Breaking Point (A Joe Pickett Novel) - Hardcover

Box, C. J.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399160752 ISBN 13: 9780399160752

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2013

Synopsis

The thrilling new Joe Pickett novel from the New York Times–bestselling author.

Critics called Force of Nature an“amazing” (Associated Press), “outstanding” (Minneapolis Star Tribune), “warp speed . . . showdown between good and evil” (The Denver Post). “This is the best Box I’ve ever read, and I’ve read them all” (Library Journal).

Breaking Point, however, takes Joe Pickett into uncharted territory. The question is: What will he do when he gets there?

It was always good to see Butch Roberson, Joe thought—a hardworking, upright local business owner whose daughter was friends with his own. Little did he know that when he talked to Butch that day in the forest, the man was about to disappear. He was heading into the mountains to scout elk, he said, but instead he was running. Two EPA employees had just been murdered, and all signs pointed to him as the killer.

As the manhunt organized itself, Joe heard more of the story—about the tract of land Butch and his wife had bought to build their retirement home on, until the EPA declared it a wetland. About the penalties they charged him when he balked, new ones piling up every day, until the family was torn apart . . . and finally, it seems, the man just cracked.

It was an awful story. But was it the whole story? The more Joe looks into it, the more he begins to wonder—and the more he finds himself in the middle of a war he never expected and never wanted. Powerful forces want Roberson not just caught but dead—and the same goes for anyone who stands in their way.

Every man reaches his breaking point. Joe Pickett may just have reached his.

About this title

About the Author

C. J. Box is the author of thirteen Joe Pickett novels and three stand-alones, and has won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, Gumshoe, and Barry Awards, as well as the French Prix Calibre .38. His most recent Joe Pickett novel, Force of Nature, debuted at #3 on the New York Times bestseller list. He lives outside Cheyenne, Wyoming, with his family.

Reviews

Box has always been adept at giving Joe Pickett, his old-school Wyoming game warden, modern issues to confront. Here, Joe finds himself tracking Butch Roberson, the father of his younger daughter’s best friend, after Butch seemingly kills two armed EPA agents and heads for the hills. Armed EPA agents? You read that right. In this nightmarish scenario, the EPA carries guns, the Forest Service has a SWAT team, and an unhinged administrator can target a fugitive with a missile-carrying drone. “Hell had broken open, and hundreds of bureaucrats were gushing out,” laments Pickett, wondering whether he can stand to wear his badge anymore. Should “war” break out between the government and the people, he knows whose side he would be on. His outrage is understandable, but, still, this is a far cry from the thoughtful, balanced takes of previous Picketts. And, despite a fiery, thrilling ending, it’s not as seamlessly structured as usual, either. But, whether you watch the skies for black helicopters or not, you’ll still have a hard time putting this one down and turning out the light. --Keir Graff

Edition details

• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0399160752
• ISBN 13: 9780399160752
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 384