by C. J. Box
Part of Joe Pickett, book 7
First published 2007
Joe Pickett sits on his father-in-law's ranch, recently fired from his job as Wyoming game warden. The phone rings with a call from Governor Rulon's office. The governor has a proposition Joe cannot turn down. Lawyer Clay McCann slaughtered four campers in Yellowstone National Park, then surrendered to rangers. The murders happened in a jurisdictional dead zone where neither Wyoming nor federal courts can prosecute. McCann walked free on a legal technicket. Public fury grows daily. Governor Rulon wants his own investigation and offers to restore Joe's badge if he takes the case. Joe accepts and heads to Yellowstone with his partner Nate Romanowski. They discover McCann runs illegal operations in the park, something highly profitable and extremely perilous. Joe must search the park's remote wilderness to uncover the truth behind the killings. The answers lie buried somewhere in Yellowstone's harsh landscape.
Genres: adventure, mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: government-corruption, investigative-journalism
Setting: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Period: Contemporary
355 pages · Hardcover · Putnam Publishing Group