Force of Nature (A Joe Pickett Novel)

The mountains of Wyoming, Idaho and Colorado are vivid in this thriller. Great story because the characters are intriguing and likeable. Or hated able as the case may be. I've lived in Wyoming and Idaho and CJ Box has accurately captured scenery and lifestyle. A wonderful read.

you have to keep reading. You need to know just what will happen to who and how and why. And everything else. The series is very good and each book is so well written that they could stand alone, but it's better, I think, to read them as a series. So go to #1...

I've been hooked on CJ Box since his first Joe Pickett book and this latest didn't disappoint. Won't go into the plot summary, since other reviews have done that far better than I could, so I'll touch on a few of the things I most enjoyed about this one. First and foremost: the suspense. I have a certain love/hate relationship with these book: I love them, but sometimes I hate turning the page, because I'm so filled with dread. There's something about Box's simple prose that serves to heighten the suspense--the spare quality of the writing not only matches the nature of the American West but also serves to put the reader's focus solely on the action. There's an immediacy to the pacing that also serves to keep the pages turning. I also love that Nate Romanowski is central to this story. Without spoilers, we find out finally how his mysterious past turned him into the reclusive enigma he is when Joe Pickett first met him, and we see him resolve some of the issues, albeit in a way that will surely have consequences in future books. That leads to the second strength of this book, and the rest of this books: they're written in, as CJ Box has said, "real time". The events in this book happen roughly a year after the events in "Cold Wind", and whatever happens in the next installment will presumably take place around a year from the final scene in this book. So characters and their relationships grow and change realistically, and there are threads that still dangle that the next book will pick up--I like it when a book doesn't tie up every last detail, because life never does and sometimes fiction can feel too neat and pat. Characterization, which is one of Box's strong suits, is as solid as always. He writes family life exceptionally well. Joe doesn't solve his crimes in an emotional vacuum in any of the books, including this one. The stresses of his personal life affect him and influence his decision-making. There's not a lot of mystery/thrillers out there that include that a protagonist who is a strong family man, and it's always something I've appreciated about the Joe Pickett character. His family life isn't quite so turbulent this time, which is probably just as well considering how much stress Nate brings to the party in this book. Finally, some of Joe's more humorous quirks, including (and this might be a very mild spoiler) a certain recurring, um, vehicular issue, are present and accounted for this time around. So a solid read, filled with all the good things about Joe Pickett novels that we who love them have come to expect. I bought the Kindle edition and it had a few little glitchy typos, nothing too distracting but it and the fact that there wasn't much of Tube in this novel--I adore that goofy dog--kept me from giving this the full 5-star treatment. But the characterization, suspense, action and explosive ending were all spot on.

Outstanding!! Highly recommend this book.

This book told an incredible story. It was hard to put down because I wanted to keep reading. It told the story of Joe's friend Nate and explained his background. The action was nonstop. I will definitely read more by this author.

Great story, well told. A peek in Nate Romanowski 's past. If you're a fan of Joe Pickett, this is a must read.

With the emphasis on mysterious Nate, this book has a slightly different flavor than previous in the series. Besides being an absorbing tale, I learned a bit about falconry, it's practice and history. Can't get enough of these evolving characters. It's satisfying finding this quality of storytelling in a setting I know and love, the modern West.

It is a good book with plenty of action. It encouraged me to read the next book in the series.

The book is great pity it was delivered late.

The more of the Joe Pickett series that I read (and I’ve read them in order for the past 3 months) the more I love Joe. It’s not so much that he finds trouble it’s more that trouble seems to know where he is most of the time. He’s got such heart and he’s fiercely loyal to his family and the few close friends that he has. Most of all he has a strong moral compass and will follow his conscience even if it puts him in danger, which it usually does. Force of Nature has been a joy to read and I can’t wait to start the next Joe Pickett adventure.

Force of Nature primarily focuses on Joe Pickett' s ninja sidekick Nate Romanowski but includes both in the story. Complex plot flows smoothly from Box's mind to yours. Lots of action and lots of heart tugging family life. C J Box is one of the very few I'll pay full price to read.

(Kindle version). This book has everything. Real people, although they are doing very extreme things. It's very violent and gory, but you just go with the flow. I immediately downloaded another book from the series.

Liked all his books