Putnam 2016
Japan: Tokyo Sogensha
United Kingdom: Head of Zeus
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Off the Grid
Nate Romanowski is off the grid, recuperating from wounds and trying to deal with past crimes, when he is suddenly surrounded by a small team of elite professional special operators. They’re not there to threaten him, but to make a deal. They need help destroying a domestic terror cell in Wyoming’s Red Desert, and in return they’ll make Nate’s criminal record disappear.
But they are not what they seem, as Nate’s friend Joe Pickett discovers. They have a much different plan in mind, and it just may be something that takes them all down—including Nate and Joe.
Bestseller Box’s 16th Joe Pickett adventure (after 2015’s Endangered) opens with some of the sweetest words any true fan of the series could hope to see: “Nate Romanowski knew trouble was on the way when he saw the falcon’s wings suddenly flare in the distance.” The best Joe Pickett novels are those that prominently feature Nate, the original off-the-grid freeman, and Nate dominates at least half of this yarn, while Joe’s equally fine alternating chapters lead to their inevitable crossing of paths late in the story. A master at managing multiple plot lines, Box brings them all together for a nerve-wracking climax that rivals The Wild Bunch for utter havoc. With this exceptional entry, Box solidifies his place at the upper level of the crime fiction pantheon.
In the course of a few sentences, Box transports the beholder to a place that is far away, exotic and, yes, dangerous. This goes beyond writing; it is craftsmanship of high order. With each new book, Box regularly exceeds the expectations he has created for himself with the previous one. A great deal of that accomplishment is due to his protagonist. Joe Pickett is the epitome of the American working class, one of the few we encounter in modern fiction. OFF THE GRID has everything: a hero to stand up and cheer for, a mystery, suspense that will keep you tightly coiled, and Box’s impeccable, picturesque prose. There’s nothing better.
A terrorist thriller with a uniquely western flair...a breakneck story that Pickett fans will want to read in one sitting.
Even though you just know Box isn’t going to put an end to his highly successful franchise by blowing his lead characters to kingdom come, you can’t help turning the pages and holding your breath until you find out where this scary, all-too-plausible caravan is heading.
Box's Joe Pickett novels are first-rate, thought-provoking entertainment. They dig into timely dangers set against the Wyoming landscape, with characters both sensitive and violent, apolitical and high-principled, regular hardworking "joes" and edgy, independent mystics. Few can touch Box for spinning a good story while also making readers ponder right and wrong. Off the Grid is among his best.
The novel streaks to a startling conclusion in a sinister plot endangering Sheridan, Nate, Joe, and potentially, the entire nation...a true pulse-pounder dealing with terrorism, government spying, geopolitical conflict, loyalty, family, and much more.
The Associated Press
Pickett and Romanowski are brothers in spirit, and it's compelling to follow their two separate stories up to the inevitable crash when they have to rely on each other to survive. Picking up a new C.J. Box thriller is like spending quality time with family you love and have missed. The author knows how to create an exciting reading experience for both loyal fans as well as newcomers who have never heard of Pickett or Romanowski, and he does it once again in "Off the Grid." It's a rare thriller series that has characters grow and change without becoming stale.
Writers C.J. Box and Craig Johnson are like the Balzac and Proust of Wyoming crime fiction. Johnson has his series with Sheriff Walt Longmire, and Box rocks it with game warden Joe Pickett. It's impossible to say which is better — they're both just superb — and we in Reader Land are particularly lucky. Box has just published "Off the Grid," in which Pickett's long-time pal Nate Romanowski, an ex-Special Forces dude turned falconer/libertarian activist, takes a lead role...throw in a rogue Grizzly Bear and a clever spin on the idea of domestic terrorism — and the wonderful characters and prose — and it's a magnificent, tense read.
Box is master at involving issues that affect the West. The old versus the new. Environmental concerns versus new development and energy extraction. Endangered species protection versus use of private lands. Fiercely independent Westerners. Box plumbs these issues and integrates them skillfully into Joe and Nate's lives, causing big problems and sometimes threatening their lives. Readers will race to keep up with the action.
Best-seller C.J. Box's finely tuned series about Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett is known for showing how environmental issues not only affect the environment but also people, jobs and lifestyles. "Off the Grid" is filled with high suspense, formidable characters and an action-packed ending more vivid than most movies...an exceptional thriller.
As with all of the Pickett novels, the sense of place is exquisite, the action and plot twists are relentless, the prose is magical, and the denouement breathtaking. If you’re not already a fan of C.J. Box, you will be as soon as you read Off the Grid, or any of his previous and compelling works.