Summary
"J.W. Keeley is a man with a score to settle. He's tracked down the one person he blames for his brother's death: Joe Pickett. And now J.W. is going to make him suffer." "Spring has finally come to Saddlestring, Wyoming, and game warden Joe Pickett is relieved that the long, harsh winter is over. However, a cloud of trouble threatens to spoil the milder weather: local ranch owner and matriarch Opal Scarlett has vanished under suspicious circumstances. Two of her sons, Hank and Arlen, are battling for control of their mother's multi-million-dollar empire, and their bitter fight threatens to tear the whole valley apart." "Everyone is so caught up in the brothers' battle that they seem to have forgotten that Opal is missing. Joe is convinced, though, that one of the brothers killed her." "When a series of wicked pranks escalates into the most personal kind of violence, Joe starts to wonder whether what's happening is not connected to Opal's disappearance - but comes instead from the darkest chapters of his own past. He knows that whoever is after him has a vicious debt to collect and wants him to pay ... and pay early."--BOOK JACKET. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.
Publishers Weekly Review
Wyoming Game and Fish warden Joe Pickett honest, upright and hardworking tends to attract the meanest villains this side of a spaghetti western, as shown in his sprightly sixth outing in which he and his family become the target of John Wayne Keeley, a misguided, conscienceless killer. In addition, Opal Scarlett, the matriarch of a wealthy ranching clan, is missing, and two of her sons, Hank and Arlen, are fighting over the estate. Joe's daughter, Sheridan, is best friends with Hank's daughter, Julie, which puts Sheridan in danger. As usual, hotheaded Joe is also in trouble with his boss, self-serving Randy Pope. When Joe is pulled off of the search for Opal, he stubbornly follows his instincts rather than orders, bringing down Pope's wrath. Edgar-finalist Box (Out of Range) expertly evokes Wyoming's landscape, wildlife, people and politics. Joe's love for the natural world shines throughout, but his lack of political finesse costs him his job by book's end. Fans will eagerly wait to see how he recoups his fortunes in the next installment. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc.
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