Winterkill is the third book in author C.J. Box’s series about Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett. Although parts of the story stand on their own, I do recommend reading the first two books in the series to get a better feel for the characters, particularly the details surrounding Joe’s family.

Joe is out patrolling his vast area of coverage when he stumbles upon a herd of elk. It’s near the end of hunting season, so the first shot doesn’t surprise him. However, when the shots continue and multiple elk drop, he knows he’s dealing with a poacher. He doesn’t expect to find out that the shooter is a Forest Service Supervisor for the area, Lamar Gardiner. Joe arrests him, but true to form, before he can get Gardiner back to town, Gardiner gets the best of him and handcuffs Joe to the steering wheel in his truck. These types of embarrassing situations seem to plague Joe. He manages to disconnect the steering wheel in his truck and goes after Gardiner, determined to bring him in. A winter storm is bearing down on him, and he knows he needs to get out of there. When he locates Gardiner again, he’s impaled by arrows to a tree with his throat slit.

While this is going on, a cult-like anti-government group moves into a Forest Service campground. When they are driving through town in their campers, there’s a face familiar to Joe’s young forster-daughter, April. Her mother has returned after abandoning her years before. Joe and his wife have been trying to adopt April but haven’t been able to finalize it before her mother turned up again.

The first suspect in Gardiner’s murder is local recluse Nate Romanowski, who has a mysterious past. Joe doesn’t believe he killed Gardiner and agrees to investigate the case to try to clear him while also watching out for the birds that Gardiner cares for. Meanwhile, with a federal employee having been murdered, the FBI steps in. Once Joe clears Nate, they turn their attention to the occupants of the campground, sure that their appearance is connected to the murder of Gardiner.

Winterkill is a great book. There are so many different things going on that seem to have a connection. Joe demonstrates a level head as he investigates and puts things together, despite the tension ratcheting up all around. He faces pressure on the homefront in regard to trying to keep April with them, while his mother-in-law has also taken up residence on their couch. He faces pressure from local law enforcement and the FBI to connect the anti-government group to the killings. Yet, when he approaches the leader of the group, he finds him to be a somewhat reasonable man, not the violent activist the FBI seems determined to paint him as.

The tension builds nicely throughout the story. With it being winter, there’s a sense of being trapped by the weather, which adds to the tension. There’s a sense throughout the story that it’s all building towards a big explosion. The good guys aren’t all good, and the bad guys aren’t all bad, much like in the real world. In this case, though, everyone is contributing to the rise in tensions that could leave Saddlestring, Wyoming, as the next Ruby Ridge or Waco.

The audiobook is narrated by David Chandler, who does a good job for the most part. My one complaint is when he reads the dialogue of Melinda, a Forest Service supervisor who is called in following Gardinaer’s death, he portrayed her with a very whiny, annoying voice. That might suit the character, but I felt it was an over-the-top exaggeration. Otherwise, Chandler does a terrific job creating the atmosphere that the book details.

There’s a bit of a shocking end to Winterkill that I wasn’t expecting. This isn’t a story where the hero triumphs and everyone lives happily ever after. There’s a tragedy that could have been much worse, but manages to cut Joe deeply. It will be interesting to see where the series goes from here. I really like the addition of Nate, and I hope we see more of him in the future. This is a good book that shows the good guys aren’t always wearing the white hats, despite what some people would like you to think.

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