Three-inch teeth

Box's pulse-pounding latest adventure for Wyoming game warden Pickett (after Storm Watch) showcases the series' strengths: high-octane action, intricate plotting, and well-drawn characters. Things kick off dramatically with Clay Hutmacher Jr. trout-fishing in a river and planning how he'll propose to Pickett's daughter, when he's fatally attacked by a grizzly bear. The discovery of Clay's remains prompts Pickett to activate Wyoming's Predator Attack Team to hunt down the bear before it claims more victims. Meanwhile, white supremacist Dallas Cates, who headed the WOODS (Whites Only One Day Soon) gang, is released from prison with plans to assassinate six targets--including Pickett--in revenge for killing members of his family and putting him behind bars. When he learns that Pickett is preoccupied with finding the bear that killed Clay, Cates moves his old nemesis to the top of his hit list. Box maintains expert suspense throughout, shrewdly exploiting the story's animal and human killers to set a series of diabolical traps for his hero. It's another high point in a series full of them. Agent: Ann Rittenberg, Ann Rittenberg Literary. (Feb.)

Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett is called in when a rogue grizzly bear attacks and kills a hunter during a busy elk-hunting season. The hunt for the bear is unsuccessful, and with other hunters canceling their trips, the local economy takes a hit. When additional bear attacks happen in unlikely places--and far from one another--Pickett and his team are perplexed. How can one bear be responsible for the many attacks? Then Pickett gets the news that his old nemesis, Dallas Cates, has been released from prison. At the same time, a museum's taxidermied grizzly bear goes missing. The pieces begin to fall into place, with deadly consequences. In the 24th book in the "Joe Pickett" series (after Storm Watch), Box continues the adventures of the Pickett family in the wilds of Wyoming. He weaves facts about grizzly bears and other wildlife along with commentary about Wyoming's human inhabitants into this fast-paced listen. Longtime series narrator David Chandler demonstrates his facility with Box's characters and environment, keeping the tension high and providing an excellent range of voices. VERDICT Newbies and series fans will be on the edge of their seats.--Joanna M. Burkhardt

A bear is hunting prey in Wyoming's Bighorns. And not just any bear. It's bad enough that Clay Hutmacher, who manages the Double Diamond Ranch, has lost his son, Clay Jr., to a vicious attack by a grizzly bear. What's much worse is that Clay Jr.--who'd been about to pop the question to game warden Joe Pickett's daughter, Sheridan--is only the first of the victims over an exceptionally broad geographical area. Marshal Marvin Bertignolli is clawed and bitten to death over in Hanna. Sgt. Ryan Winner is found bleeding out north of Rawlins. Former Twelve Sleep County prosecutor Dulcie Schalk, one of two survivors of an ambush, doesn't survive her final encounter. The four experts chosen to kill the grizzly rope Joe into their expedition, but since their quarry keeps turning up far from the last sighting, the most meaningful confrontation the Predator Attack Team has is with a pair of Mama Bears, animal rights activists who demand due process for Tisiphone, as they've dubbed the presumed killer. Box, who's far too canny to leave Tisiphone alone on center stage, follows Joe's old antagonist Dallas Cates as the ex--rodeo star is released from prison and embarks on his revenge tour, which takes him to Lee Ogburn-Russell, an inventor whose life Dallas saved, and Axel Soledad, a correspondent who shares so many enemies with Dallas that he suggests they go after them together. Franchise fans will appreciate new details about Joe's complicated family, the obligatory high-country landscapes, and yet another corrupt law enforcer. A tale that's hard to believe but easy to swallow in a single gulp. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A man released from prison with revenge on his mind goes after Joe Pickett (among others), using a raging grizzly bear's multiple attacks as a cover (hence those Three-Inch Teeth in Box's title). Prepub Alert. Copyright 2023 Library Journal

Box's pulse-pounding latest adventure for Wyoming game warden Pickett (after Storm Watch) showcases the series' strengths: high-octane action, intricate plotting, and well-drawn characters. Things kick off dramatically with Clay Hutmacher Jr. trout-fishing in a river and planning how he'll propose to Pickett's daughter, when he's fatally attacked by a grizzly bear. The discovery of Clay's remains prompts Pickett to activate Wyoming's Predator Attack Team to hunt down the bear before it claims more victims. Meanwhile, white supremacist Dallas Cates, who headed the WOODS (Whites Only One Day Soon) gang, is released from prison with plans to assassinate six targets—including Pickett—in revenge for killing members of his family and putting him behind bars. When he learns that Pickett is preoccupied with finding the bear that killed Clay, Cates moves his old nemesis to the top of his hit list. Box maintains expert suspense throughout, shrewdly exploiting the story's animal and human killers to set a series of diabolical traps for his hero. It's another high point in a series full of them. Agent: Ann Rittenberg, Ann Rittenberg Literary. (Feb.)