A New York Times Notable Book One of the Chicago Tribune ''s Ten Best Mysteries of 2001 Edgar® Award Nominee for Best First Novel by an American Author UNPRECEDENTED ACCLAIM FROM CRITICS AND PEERS FOR C. J. BOX''S OPEN SEASON "Buy two copies of Open Season , and save one in mint condition to sell to first-edition collectors. C. J. Box is a great storyteller." --Tony Hillerman "Intriguing, with a forest setting so treacherous it makes Nevada Barr''s locales look positively comfy, with a motive for murder that is as unique as any in modern fiction. Pickett is a refreshingly human and befuddled hero.
But it''s Box''s offbeat way of telling the story that puts it on the best-of-the-year track." --Los Angeles Times "C. J. Box has hit the bull''s-eye his first time up. Open Season explores an honorable man''s love of family and the unflinching measures such a man is willing to take to protect them. Riveting suspense mingles with flashes of cynical back-country humor and makes Box an author to watch. I didn''t want this book to end." --Margaret Maron "C.
J. Box . certainly knows the Wyoming territory Pickett covers. Pickett is deceptive and complicated himself, a struggling young husband and father who combines eagerness and ambition, strength and fragility into an interesting, original package." --Chicago Tribune "Pickett [is] an engaging change from the fast-driving, trigger-happy male heroes of so many contemporary crime novels. What really sets Open Season apart, however, is the author''s ability to incorporate the viewpoints of his hero''s seven-year-old daughter into the story. Box does a very fine job of capturing the heart and fears of a young girl. She is, indeed, an integral part of the story, and she adds a warm counterbalance to the relentless greed of the adults surrounding her.
Open Season is a very promising debut." --The Washington Post Book World "A fabulous debut--a great crime novel and a great modern-day western rolled into one. All the elements are here: a tremendous sense of Wyoming''s scenic grandeur, vivid characters, and a high-stakes plot that moves like a rifle bullet. Plus, as a bonus, hero Joe Pickett''s daughter, Sheridan, is the best-written child character I''ve read in a long time. C. J. Box is a keeper, and I for one hope he''ll write a few more like this one--soon." --Lee Child " Open Season rings true .
Box nails the taste and smell of the place, and in the process, creates a sensory experience that can be rare in fast-paced, plot-driven crime fiction--without stalling the plot. He finds a way to weave the mysteries of landscape into the larger mystery at hand . Box''s yarn is full of the kind of grittiness a reader can expect from a place where blood and bone are not just the stuff of crime fiction, but of sport and survival, too." --The Denver Post "C. J. Box knows the Wyoming high country inside out, and his protagonist, Game Warden Joe Pickett, is as real and refreshing as they come. This one is a hunting trip and then some." --Les Standiford "C.
J. Box has written a fast-paced, intelligent mystery that draws us into the wide open spaces of Wyoming and introduces a memorable hero: Game Warden Joe Pickett, unwilling detective and a man with a conscience. A page-turner and a remarkable debut." --Margaret Coel "Every few years a first novel appears that immediately sets itself apart from the crowd. As readers, we feel that special shock of recognition that announces, ''Here is something special. '' Taking dead aim with his first sentence . Box remains square on target throughout this nearly word-perfect debut. Best of all, the soft-spoken Joe Pickett is a Gary Cooper for our time.
" -- Booklist (starred review) "The unusual setting and flawed characters make for an enlightening, as well as suspenseful, read." --New York Daily News " Open Season is a lean, fast-moving thriller that proves you don''t need an urban landscape to make the pages turn. With the exception of James Dickey, I can''t think of another writer who has managed to wring so much white-knuckled terror out of rural America. This is a truly outstanding read." --Loren D. Estleman " Open Season is a western deco, vividly painted and fun as hell. I know nothing of the West, but C. J.
Box is a superb guide--and also a very good novelist." --Randy Wayne White "[A] debut mystery to be savored . Joe Pickett is a modern-day Gary Cooper, soft-spoken and good-hearted . [A] clever mix of mystery, western, and scenery-to-die-for . Box has created an enduring hero in Joe. Once you stake out Open Season , you won''t want to turn loose until the limit is bagged and the back cover is closed." --The Jackson (MS) Clarion-Ledger Also by C. J.
Box The Joe Pickett Novels OPEN SEASON SAVAGE RUN WINTERKILL TROPHY HUNT OUT OF RANGE IN PLAIN SIGHT FREE FIRE BLOOD TRAIL BLUE HEAVEN THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP Published by the Penguin Group Penguin Group (USA) Inc. 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen''s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) Penguin Books India Pvt.
Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi--110 017, India Penguin Group (NZ), Cnr. Airborne and Rosedale Roads, Albany, Auckland 1310, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author''s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content. OPEN SEASON A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author Copyright © 2001 by C. J. Box. Excerpt from Savage Run copyright © 2002 by C. J. Box. The Edgar® name is a registered service mark of the Mystery Writers of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author''s rights. Purchase only authorized editions. For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. eISBN : 978-1-101-46380-2 BERKLEY ® PRIME CRIME PRIME CRIME Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
The name BERKLEY PRIME CRIME and the BERKLEY PRIME CRIME design are trademarks belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc. To Molly, Becky, Roxanne, and especially for Laurie-- my partner, my anchor, my first reader, my love And thanks to Andy Whelchel and Martha Bushko, who brought this to life Table of Contents Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Prologue PART ONE Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 PART TWO Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 PART THREE Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 PART FOUR Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 PART FIVE Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 PART SIX Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 PART SEVEN Epilogue An exciting preview of STONE COLD Prologue When a high-powered rifle bullet hits living flesh it makes.