. for example. My least favorite episodes are the ones where it's a friend or a personal ancestry storyline. Just so you know where I'm coming from. Columbo never once had a personal connection to s case. He was always investigating a real murder case. That has carried over to my book reading. Below Zero is the most involved family story in this series. It's all family. So, I enjoyed the read as any good Joe Picket addict would, but it was laborious because I had the slog start early. That's one guy's opinion and I'm sure it's not a plurality of comments here. I already have Nowhere to Run, the next in the series in hard cover, so as I finished Below Zero, I'm already on to the next task. I do like the series, but I'm being honest about how I feel about it. I read it as a writer. Perhaps it would be better if I could divest myself from too deep analysis. But hey, I can suspend disbelief as much as the next reader. I just know what I like. Below Zero is good. If you like Joe you will like this.

Joe has asked the Governor for a special leave of absence to pursue his own mission. Sheridan has been receiving texts from someone who says that she is April. At first they’re all certain that it’s a hoax after they buried the burned body of the Pickett’s foster daughter and long mourned her. Still the person on the other end of the burner phone knew convincing details the surely only the real April could know. So Joe and Sheridan Pickett go on a cross country trip with the hope that they might actually find their lost family member alive.The girl calling herself April Keeley is mixed up with a sick and dying gangster and his selfish and probably even more dangerous son. The FBI has agreed to help Joe find April, because they want to find her associates almost as bad as Joe and Sheridan want to find April.Once again C. J. Box keeps you on the edge of your seat with another thrilling episode of Joe Pickett. Easy five stars.

You have Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis; John Sandford's Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers; Robert Crais' Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, John Lescroat's Dismas Hardy and Gabe Glitsky, and now you have C. J. Box's Joe Picket and Nate Romanowski.Most of the above are lawyers, private investigator's, policeman, etc. and now you have a game warden extraordinaire and federal fugitive to make up one of the best duos around. Joe and Nate are so very different and yet so much alike. One gets into trouble easily and the other avoids trouble with his violence. In "Below Zero" Joe and Nate are at their best.A tightly woven but intricate storyline nicely comes together at the end, but in between you are taken for a wild ride. Joe's daughter, Sheridan, is thrown into the plot and she is a nice addition to the action. Don't underestimate Joe Pickett because he is a game warden. C. J. Box's books are action packed, suspenseful and have twists and turns that come at you out of nowhere and take you outdoors.The ending of "Below Zero" is very surprising, but you just have to read the book to find out what it is! But I can say that the writing is top notch and you will not be disappointed!

Well if most of the Book felt like it truly was Zero, by the end of the Book, it was definitely the warmth of nice fire by the end. This Joe Pickett series continues to be impressive!!!Edwin Lloyd

Wyoming game warden/detective Joe Pickett gets a jolt early in this entertaining novel when his family receives a cellphone text-message purportedly from long dead step-daughter April Keeley. Pickett witnessed April's death in a shootout between a survivalist cult and law enforcement some six years earlier, and has borne a heavy burden of guilt ever since. Helpless to intervene in that tragic event, he is driven to get to the bottom of the mysterious text message and sets off on a chase that will eventually involve two bizarre serial killers, force him into a working partnership with a long-time FBI nemesis and reunite him with frequent ally and fugitive falconer Nate Romanowski. The pursuit of his erstwhile daughter is littered with bodies, hostages and a couple of red herrings. The plot is more than a little over-the-top at times and may be too much for some readers, but author C.B. Box does have a talent for keeping a story going and providing enough surprises to maintain even a skeptical reader's interest. Box also comes up with an imaginative, bang-up ending that sets up the next installment of the Pickett series.The author has a lot to say about issues of local and/or national interest in his books. In the case of "Below Zero", radical environmentalists, survivalists and out of control weapon freaks. Some of this works well as a backdrop for the book's action, some of it goes a bit too far into fantasyland and detracts from the action. In any event, this novel has some excellent writing and a very original story line that make it engaging and entertaining.This was my second encounter with Box's writing--a later book, "Nowhere to Run", being the first. I prefer "Nowhere..." for its terrific action and more credible characters and plot. Both books have made me a committed C.B. Box fan and I will continue to read backward into the series and to watch for new installments of the Joe Pickett saga.

The Joe Pickett series penned by author C.J. Box is a good read.I am currently reading the 10th book in this series.

Another gripping tale of the Pickett clan. A wonderfully emotive and engaging book which I enjoyed immensely. If you haven't read any of this series yet I suggest you try. I totally recommend them.

Un buon libro, trama originale e avvincente, io ho letto i due tradotti in italiano e visto che non sono uscite altre traduzioni sono passato a quelli in lingia originale, autore consigliatissimo

The Joe Pickett books are a great read. They took me into unfamiliar territory in America with a series of believable and interesting characters . I have now read almost all the series now and can thoroughly recommend them to everybody who enjoys a good thriller - well anybody enjoying a good read.

I have enjoyed every Joe Pickett adventure and each one just gets better. An unusual set of events throwing a curve ball into the series. The story line would have more intrigue for a reader who had read the book which forms the background to Below Zero. But also gives enough for someone reading it as a stand alone. I hadn't read anything from C.J Box before this year and now find it hard to make time for my other favourite Authors.Another cracker of a book C.J Box -Well done