Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Berkley (2012), Edition: Reprint, Mass Market Paperback, 496 pages
Description
When Earl Alden is found dead, dangling from a wind turbine, it's his wife, Missy, who is arrested. Unfortunately for Joe Pickett, Missy is his mother-in- law, a woman he dislikes heartily, and now he doesn't know what to do --especially when the early signs point to her being guilty as sin. But then things happen to make Joe wonder: Is Earl's death what it appears to be? Is Missy being set up?
User reviews
LibraryThing member TadAD
This is the eleventh book in Box's series about Joe Pickett, the Wyoming game warden who solves murders. I want to make it clear up front that this is the first Joe Pickett story I've read—this gives me a different perspective than long-time series fans and my comments should be read with that
The main impression that this book left in my mind when I was done was that the characters were quite flat. Joe is the stalwart, laconic cowboy stereotype; Nate is the troubled, defiant, Rambo stereotype; Missy is the greedy, calculating golddigger stereotype; etc. Since series seldom become this popular without having characters to whom readers can relate, my guess is that Box has gone the way of many series authors and come to rely upon fans' memories of the more rounded portrayals carrying over from previous volumes. This works well for long-time readers but is not conducive to jumping into the series in the middle.
My second objection was the feel of the two story lines that ran parallel through the book. Joe's story is a solid member of the police procedural mystery novel type. Nate's story is very much an action thriller à la something out of one of Ludlum's novels. As the chapters alternated between the two tales, I found that my mind couldn't settle into which genre it was reading. I found this unpleasant.
On the positive side, Wyoming and its politics is an unusual backdrop. I found myself interested in the divide over wind power that I didn't even know existed. Coming on the heels of so many other financial scandals and swindles, the manipulations practiced in this book were topical and appealing.
All-in-all, this isn't a book that made any great impression upon me. With many series, reading a middle book immediately makes me want to find the first one and read my way up-to-date. Not so this one; it's a quintessential 2-star read ("probably won't remember it in a year"). Long-time fans may find this a perfectly adequate episode but it's not a good hook to catch the new reader.
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firmly in mind.The main impression that this book left in my mind when I was done was that the characters were quite flat. Joe is the stalwart, laconic cowboy stereotype; Nate is the troubled, defiant, Rambo stereotype; Missy is the greedy, calculating golddigger stereotype; etc. Since series seldom become this popular without having characters to whom readers can relate, my guess is that Box has gone the way of many series authors and come to rely upon fans' memories of the more rounded portrayals carrying over from previous volumes. This works well for long-time readers but is not conducive to jumping into the series in the middle.
My second objection was the feel of the two story lines that ran parallel through the book. Joe's story is a solid member of the police procedural mystery novel type. Nate's story is very much an action thriller à la something out of one of Ludlum's novels. As the chapters alternated between the two tales, I found that my mind couldn't settle into which genre it was reading. I found this unpleasant.
On the positive side, Wyoming and its politics is an unusual backdrop. I found myself interested in the divide over wind power that I didn't even know existed. Coming on the heels of so many other financial scandals and swindles, the manipulations practiced in this book were topical and appealing.
All-in-all, this isn't a book that made any great impression upon me. With many series, reading a middle book immediately makes me want to find the first one and read my way up-to-date. Not so this one; it's a quintessential 2-star read ("probably won't remember it in a year"). Long-time fans may find this a perfectly adequate episode but it's not a good hook to catch the new reader.
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LibraryThing member alicetroxel
I found the characters a bit caricature-ish, Joe's a little "too" upright, and his mother in law a little over the top "bad girl".
I enjoyed the story lines, and all the turns and twists the story takes. I think that jumping into the middle of the story was a bit tricky here, obviously there were
This was an enjoyable weekend read, but not really among my favorites.
I enjoyed the story lines, and all the turns and twists the story takes. I think that jumping into the middle of the story was a bit tricky here, obviously there were
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lots of things in the past that contributed to this story. This was an enjoyable weekend read, but not really among my favorites.
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LibraryThing member bjmitch
I won Cold Wind from LibraryThing and I wish I had realized it was a series when I entered the contest. I simply thought it sounded like a good story that I would enjoy, and I did enjoy it despite not being familiar with the characters.
The murder in this book is unique and sets the tone for the
Almost immediately Joe's mother-in-law is arrested for the murder of her fifth husband. Joe Pickett is a game warden who has never liked his mother-in-law but it just seems too pat that they would arrest her so quickly. The woman is a conniving gold digger for sure but there is a lot more to the story than first thought.
For those of you who know the series, you'll also catch up with what's happened to Joe's friend Nate and his girlfriend. The cast of characters in this small Wyoming town is more varied than you would think.
As I have said, I'm in favor of wind power, but in the course of the story I learned the other side of the issue and it did make an impression on me. What's wrong with it in this book is the vast amount of money to be made on a renewable energy project and how little oversight is in place. Certainly sets up a lot of potential for corruption.
Now I'm going to read the rest of the series, hopefully from the beginning, because I really like Joe and his wife and daughters. I can understand Nate as well and I look forward to getting to know these people much better. I recommend Cold Wind highly.
The murder in this book is unique and sets the tone for the
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book. Set in Wyoming with its wide open spaces and ridges where the wind blows nearly all the time, a wealthy landowner who happens to be Joe Pickett's latest father-in-law is installing 100 wind turbines. Now I'm in favor of wind power myself so I first thought this was a great idea. The only problem was that someone had murdered the landowner and chained his body to one of the spinning blades. Now that's a new one on me.Almost immediately Joe's mother-in-law is arrested for the murder of her fifth husband. Joe Pickett is a game warden who has never liked his mother-in-law but it just seems too pat that they would arrest her so quickly. The woman is a conniving gold digger for sure but there is a lot more to the story than first thought.
For those of you who know the series, you'll also catch up with what's happened to Joe's friend Nate and his girlfriend. The cast of characters in this small Wyoming town is more varied than you would think.
As I have said, I'm in favor of wind power, but in the course of the story I learned the other side of the issue and it did make an impression on me. What's wrong with it in this book is the vast amount of money to be made on a renewable energy project and how little oversight is in place. Certainly sets up a lot of potential for corruption.
Now I'm going to read the rest of the series, hopefully from the beginning, because I really like Joe and his wife and daughters. I can understand Nate as well and I look forward to getting to know these people much better. I recommend Cold Wind highly.
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LibraryThing member Beecharmer
Joe Pickett is a game warden who has a mother in law that works her way through men for money. Her latest husband is found dead tied to one of his wind turbines. Missy, Joe's MIL is accused of the crime. Although Joe doesn't care for Missy, he starts investigating the Earl's death for his wife.
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There are a lot of people who would like to frame Missy, so Joe has plenty of suspects for the crime. Show Less
LibraryThing member GoudaReads
Game Warden Joe Pickett finds the body of his dead father-in-law hanging from a newly installed wind turbine and before he can even tell his wife about it, his mother-in-law is arrested for the crime. Is Missy Longbrake Alden responsible for the death of Earl Alden, or is somebody setting her up to
This is my first CJ Box novel and I have mixed feelings. Here are my pros and cons.
PROS: I love series books with such a robust sense of location. Box does a great job of illustrating the Wyoming landscape and the small town locals. Pickett, his family, his law enforcement and political brethren, and off-the-grid character Nate are well drawn – everyone felt unique and distinct. The plot surrounding the politics of wind/alternative energy was interesting and well balanced. I’ll never look at a wind turbine the same again. The murder plot was mostly believable and I didn’t guess the outcome, though the twists and turns might be just a bit of a stretch.
CONS: It’s obvious that the characters in this series have richly interconnected lives, because past experiences are referenced often, which may have revealed plot resolutions from previous books. For example, I’m pretty sure that in the last book, Joe and Nate found themselves in a situation that had a tragic ending with one of the making the right legal decision and the other making the right moral decision. In this book, the two are still licking their wounds and trying to create truce. And I’m pretty sure the next book is going to be about The Five coming to find Nate. Having said all that, if you are a regular reader of the Joe Pickett series, these continuing threads probably provide a feeling of continuity and connection. For me, it was more of a distraction.
VERDICT: Overall a good read, though I might need to read a couple more in the series to know if CJ Box is for me. If you are already a fan, I think you’ll enjoy the ride.
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take the fall? Joe’s wife (Missy’s daughter) Marybeth convinces Joe to help find out what really h appened before her mother is tried and convicted. He won’t have much time, because the judge has a once-in-a-lifetime Dall sheep hunting permit and the hunting season is short. Will Joe be able to muddy the water enough to create reasonable doubt, or even better, prove Missy’s innocence?This is my first CJ Box novel and I have mixed feelings. Here are my pros and cons.
PROS: I love series books with such a robust sense of location. Box does a great job of illustrating the Wyoming landscape and the small town locals. Pickett, his family, his law enforcement and political brethren, and off-the-grid character Nate are well drawn – everyone felt unique and distinct. The plot surrounding the politics of wind/alternative energy was interesting and well balanced. I’ll never look at a wind turbine the same again. The murder plot was mostly believable and I didn’t guess the outcome, though the twists and turns might be just a bit of a stretch.
CONS: It’s obvious that the characters in this series have richly interconnected lives, because past experiences are referenced often, which may have revealed plot resolutions from previous books. For example, I’m pretty sure that in the last book, Joe and Nate found themselves in a situation that had a tragic ending with one of the making the right legal decision and the other making the right moral decision. In this book, the two are still licking their wounds and trying to create truce. And I’m pretty sure the next book is going to be about The Five coming to find Nate. Having said all that, if you are a regular reader of the Joe Pickett series, these continuing threads probably provide a feeling of continuity and connection. For me, it was more of a distraction.
VERDICT: Overall a good read, though I might need to read a couple more in the series to know if CJ Box is for me. If you are already a fan, I think you’ll enjoy the ride.
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LibraryThing member bill
I must start with a disclaimer; I like C.J. Box, the author of Cold Wind. I have all his books. Cold Wind is the eleventh in his Joe Pickett series. Joe is an unconventional game warden living in Saddlestring, Wyoming. I happened to visit the area where his second book, Savage Run, was set just
The usual cast of characters including his wife, three daughters, mother-in-law, and the mysterious Nate Romanowski are all present in the most recent story involving the murder of his father-in-law, the most recent husband collected by his wife’s mother. Box has created a cast of characters that you care about whether you love or hate them, and he challenges your emotions in his current effort. Joe’s wife has always worn a white hat in Box’s stories, or at least she has had to fight hard to resist temptation. Joe is clearly the hero, but his ethics have been tested more than once. Nate is on Joe’s side, but he has no qualms when it comes to taking action. The mother-in-law, Missy, is of questionable character and Joe dislikes her.
Missy is accused of murdering her current husband. Joe found his body hung by a chain on the spinning blade of a wind turbine. It took all his courage to climb the tower to reach the body. How could a small, old woman manage to hoist the body to that height let alone chain it to the spinning blade? We won’t mention that the sheriff, Joe’s archenemy, had ordered her arrest before the body was even discovered based on a tip from her ex-husband, all before the murder had even occurred. No one else was suspected or investigated for the crime. It was all just too pat. Joe is torn when his wife asks him to discover the truth. He really dislikes Missy and would be happy to see her behind bars. But Joe cannot let the truth go untold.
Cold Wind is a solid addition to the Pickett series. While it brings closure to the current mystery, it opens the door to the next novel that is sure to challenge Pickett’s ability to survive as well as challenge everything that defines his being as an honest and honorable man.
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before I bought the book. I was struck by how well he captured the spirit of the area in his story. He has just gotten better with time.The usual cast of characters including his wife, three daughters, mother-in-law, and the mysterious Nate Romanowski are all present in the most recent story involving the murder of his father-in-law, the most recent husband collected by his wife’s mother. Box has created a cast of characters that you care about whether you love or hate them, and he challenges your emotions in his current effort. Joe’s wife has always worn a white hat in Box’s stories, or at least she has had to fight hard to resist temptation. Joe is clearly the hero, but his ethics have been tested more than once. Nate is on Joe’s side, but he has no qualms when it comes to taking action. The mother-in-law, Missy, is of questionable character and Joe dislikes her.
Missy is accused of murdering her current husband. Joe found his body hung by a chain on the spinning blade of a wind turbine. It took all his courage to climb the tower to reach the body. How could a small, old woman manage to hoist the body to that height let alone chain it to the spinning blade? We won’t mention that the sheriff, Joe’s archenemy, had ordered her arrest before the body was even discovered based on a tip from her ex-husband, all before the murder had even occurred. No one else was suspected or investigated for the crime. It was all just too pat. Joe is torn when his wife asks him to discover the truth. He really dislikes Missy and would be happy to see her behind bars. But Joe cannot let the truth go untold.
Cold Wind is a solid addition to the Pickett series. While it brings closure to the current mystery, it opens the door to the next novel that is sure to challenge Pickett’s ability to survive as well as challenge everything that defines his being as an honest and honorable man.
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LibraryThing member Readanon
This was my first Joe Pickett book. I enjoyed reading it, but think I need to go back and start at the beginning of the series. I was much more interested in the parts of the book involving Nate, and Joe's personal life, than I was in the business about the politics regarding the windmills. Missy
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was a very unpleasant character, but I would like to learn more about Joe's family and background. Show Less
LibraryThing member KLTMD
"Cold Wind," the eleventh in the Joe Pickett series is likely to be a home run for fans, but an acquired taste to newbies to these stories from Wyoming. The discovery of a body swinging from the top of a new new wind turbine by Pickett is bizarre enough, but the game warden soon finds that the
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deceased is his most recent father-in-law and the prime suspect is none other than his much married mother-in-law. The story line consists of several twists that Pickett methodically unravels. These are good and keep the reader, new and old, interested and invested. The downer for me was the inclusion of a secondary plot, involving Pickett's best friend, a survivalist and potential revolutionary to protect westerners from The Government. This story is unnecessary and diverts the reader from a genuinely engrossing tale. This two plot story was mote like a TV crime drama with a useless and equally distracting minor tale. Show Less
LibraryThing member Helenoel
I received Cold Wind as an Advance Reader Copy through LibraryThing’s Early Reader program. It is my first book by C. J. Box and will not be my last. I liked the characters: Joe Pickett, the game warden who seems to get in to other issues up to his neck, his family, his friend Nate, the
This is the eleventh in a series and it might have been a better read with more of the background, but I enjoyed it. Will probably try to pick up some of the earlier stories and will wait for the next.
A good read.
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falconer/survivalist with a history. I love Wyoming, and the setting is integral to this story. I like the way Pickett is true to his principles, and also is concerned about other aspects of his life. The story is complicated without being too hard to follow, and has a nicely unexpected resolution. This is the eleventh in a series and it might have been a better read with more of the background, but I enjoyed it. Will probably try to pick up some of the earlier stories and will wait for the next.
A good read.
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LibraryThing member khiemstra631
The "Box Books" keep getting better and better. In this outing, Joe's mother, Missy, is charged with the murder of her current husband, Earl Alden. Unfortunately, Joe found him tied to the blade of a windmill in the new wind farm that Earl had installed on part of his ranch. Earl had also been shot
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in the chest before he took his ride on the windmill. The side plot in the book is the shooting death of Nate Romanowski's woman, Alicia Whitefeather in an attack that was meant to finish off Nate. This one will keep the reader twisting and turning until the final page, and that last page left me reaching for the next book. Hurry, C.J.! Show Less
LibraryThing member nbmars
This is the eleventh book in the Joe Pickett series. (The first novel featuring Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett was Open Season published in 2001.)
Joe Pickett is a decent, quiet type (“strong yet silent” it might say in the personals), who is happily married with three daughters, and who
When his mother-in-law is arrested for the murder of her latest (fifth) husband, the multi-millionaire developer Earl Alden, Joe’s wife asks him to help exonerate her mother. Because the body was chained to a wind turbine, Joe suspects the murder might be a result of some of those who are against wind farming, and he and his wife Marybeth look into the politics and economics of using wind for energy.
Meanwhile, Joe’s friend Nate Romanowski is in big trouble, being pursued by relentless killers. Tension builds as the threat to Nate increases, and as Joe gets closer to finding the real killer of Earl Alden.
Discussion: Why a game warden, instead of, e.g., a police detective? As Box explains:
"Game wardens are unique because they can legitimately be involved in just about every major event or situation that involves the outdoors and the rough edges of the rural new west. They're trained and armed law enforcement officers, and nearly every human they encounter in the field is armed, which is unique. Often, they’re too far from town to call backup in an emergency so they’re forced to deal with situations with their experience, weapons, and wits. Their districts can encompass 5,000 square miles of rough country filled with wildlife, history, schemes, and secrets. By necessity, they’re lone wolves."
In short, a game warden is perfect for Wyoming. And this novel by Box has a very Wyoming-esque feel to it. I like game warden procedurals and I liked Joe Pickett a lot.
On the negative side, the author clearly has an agenda and wants to expose how wind farms are not the panaceas they are touted as being; the “mystery” plot line gets second shrift and doesn’t live up to the rather spectacular initial crime scene.
As for whether the book works as a standalone, I would have appreciated two extra paragraphs in the book. Just two. One on what happened a year ago (or, one presumes, in the previous book), which had a big effect on everybodys’ relationships to everybody else but wasn’t exactly clear to me. The other would be a paragraph providing background on Nate Romanowski. Not having those clarifications was not fatal at all, but still served as a distraction for me.
Evaluation: The Joe Pickett detective series is worth pursuing, especially for the atmospheric sense of Wyoming, and the appeal of the protagonist, Joe Pickett.
Joe Pickett is a decent, quiet type (“strong yet silent” it might say in the personals), who is happily married with three daughters, and who
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won’t compromise when it comes to carrying out the law (in spite of the contention by other characters that the legal solution is not always the most just solution). Like other game warden characters I’ve encountered in books, Pickett is happiest just being out in the natural habitat where he works, which in Pickett’s case is the big sprawling open land of Wyoming, punctuated by creeks, rivers, and precipitous mountain ranges. Joe is in his mid-forties, slim, wears cowboy clothes, and has a perpetual squint. One envisions a Clint Eastwood kind of guy.When his mother-in-law is arrested for the murder of her latest (fifth) husband, the multi-millionaire developer Earl Alden, Joe’s wife asks him to help exonerate her mother. Because the body was chained to a wind turbine, Joe suspects the murder might be a result of some of those who are against wind farming, and he and his wife Marybeth look into the politics and economics of using wind for energy.
Meanwhile, Joe’s friend Nate Romanowski is in big trouble, being pursued by relentless killers. Tension builds as the threat to Nate increases, and as Joe gets closer to finding the real killer of Earl Alden.
Discussion: Why a game warden, instead of, e.g., a police detective? As Box explains:
"Game wardens are unique because they can legitimately be involved in just about every major event or situation that involves the outdoors and the rough edges of the rural new west. They're trained and armed law enforcement officers, and nearly every human they encounter in the field is armed, which is unique. Often, they’re too far from town to call backup in an emergency so they’re forced to deal with situations with their experience, weapons, and wits. Their districts can encompass 5,000 square miles of rough country filled with wildlife, history, schemes, and secrets. By necessity, they’re lone wolves."
In short, a game warden is perfect for Wyoming. And this novel by Box has a very Wyoming-esque feel to it. I like game warden procedurals and I liked Joe Pickett a lot.
On the negative side, the author clearly has an agenda and wants to expose how wind farms are not the panaceas they are touted as being; the “mystery” plot line gets second shrift and doesn’t live up to the rather spectacular initial crime scene.
As for whether the book works as a standalone, I would have appreciated two extra paragraphs in the book. Just two. One on what happened a year ago (or, one presumes, in the previous book), which had a big effect on everybodys’ relationships to everybody else but wasn’t exactly clear to me. The other would be a paragraph providing background on Nate Romanowski. Not having those clarifications was not fatal at all, but still served as a distraction for me.
Evaluation: The Joe Pickett detective series is worth pursuing, especially for the atmospheric sense of Wyoming, and the appeal of the protagonist, Joe Pickett.
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LibraryThing member kellyslist
This latest in the Joe Pickett series is probably one of the best. I really didn't love the last one; the "bad" guys were too strange. Cold Wind has the right blend of mystery, local Wyoming atmosphere and most importantly, the relationship with Joe and his family.
LibraryThing member PatrickJIV
The latest Joe Picket series ended worse than a daily soap opera! ;-) Hardley can wait for the next one, excellent as always.
LibraryThing member Camellia1
I recieved this book from the Early Reviewers program. I have read some, but not all, of the other Joe Pickett books. The mystery in this book was really good- who killed the rancher and why was his body hanging from a wind turbine. I could have done without the secondary story centering on Joe's
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friend Nate. When I want to read about missile launchers, fake passports and secret government agencies, I'll choose a thriller, In this book, I could have done without that storyline and just enjoyed the main mystery. Show Less
LibraryThing member Imaspaceyfan
This is the very first Joe Pickett book I've read. wow what a way to start! this book was realy good! I love the characters to. it held me from the very first page! I liked it so much that now I'm going to go out and buy the first Pickett book and go from there till I'm caught up. I want to get to
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know the main characters even better. I really enjoyed this book a bunch!!! Show Less
LibraryThing member readerweb
I have just found C.J. Box and like his writing very much.
In Cold Wind his much married mother-in-law is charged with the murder of her husband. A rich landowner, Earl is found tied to one of his wind farm turbines. How he got there, why and who is to blame takes the reader on a merry chase
In Cold Wind his much married mother-in-law is charged with the murder of her husband. A rich landowner, Earl is found tied to one of his wind farm turbines. How he got there, why and who is to blame takes the reader on a merry chase
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through politics of wind, family makeup, and small town gossip. A great read with a satisfying ending. I plan to read the earlier books. Show Less
LibraryThing member SandyLee
The 11th book in the Joe Pickett series. Joe is a game warden in Wyoming. One morning he comes across a body hanging from a wind turbine. The deceased is Earl Alden, fourth husband of Joe’s mother-in-law. Earl was known as a shifty, conniving businessman who owned the largest ranch in Wyoming and
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was due to make a bundle of money by leasing out his land to a wind turbine company. There are a lot of people who had it out for Earl. He finagled a parcel of land from a neighbor by having it declared an imminent domain. Bud, husband #3 to Missy Alden, lost his ranch in his divorce from Missy. Bud’s son, although estranged from Bud, isn’t too fond of Missy for what she did to his father. As though things aren’t bad enough, it appears Missy has been framed for the murder. Joe isn’t too fond of his mother-in-law but his wife, Mary Beth, asks for his help in clearing her mother’s name. Meanwhile, Nate, Joe’s falconer friend, has a group from his past looking for him. Joe is extremely likeable with the typical family woes and the politics of his job. The author manages to balance all of the storylines in a page-turning follow-up to an enjoyable series. Show Less
LibraryThing member mchwest
So 3 in a row and I'm all caught up with Joe Pickett... the ending will leave you waiting for the next book! Really enjoyed this book and it kept a good pace. It finished up a few older story lines and opened up a few new ones. My husband also enjoys this series but it;s hard to find them on audio,
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he listens while driving to work each day. Show Less
LibraryThing member LaurieDoc
I love the Joe Pickett series, so I was predisposed to like this book, but in my opinion it really delivered. Hard to follow some of the threads if you haven't been a regular reader, but it tied together quite a few ends that have been hanging for a while. And with an ending that I didn't quite see
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coming. Show Less
LibraryThing member sworsnup
The story kept me entertained but I felt like I was also watching a commercial for renewable energy.
LibraryThing member eviltammy
Another winner from Box - love the Joe Pickett books. For once it seems like Joe's fondest wishes might come true - his much despised mother-in-law is arrested for her husband's murder. Problem is Joe's wife wants him to prove her mother innocent. The plot about the wind turbines and federal money
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got a bit convoluted, but the real meat here is the dynamics of family and friends and what you really know about them. Show Less
LibraryThing member Twink
I read C. J. Box when he put out his first Joe Pickett novel in 2001. I thought it was a great debut and picked up the next few as they came out. Well, then I kind of missed a few. I just finished the brand new book ( #11) in this series - Cold Wind - and I'm kicking myself. I had forgotten how
Joe Pickett is a game warden in Wyoming. But Joe does a lot more than check hunting licenses and monitor wildlife.
Joe is out patrolling the high ridges - home to the newest kind of farming in wind swept Wyoming - wind farms. He notices that one turbine seems to be turning slower than than the others - the dead body tied to it could be the reason. The body turns out to be Earl, the fifth husband of Joe's mother-in-law Missy. Missy and Joe have never gotten along, but when Missy is charged with murder, both she and Joe's wife Marybeth ask him to look into things on his own. It looks like the local sheriff has already tried and convicted Missy.
Box has taken a very current and very hot topic and woven a great mystery around the whole issue of wind farms. (There's lots of debate in my part of the world about them right now)
Joe Pickett is a wonderfully likable character who tries to do the right thing by everyone, every time. Think white hat. The supporting characters are just as well drawn - the sheriff and his cronies are eminently unlikeable. As is Joe's cold, calculating mother-in-law. Joe's personal life has evolved throughout the novels as well - I wonder how much of the trials of raising three daughters mirrors Box's own life with three daughters. Joe and Marybeth's relationship seems very real as well. The secondary storyline involving Joe's friend Nate Romanowski totally grabbed me. Nate is a master falconer and fugitive. He has gone off the grid and underground in the hills of Wyoming. There are those that want him dead. More Nate please! (Fans of Joe Pike and Jack Reacher would like this character)
Box writes what he knows. His descriptions of the land, the politics, social issues and the people of Wyoming all ring true. The plotting is tight, the story flows seamlessly and the ending was great.
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much I enjoyed this character. Joe Pickett is a game warden in Wyoming. But Joe does a lot more than check hunting licenses and monitor wildlife.
Joe is out patrolling the high ridges - home to the newest kind of farming in wind swept Wyoming - wind farms. He notices that one turbine seems to be turning slower than than the others - the dead body tied to it could be the reason. The body turns out to be Earl, the fifth husband of Joe's mother-in-law Missy. Missy and Joe have never gotten along, but when Missy is charged with murder, both she and Joe's wife Marybeth ask him to look into things on his own. It looks like the local sheriff has already tried and convicted Missy.
Box has taken a very current and very hot topic and woven a great mystery around the whole issue of wind farms. (There's lots of debate in my part of the world about them right now)
Joe Pickett is a wonderfully likable character who tries to do the right thing by everyone, every time. Think white hat. The supporting characters are just as well drawn - the sheriff and his cronies are eminently unlikeable. As is Joe's cold, calculating mother-in-law. Joe's personal life has evolved throughout the novels as well - I wonder how much of the trials of raising three daughters mirrors Box's own life with three daughters. Joe and Marybeth's relationship seems very real as well. The secondary storyline involving Joe's friend Nate Romanowski totally grabbed me. Nate is a master falconer and fugitive. He has gone off the grid and underground in the hills of Wyoming. There are those that want him dead. More Nate please! (Fans of Joe Pike and Jack Reacher would like this character)
Box writes what he knows. His descriptions of the land, the politics, social issues and the people of Wyoming all ring true. The plotting is tight, the story flows seamlessly and the ending was great.
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LibraryThing member tangledthread
This was the first Joe Pickett story I've read. Joe's step- father-in-law is murdered and strung up on the blade of a wind turbine on the wind farm that he has built by swindling neighbors out of land they've held for generations. The prime suspect is Missy, Joe's mother-in-law. Meanwhile Joe's
Interesting action, a little over-written at times, but an entertaining story line. Will have to put more Joe Pickett on the light reading list for travel.
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estranged friend, Nate, is being stalked by two amateurs and a rocket launcher who muddle and kill the wrong person. Through a series of twists and turns, the two murders are connected. Interesting action, a little over-written at times, but an entertaining story line. Will have to put more Joe Pickett on the light reading list for travel.
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LibraryThing member shelleyraec
Cold Wind is an enjoyable mystery/thriller set in the wilds of Wyoming, Joe Pickett is a game warden who reluctantly finds himself investigating the death of his father in law, Earl Alden. The local police immediately arrest his mother in law, Missy and while Joe i snot averse to seeing the woman
Identifying the killer in this tightly plotted mystery isn't easy as CJ Box presents several suspects. Earl Alden, a wealthy man had alienated many of his neighbors in his pursuit of land, had few friends to speak of and when Joe starts poking around he discovers there is something not quite right with the multi million dollar wind farm project Earl was building in a far corner of his ranch.
Bud Longbreak, Missy's ex husband, started drinking when Missy left him to join Earl, taking his family ranch with her. It seems he is the state's star witness insisting Missy is responsible for the murder. As bitter about the loss of the family fortune is Bud's some who has slipped into town virtually unnoticed.
Joe can't easily dismiss Missy either, his mother in law is the most manipulative and cold-hearted woman he has ever known but with his wife, MaryBeth, distraught at her mother's arrest he hopes the truth will prove her innocent.
With clever misdirection, CJ Box puts all of the suspects in the frame at one time or another but just as one scenario seems most likely, an alternative is offered. Revealing the killer is, if not completely unexpected, a triumph of sorts for Joe.
Cold Wind touches on several personal issues for Joe, while happy to be back in Saddlestring - his 'punishment' ended the Pickett family are struggling financially in the aftermath of the GFC and Joe's demotion, their foster daughter seems determined to make trouble and their oldest daughter is starting her first year at college. Joe's estrangement from close friend Nate, after a disagreement in Nowhere to Run is also troubling him.
Nate provides the secondary plot for this book. He is forced out of hiding after a murderous attack on his mountain refuge and the falconer, once an elite soldier, will stop at nothing to get his revenge but his vendetta may make him vulnerable to an even greater threat.
With strong characterisation, plenty of action and a complex mystery to solve, Cold Wind is an entertaining read. Despite Cold Wind being the 11th installment in the Joe Pickett series and the only title I have read, I felt the story stood alone on it's own merit. I do think being familiar with the history of the characters would have enhanced my satisfaction with the book, instead I am simply tempted to pick up this series from the beginning.
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locked up, it seems unlikely she shot her husband, carelessly leaving the gun covered in prints in her car, and then hauled her husband's body 250ft in the air to hang him from the blades of his own wind turbine. Investigating on his own puts Joe at odds with the local law enforcement and DA, and without his long time friend Nate to back him up, Joe is at risk of getting in over his head.Identifying the killer in this tightly plotted mystery isn't easy as CJ Box presents several suspects. Earl Alden, a wealthy man had alienated many of his neighbors in his pursuit of land, had few friends to speak of and when Joe starts poking around he discovers there is something not quite right with the multi million dollar wind farm project Earl was building in a far corner of his ranch.
Bud Longbreak, Missy's ex husband, started drinking when Missy left him to join Earl, taking his family ranch with her. It seems he is the state's star witness insisting Missy is responsible for the murder. As bitter about the loss of the family fortune is Bud's some who has slipped into town virtually unnoticed.
Joe can't easily dismiss Missy either, his mother in law is the most manipulative and cold-hearted woman he has ever known but with his wife, MaryBeth, distraught at her mother's arrest he hopes the truth will prove her innocent.
With clever misdirection, CJ Box puts all of the suspects in the frame at one time or another but just as one scenario seems most likely, an alternative is offered. Revealing the killer is, if not completely unexpected, a triumph of sorts for Joe.
Cold Wind touches on several personal issues for Joe, while happy to be back in Saddlestring - his 'punishment' ended the Pickett family are struggling financially in the aftermath of the GFC and Joe's demotion, their foster daughter seems determined to make trouble and their oldest daughter is starting her first year at college. Joe's estrangement from close friend Nate, after a disagreement in Nowhere to Run is also troubling him.
Nate provides the secondary plot for this book. He is forced out of hiding after a murderous attack on his mountain refuge and the falconer, once an elite soldier, will stop at nothing to get his revenge but his vendetta may make him vulnerable to an even greater threat.
With strong characterisation, plenty of action and a complex mystery to solve, Cold Wind is an entertaining read. Despite Cold Wind being the 11th installment in the Joe Pickett series and the only title I have read, I felt the story stood alone on it's own merit. I do think being familiar with the history of the characters would have enhanced my satisfaction with the book, instead I am simply tempted to pick up this series from the beginning.
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LibraryThing member souleswanderer
Clearly a set up for Force of Nature, and a jab at the exploitation of politics and finances when it comes to 'green' programs. This ties up a few loose ends, and brings the character of Nate prominently back into the story line. Joe's mother-in-law is truly ruthless, and seems to have less
Solid characters and story telling, with a couple of minor twists, and the confidence that whatever happens, Joe will get the job done.
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scruples than Joe's friend, who is currently still on the run from law enforcement. Solid characters and story telling, with a couple of minor twists, and the confidence that whatever happens, Joe will get the job done.
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Language
Original publication date
2011
Physical description
496 p.; 7.4 inches
ISBN
9780425246917