Breaking Point by C. J. Box

Breaking Point by C. J. Box
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 5 stars
Review by Snowdrop

Joe Pickett always liked Butch Roberson—a hard-working local business owner whose daughter is friends with Joe’s girls. Little does he know that when Butch says he’s heading into the mountains to scout elk, he is actually going on the run.

Two EPA employees have been murdered and all signs point to Butch as the killer. Joe learns that the land Butch and his wife had bought to retire on was declared a protected wetland by the EPA, and the subsequent fines have torn the family apart. Finally, it seems, the man just cracked.

It’s an awful story, but is it the whole story? The more Joe investigates, the more he begins to wonder—and he soon finds himself in the middle of a war in which he must choose sides.

Being too busy, I’ve had to take a break from this C J Box series about Joe Pickett. This book, Breaking Point, reminded me of what I’ve been missing. This one is about the same good and honest game warden, Joe Pickett. It’s also the same Joe Pickett always in a bit of trouble. This time Joe’s pickup truck is snowed in on the top of a mountain, his government truck of course. The story finds Joe and Marybeth thinking about the need to increase their income somehow. But things go awry and Joe gets caught up in a serious search involving a family member of his daughter’s close friend. From then on…you never put the book down:)

When you know a series is being made into a TV show, you already know you most likely have a good book. The other thing you can assume is that you have great characters. How many series continue to be successful without interesting characters? The Joe Pickett books are no different. Joe’s wife and family all have distinct personalities. Joe is a larger than life person, the kind we all want to be.

Then there is the setting. If you are an outdoors person, you’ll love this story of a game warden with a wilderness territory. That brings us to the genre. These are suspense stories, almost thrillers, but to me, they have a Western flavor. A lot of this “feeling” comes from the rough and rugged territory. I’d describe some of the side characters in the same manner. Add all these elements together and you have the perfect story.