Off The Grid

 

I just finished Off the Grid, the latest mystery from C J Box.  It is a Joe Pickett novel.  Joe Pickett is a Game and Fish Warden from Wyoming. He is a great Game warden and a terrible shot.  So his favorite weapon is a shotgun.

This book involves a bear attack and the tracking of the rogue bear, a terrorist plot and falconry, all in one great book.

Most of the Joe Pickett books feature Nate Romanowski, a former Special Forces operative that now lives off the grid and flies his falcons.  He has gotten Joe into trouble with his less than stellar view of some of the things the government does.  He has also saved Joe and his family from armed people with evil intent.

The main thrust of this book is a small group of idealists who are upset at NSA for the collection of Metadata, all phone, email and texting data, for possible future use.  He devises a way to fry the computers with an electromagnetic pulse and destroy all the collected data.   A Middle Eastern terrorist cell wants to steal the mobile machines made by this group and destroy airplanes, hospitals and even the electric grid all across the United States. 

It is up to Nate and Joe to stop them. In the middle of a Wyoming desert, with no cell service to call for help.  On top of that, Joe's daughter, Sheridan has been recruited by her college roommate to spend this particular weekend to help out the group.  So Joe and Nate have to rescue a bunch of college students and save the world.  No problem.  Game wardens are trained for this sort of thing!

All of Box's books are exciting and fresh.  His characters are compelling.  When I worked in a library I would sometimes get a man that hadn't really read a lot of fiction and he wanted a recommendation.  If he enjoyed the outside and nature, I would recommend C J Box and they would always come back and get the rest of his books.  A fabulous writer.

The Highway by C. J. Box

 

I just finished a book that I hated and liked all at the same time.  It is The Highway by C. J. Box.  He also writes the Joe Pickett mystery series.  I also like them and they were the books I recommended first for men when they needed help choosing a book.  Men that usually read non-fiction sometimes asked for help when branching out into the fiction areas of the library.

The Highway is about two young girls, sisters 16 and 18 years old, driving to their father's house for the Thanksgiving holiday.  The older sister decides to take a side trip to visit her boyfriend who is attempting to break up with her.  The younger sister doesn't want to go and is dragged off against her will, half way into the trip.

At the same time there is a long distance trucker who is a serial killer and he is driving the on the same road the older sister has taken.  This is where I didn't like this book.  I have two daughters and I know there are actual serial killers travelling the highways of the world.  It was not easy to keep reading and I almost gave it up several times.  On the other hand C. J., as I call him (We are buds, like that, picture my fingers entwined, compadres....perfect strangers.  But I HAVE recommended him many times.) ...well, Mr. Box is a really good writer and will keep your interest and there are enough twists to keep you guessing most of the way through.

I did think he could have ramped up the terrible things that happened to the girls, but then, I think I read that he is the father of daughters and maybe he didn't want to imagine too many horrible things happening to his daughters, either.  He writes with more intensity for his Joe Pickett novels, so maybe it was the whole issue with young girls in danger. 

I liked the book and it had suspense and it was a good read.  If you want a truly gruesome look at serial killers, watch or read Dexter.  If you like your late night reads to keep your interest without having to put it down and check the door locks and the location of your handgun, give The Highway a try.

Walt Longmire Mysteries

                                          

I wrote earlier about the Walt Longmire mysteries by Craig Johnson. I read the first one and then loved it so much I went to the county library website an started ordering a couple each week.  I wish I could BUY the books of all the authors I love, but I read over 300 books a year and it is just not possible.  Add that to the wish list for when I am rich and win the lottery.  The ability to go to bookstores and Amazon and buy what ever strikes my fancy.

I used to read Tony Hillerman back when he was writing and I became a fan of C J Box, but Craig Johnson is a new find for me.  He reminds me a bit of those two authors, so if you have read and enjoyed them, then try Mr. Johnson.  That is one of the things I miss about no longer working at the library.  I loved finding just the right book for a patron.  I used to pull books I loved and display them with a quick write up and why someone should give them a try.  It was fun to see those books fly off the shelves and get the positive feedback.

One of the things I like about these mysteries is the humor.  The action scenes are broken up with clever and witty writing.  Here are two parts I loved from Junkyard Dogs.  Speaking about being outside on a winter day in Wyoming, "It was Monday of the second week in February and people talked less because their words were snatched from their mouths and cast to Nebraska." Or when describing a Styrofoam cooler  "one of the cheap ones that you can pick up at any service station in the summer season and then listen to it squeak to the point of homicidal dementia."

Don't you love it?  I want to invite him to dinner!  And may I say that one of my fantasies of opening a B&B is that writers I love will show up and I can meet them and talk about books over coffee.  I know it won't happen, but I can fantasize about it!

So give Craig Johnson and his Walt Longmire series a try.  It will please you on many levels, not the least of which is that there are people out there willing to put themselves in harm's way to keep us safe and get the bad guys.  I love that in a book.

I am currently reading the last one the library has, Hell Is Empty.  The next one ( As The Crow Flies) is being catalogued now and I have to wait...or I can get it on my Nook.  I have about 10 books from the library left to read, so if I get to the end of my stash and Crow Flies is not ready to check out, I will get it on my Nook..  And that is some compliment.  PAYING for a book.  Take my word for it and start with The Cold Dish.  You won't be sorry.