Joe is a game warden in Saddlestring, Wyoming, and this case is personal for him. His eighteen year old daughter April left home and joined the rodeo circuit with Dallas Cates. Cates comes from a crazy family, and Pickett doesn't trust him. When Joe gets the phone call that every parent dreads, the nearby sheriff calling to say that a girl who looks like April was found beaten on the side of the road, he immediately suspects Cates. While April fights for her life, Joe is determined to track down the person who hurt her.
There are many interesting characters to keep the reader involved. Box brings back some old favorites, like his best friend Nate Romanowski. Nate had been arrested in a previous novel because of his involvement in a murder for hire. In this book he is being used as bait for the Feds to catch the billionaire who hired him. When Nate and April end up in the same hospital, Joe has his hands full.
I love the little bit of nature that the author weaves into his stories and the action that keeps the reader on his/her toes. If you haven't met Joe Pickett before then you are in for a treat. For those C. J. Box fans...pull up a chair and enjoy.
- Beverly
Publisher - G.P. Putnam's Sons
Date of Publication - March 10, 2015