by C. J. Box
Part of Joe Pickett, book 10
First published 2010
Joe Pickett has one week left as temporary game warden in Baggs, Wyoming. He should pack up and move on, but disturbing reports keep coming in from the mountains. Someone has been raiding camps, slashing tents, and butchering elk. A runner disappeared without a trace. Joe's conscience won't let him ignore these incidents, even though every instinct tells him to stay away. He saddles up for what he expects to be his final patrol in the area. The deeper he rides into the wilderness, the more he regrets his decision. What he discovers waiting for him defies everything in his experience as a lawman. This threat feels ancient, like something from old stories, but the danger is immediate and lethal. Joe realizes his casual thought about this being his last patrol might prove grimly prophetic.
Genres: adventure, mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: atmospheric, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, last-patrol
Setting: Baggs, Wyoming
356 pages · Hardcover · G. P. Putnam's Sons