Open Season cover art

Open Season

Joe Pickett, Book 1

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Open Season

By: C.J. Box
Narrated by: David Chandler
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About this listen

 Bloomsbury presents Open Season by C.J. Box, read by David Chandler.

The award-winning debut novel by New York Times bestseller C.J. Box, Open Season is the first in the hugely successful Joe Pickett series, now adapted into the hit Paramount TV show Joe Pickett, streaming on Paramount UK.

There’s nothing unusual about the sound of a gunshot in Twelve Sleep. In remotest Wyoming, where elk roam the pine forests and cougars prowl the mountains, everyone owns a gun. But when Joe Pickett hears two sharp cracks ring out months before hunting season, it’s his job to investigate.

As game warden, dad-of-two Joe is not only badly paid and poorly housed, he’s deeply unpopular. So when the source of the shots – a well-known poacher – gets off scot-free, the locals are delighted.

And then the poacher turns up dead in the Picketts’ back yard…

Investigating the first murder he’s ever encountered, Joe soon finds himself battling grudge-holding neighbours, corrupt officials, and determined activists. But will unravelling the mystery mean he risks the life and family he loves?

Open Season is the winner of the highly coveted Anthony, Gumshoe, Barry, and Macavity Awards for Best First Novel.

Reviews for Open Season

'A great crime novel.' Lee Child
'A muscular first novel.' New York Times
'A debut of riveting tensions.' Publishers Weekly
'Box remains square on target throughout this nearly word-perfect debut... Joe Pickett is a Gary Cooper for our time.' Booklist©2024 C.J. Box (P)2024 Recorded Books LLC Fiction Genre Fiction Mystery Police Procedural Small Town & Rural Wyoming Suspense
All stars
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Loved the show which brought me here. The book was great also. Easy to listen to and the narrator has a good voice. I purchased the next 3 books

Loved the show, enjoyed the book

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Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett is an honest man in a dishonest world. When a hunter dies in his yard and others die at the hands of the police, Joe is dissatisfied with the answers he’s given. As pressure on him mounts, evidence disappears, and his wife and daughter are targeted, Joe refuses to compromise his integrity and the law. Meanwhile, 7 yo Joe’s daughter, Sheridan, discovers unusual animals in their woodpile, which puts her in grave danger.

Although I’ve read a bunch of Joe Pickett novels, I’d never read this one—great to see all the characters and the signature issues in their series introduced! Joe often battles both private and government corruption, belligerent hunters, and townsfolk motivated by greed or revenge as he seeks to uphold the law and protect the environment in remote regions of the Rocky Mountains. These are murder mysteries set in the beautiful high mountain country around Wyoming and Montana and Joe’s stubborn streak sees him through a lot of difficult situations. 🎧 Voice actor David Chandler does a great job on the early books in this series!

Great start to brilliant series

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