Open Season (A Joe Pickett Novel)

My brother-in-law recommended this series to me. He read the entire Joe Pickett series during lockdowns. I had watched Big Sky on TV which was based on this author's other series, so I decided to try these. I read book 2 first and liked it a lot, then I went to book 1 which I liked even more. Yes, there is violence, but Joe Pickett is a very moral man and sometimes it's difficult to find a main character that you admire. These are good versus evil. I can't put these books down. I keep my Kindle by my nightstand and if I wake up during the night, I read. Book 1 was pretty thrilling. It is not for people who cannot tolerate violence. I have always liked thrillers rather than other types of books. What I like about these is that the characters are described - it is not just action. I also like the descriptions of Montana and Wyoming and the wildlife. There are ranchers and environmentalists in the first books, but there are good people and bad on both sides. I ordered Books 3 and 4 after I finished Book 2. I normally do not read series - I like stand alone books, but these are very good and each one has its own story. The person who recommended them says that as the years go by, the books keep up with technology changes, so the stories change a bit. I love that these take place in an environment different from other books I have read - the wilderness. I could never do Joe's job of traveling in this environment to check on things (hunters, fishermen), which makes it all the more appealing to me. I highly recommend. The conclusion of Book 1 is very exciting.

I had read a few of the Joe Pickett books previously and liked the character enough that I decided to go back to the beginning. It was a good choice, it added more depth to the character. This is a good story and I shall enjoy more adventures of Joe Pickett.

I liked the ease of reading this book. It kept me reading til wee hours of the morning. I read it in 2 days. It is the first book of a series. When reading you could envision who and how each character appeared. The plot set in Wyoming was believable for this remote area. Can't say there was anything I didn't like. I'm planning to continue reading the series. This is a mystery book, not a romance novel. Readers that appreciate trying to figure out the specific deeds of the bad guys, before the author divulges the truth, will enjoy this book.

This book is full of a way of life high in the mountains of Wyoming and Montana. It is interesting, full of animals, family life, and the good and bad of human beings. Hi

I realize that this is the first of the series and the first book is rarely a knockout. This plot was messy. I didn't realize how much, until my husband wanted to watch a few episodes of the show. The writer for the show reordered the events and made it more ominous. I've only seen the first two episodes of the show, but the plot building is cleaner. I picked up this book because it's recommended to follow Longmire. Obviously, I have to run some comparisons. What I like about Longmire is his self-assurance. I also appreciate his sense of right and wrong. He makes the reader feel safe even when his situation rarely ever is. Joe Pickett is extremely insecure about everything. His moral compass is tied to whatever serves him best which makes him super unreliable. There was a plot thread for infidelity, which seemed unnecessary. Like, "look, I could have cheated but I didn't." Meanwhile his wife is pregnant. There is also a plot thread for divorce which was just left hanging, but I'm wondering if he is setting it up for another book. He nailed the disturbing sociopathic villain. The villain plus the utter incompetence of the hero made feel really ill. Trigger warnings for pedophilia and child loss. I guess I'll give the next book a shot. I hope that the writing gets better. If not I guess I'll watch the show with my hubby. Four out of five stars to Open Season.

OK, enough people like this that I'm not going to go wild dissing it, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I might have. First, not a bad story, even though we can see the ending coming a mile away, and it is - shall we say - more than a little fanciful. Second, I got tired of what seemed like every character being introduced by their least attractive trait. After a while, it began to look like the author really despises his own characters. For all that, like I said, not a bad story, the book is well written and flows decently, with very few mistakes or grammatical errors that jar you out of the narrative. Maybe successive books are better, but this one didn't leave me eager for more.

As a mystery lover, this book has it all. The setting is like taking a vacation, the characters are flawed, fallible and lovable. They grow and learn and are the kind of people I hope I want to know and the mystery is well plotted and super suspenseful. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Both good reads. Will carry on with this series to see where it takes me

What a great read and how exciting is it to have discovered a new series... A new hero, his family , in a great wildlife setting, facing a new mystery in every book...a thrilling find. When I read some reviews of the Jo Pickett books, some reviewers criticised the books and described them as being light-weight, with one dimensional characters. I couldn't disagree more. This book was a fast read because I couldn't put the it down. Joe Pickett is a great protagonist - he's likeable and moral but he's also funny and clever. But not perfect. He has his short comings. I like his family and can't wait to read the series and see their development. And they do develop.....how do I know? Because I started reading one of C J Box's much later books in the Joe Pickett series and when I realised how much I was enjoying it, I forced myself to stop reading and go back to the beginning and enjoy the series properly. This was number 1 in the series and I loved it - I've already bought number 2.

I really enjoyed reading this book

Sorry this book was just not for me it just seemed to get nowhere slowly eating sandwiches etc I have read other homely books and enjoyed them but not this time.

Alles Gut