Vicious Circle
Joe Pickett #17
CJ Box
Harper Collins Publishers Australia
Head of Zeus
ISBN: 9781784973148
Description:
The past comes back to haunt game warden Joe Pickett and his family with devastating effect.
One man hell-bent on avenging his family, the other dead-set on protecting his… Joe Pickett always knew there’d be a day of reckoning. And now that day has come. Two years ago, his daughter was beaten and dumped by the side of a country road. Joe’s determination to avenge her forced him into a catastrophic confrontation with the Cates clan that left three of their number dead and put the two survivors behind bars. Now the youngest son, Dallas, is out of prison and back in town. Joe knows exactly why he’s returned – an eye for an eye. All Joe can do is wait for Dallas to make the first move…
My View:
I’ll keep this review brief as you all know how much I love this author and in particular this series. This is another outstanding episode in the life of game warden Joe Pickett, the narrative just keeps setting darker and more intense as the series goes on. This is a clear your diary, order dinner to be delivered, read in one night kind of book…you will not be disappointed!
I’ll add one additional thought – the Wanda Stacy event raised my blood pressure several notches…very, very, dark AND I loved that Nate Romanowski was called on to help Joe out. Nate is a character that forces you to ask yourself “what would you do in his situation?” Decisions are not always easy or clear cut…
I am ready for the next episode CJ.
Reading, Writing and Riesling 
This is such a great series, isn’t it, Carol? And Box has kept the quality of it very consistently strong over the years, I think. Glad you liked it so well.
I think the last few story arcs have been getting quite dark…and I loved every minute of it. There is that familiarity with the main characters that i enjoy and story lines that are contemporary and full of intrigue. Love this authors work.
I used to really enjoy his books but sadly the plots have become a little too far fetched & dark for me. Glad you enjoyed Carol 😊
Have you read his standalones? They are pretty impressive.
No, I’ve only read the Joe Pickett books. Thanks for the suggestion Caol. I’ll seek out a couple of his standalones & hopefully rediscover the pleasure of reading a C.J. Box mystery 😊
You won’t be disappointed – The standalones are how I “discovered ” this series.
Just noticed the typo I made! Apologies Carol 💐