by C. J. Box
Part of Joe Pickett, book 12
First published 2012
Nate Romanowski thought he had buried his military past deep in Wyoming's Bighorn Mountains. In 1995, his Special Forces commander John Nemecek committed an unspeakable act that Nate witnessed. Now Nemecek has risen to high government office, and he wants every witness dead. The sociopathic official knows exactly how to flush Nate from hiding. He will target the people Nate cares about most. Game warden Joe Pickett and his family become pawns in Nemecek's deadly game. Nate faces an impossible choice. He can stay hidden and watch his friends die, or emerge from the wilderness to fight back. But stopping Nemecek means operating outside the law. Nate has the skills for that kind of warfare, but his principled friend Joe does not. As the threat closes in on the Pickett family, both men must decide how far they will go to protect the innocent.
Genres: adventure, mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming
Period: 1995
385 pages · Hardcover · Putnam Adult
Content warnings: violence