Savage Run (Joe Pickett, #2)

Savage Run (Joe Pickett #2)

3.96 of 5 stars 3.96  ·  rating details  ·  2,031 ratings  ·  166 reviews
In Savage Run--C.J. Box's acclaimed follow-up to his career-making debut Open Season--game warden Joe Pickett looks into the bizarre death of an environmental activist...and what he finds is bigger and far more sinister than anything he imagined.
ebook, 304 pages
Published May 6th 2003 by Berkley (first published January 1st 2002)
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Anthony Bellaleigh
Joe Pickett #2 (the Murder Mystery sequel to Open Season) opens with a jaw dropping paragraph and then nicely propels you back into Joe's world at the edge of the Rocky Mountains.

If I'm honest, then it seemed to drift for a couple of chapters and I was wondering whether a serious case would ever emerge - and, how Joe would end up in the middle of it...? More fool me. I should be more familiar with cleverly crafted scene setting...

I recommend making sure you give yourself some serious reading tim...more
Sherri
The second of the charming game warden Joe Pickett series finds Joe again in Wyoming's Bighorn mountain range. A famous ecoterrorist, out peacefully spiking trees with his bride of three days, is killed by an exploding cow. Joe is drawn into this crime and must meet with the cow's owner, who seems complacent about the deaths on his ranch land. Joe wants to know why this bizarre circumstance of facts doesn't phase the jerk.

Marybeth, Joe's wife, begins receiving phone calls from an old high school...more
Joyce Lagow
Second in the Joe Pickett series.[return][return]Again, the plot revolves around environmental issues--this time, eco-terrorism.[return][return]Stewie Woods and his brand-new bride manage to get themselves blown up along with a cow on lands leased in the Big Horn area of Wyoming by lawyer-rancher Jim Finotta, a very nasty piece of work. Since at the time, Stewie was also busy spiking trees so that they couldn't be cut down, everyone including Joe assumes that Stewie was trying some other type of...more
Cat Case
This series. Well, I am not sure what I think as a whole but the individual books are pretty solid. I like that Joe Pickett isn't right all the time or a badass warrior who has all of the answers. I like his family, and I do like that the family faces the consequences of Joe's (in)actions. The daughters are well developed for young characters, even though I think 7-yo Sheridan acted more like a girl twice her age in the first book. I strangely dig Nate even though I am damned sure if he was a re...more
Bart Simms
Instead of the cowboys against the farmers (Oklahoma!,) it's the gentleman ranchers against the environmentalists! It's a good story, and Box's descriptions of the wild country in Wyoming are marvelous. This is not really a mystery, since we know who the bad guys are and it isn't hard to guess who is behind their killing spree. As a result, the plot seems thin, too slow and stretching beyond the limits of credibility at times. I read this after reading Force of Nature, book #12, which I liked be...more
Linda J
C.J.Box's 2nd Joe Pickett Book was better than the first one. And that is as it should be.

In the first book I was really irritated by Box's inability to properly represent one of the main characters as the 8 year old she was supposed to be. In this book she is 11 and is now acting like a 13 or 14 year old, even describing her own mother as a "Babe". Fortunately the girl, Sheridan, has a fairly small role in this book. Presumably the character will ultimately catch up with the real life person sh...more
Patty
Joe Pickett is still patrolling his wilderness area, checking fishing or hunting licenses, keeping an eye on wildlife, counting baby Elk. When an internationally known environmentalist is blown to bits by an exploding cow (yep, exploding cow) Joe is drawn into a spider web of murders that are seemingly unconnected but something is bothering him about it.

I like Joe and his family, I like what Joe does for a living. I'm a little uncomfortable with the amazing body counts that seem to wreaking havo...more
Marek
Savage Run, the second book in the Joe Pickett series, is an interesting read. While the first book centered on the dichotomy between environmentalists trying to save endangered species and the locals who are just trying to survive, the second book is centered around environmentalists trying to keep large ranchers from ranching (i.e., allowing their livestock to graze in public property, privatizing property for ranching purposes, etc.).

Box again does a fantastic job of introducing both sides of...more
Dorothy
Aug 30, 2011 Dorothy rated it 3 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: Nevada Barr fans, lovers of outdoor adventures, lovers of Western mysteries
Joe Pickett may be one of the last honorable men in Wyoming. Everyone else in this book seems to ruthlessly pursue his/her own goals, and usually those goals involve the destruction of anyone who opposes him/her. Who knew the wild, wild West was still quite so wild?

The book begins with a cow being blown up and, along with the cow, a famous (or notorious, depending on your point of view) eco-terrorist and his new wife. They were out that day busily spiking trees when the cow exploded nearby.

It tu...more
Tom Tischler
The Bighorn Mountains warden Joe Pickett is at it again when
he is called out to investigate an exploding cow that kills a
famous environmental activist named Stewie Woods and his bride
of three days. Joe visits the cows owner and leaves angry
and curious as to why he asks no questions as to why this
bizarre accident happened on his land. Meanwhile Joe's wife
Marybeth begins receiving strange phone calls from her old
high school boyfriend Stewie Woods. Stewie may be alive or
dead but his activist pals...more
Frank
Another great entry in the Joe Pickett series by Box. This one involves a deadly war between environmentalists and the Stockmen's Trust, a group of ranchers fighting to protect the old ways of the west including ranching, logging, etc. The book starts out with a bang when a cow explodes and supposedly kills the head of an environmental group and his wife. Joe Pickett, a Wyoming game warden, gets involved and comes up against members of the Trust including some hired killers (supposed stock detec...more
Rebecca
#2 in the series begins with an exploding cow and the resulting death of an infamous environmentalist. Or is he? That is the question Joe tries to answer and this time his wife, MaryBeth, is somehow involved.

Also in the book are two assasins, environmentalists getting whacked and a shadowy organization comprised of ranchers. This book deals with land use and the two opposing viewpoints. On one side are the "tree huggers" and the other side is made up of the ranchers. These two opposing viewpoint...more
Esme
Umweltaktivist Stewie Woods und seine frisch angetraute Ehefrau werden von einem explodierenden Rind in Stücke gerissen. Auch in Wyoming explodieren Rinder nicht einfach so. Es war Mord. Die explodierenden Rinder werden immer wieder aufs Tapet gebracht, nur leider gelingt es kaum, das Potential des Absurden und Lächerlichen dieser Situation auszuschöpfen.

Savage Run ist der zweite Roman mit dem Jagdaufseher Joe Pickett. Seit dem ersten sind zwei Jahre vergangen und Joe Pickett hatte es in dieser...more
Dlora
I put down the first book in the series and immediately wanted to read the next. I'm a sucker for a strong main character (strong in terms of character, not necessarily in terms of superhero skills) and a good mystery with action scenes. In this novel, C. J. Box tries to find the middle ground between ecoterrorists trying to save the world and redneck ranchers trying to save their livelihoods. Box really does a good job illustrating both points of view without being on a soapbox. And along the w...more
Alan Williams
This is the second Joe Pickett novel and the series is getting stronger.

The series is set in some amazing scenic backcountry, and Joe Pickett is a pleasantly flawed lead character. Unlike many flawed heroes in crime novels, Joe is just human. He's mucked up a few times, but he believes in what he does.

Although I enjoyed the story, there was an element of predictability about it, but not so much that the overall story suffered, I think I would just rather have known a little less about what was...more
Deanna
The locale of these stories offer so much to the reader and the author makes the most of that beautiful and dangerous location. Joe Pickett is a wonderful character. He is real. He has fears and doubts. He makes mistakes. He is smart. I love his family life although I have yet to decide if his wife deserves him.
This is a better story than the one in the first book. The characters are well crafted and the "bad" guys are different from the usual. C. J. Box knows how to make his characters a full...more
Wesley
We'll this was good. I really thing it's a strong 3 star'r. The story was predictable. What was enjoyable with this book the descriptions and visual references of imagining what parts of Wyoming looks like. CJ Box nails this on the head and then some. I tried to fail on predicting most of the parts and I didn't fail, if I had even once in the 2nd half of the book it would have gotten 4. I'm not going to compare these to the Swagger series anymore, they aren't. What Stephen Hunter does for firear...more
Mark
Wow!!!I'm completely hooked...last week my Mother, a retired librarian, suggested I read C.J. Box...the 1st book I was able to obtain was the 2nd in the series and I started and completed it today...The story involves Joe Pickett, a Wyoming game warden, in a 21st century range war between environmentalists and shady gentlemen ranchers...I also appreciate the author's commentary involving the conflict between individual rights and freedoms and governmental power that continues to smolder in our n...more
Bayneeta
This book has one of the most unique methods of murder I've encountered in a mystery novel. I enjoyed Savage Run as much as the first in the series. I like that Joe isn't a superhero. Just a really nice guy who has a family he loves and who love him back, who has a moral code and a sense of integrity. The books introduce controversial issues in a balanced way. This one addresses eco-terrorism. The book includes several disturbing scenes of violence, and Box creates scenes of intense suspense bet...more
Robert
When it comes to writing a successful mystery series, a memorable, likeable main character goes a long way toward completing the marathon. Joe Pickett has likeability in spades, and his game warden profession provides a unique perspective in a sea of detectives, PIs, and ne’er-do-wells. While the plot may have been a bit farfetched at times, it never seemed so far out there that it proved unreasonable.

What really drew me into the story, though, was the beginning. The opening line is perfection,...more
Marlène
Les avis sur cette série de polars entre parc national et ranching varient.
Je ne trouve pas l'absence d'atmosphère sombre et de sophistication problématique.
Au contraire: quoi de mieux que le rythme plus lent et ondulant de la narration pour accompagner les paysages spectaculaires du Grand Teton National Park, l'accent des cow-boys du Wyoming et le pas de leurs chevaux relayant leurs pick-ups...
J'aime aussi l'humour teintant le témoignage de Joe Pickett de l'opposition des ranchers, leur style d...more
Melissa
I want to love these books because they came with such high recommendation. However, they are good but not wonderful! The main character is a fish and game warden, is very moral, and a bit too naive. I really hate to say it (because I should appreciate a moral, trusting character) but he was almost too good to be true. Oh, that is so sad to say. He is the kind of man who trusts in a handshake and expects that everyone will abide by the rules. I truly hope there are people like that still in the...more
Barbara
"This sophomore effort from Box (whose first novel "Open Season" was great) finds an ecoterrorist named Stewie Woods blown to bits by an exploding cow. Yes, really. While local politicians are eager to close the case and chalk it up to a publicity stunt gone horribly wrong, Pickett smells a conspiracy--especially after his wife, Marybeth, begins receving phone calls from someone named Stewie.

Box handles both sides of the ecoterrorism debate well. I understand wanting to preserve lands for the b...more
Spuddie
#2 Joe Pickett mystery. Joe, a game warden in the Bighorn mountains in Wyoming, is on scene when an exploding cow kills famed eco-terrorist Stewie Woods. It's assumed by the Sheriff that Woods was rigging the explosive himself in one of his infamous protests against ranchers, and died in a case of instant karma, but why is the owner of the ranch, a powerful man with friends in high places, not surprised or even curious about the incident?

Joe aims to nail him for poaching a trophy bull elk out o...more
Lynn Musser
I have not read the Joe Pickett novels in order. I return to this series because of the setting. In this book you learn about the Indian history of Savage Run and always the beauty of the West. Another reason I return is the imperfections of Joe. He can't shoot his handgun straight and seemingly bumbles into a solution in most of this series. I also like following his family. His wife is a LIBRARIAN. The only reason I took away stars was the violence...exploding cows, human wolf food....etc. NEC...more
Kevin Farrell
#2 in the Joe Pickett series by C.J. Box. I give it a 4-1/2 because it is so damn good, but not as good as the best stuff I have ever read, but darn close.

Beautiful descriptions of the wildest parts of the US and the people who call it home. Box knows these people and their land and can paint a picture with his words. Combine that with a great story and you have a book that is hard to set aside.

I think I have 12 more in this series to get to - if you'll excuse me now.
Genine Franklin-Clark

Pretty good;I like the setting (Wyoming - my best friend lives there.) The main character is a Forest Ranger. I had a little trouble with him until I realized the trouble was with my expectations - I was expecting a somewhat-more-than-human guy (as ... Jack Reacher, Spenser,Elvis Cole, et al) who doesn't have doubts, is super strong, and wins every time. Attitude adjustment complete, I enjoyed the book more. Interesting plot, maybe a bit far-fetched (or maybe not?).
Shannon
A really good second installment of the series. I do like Joe Pickett and his family. This one creeped me out a bit with the serial killings of environmentalists - just don't identify with manical killers or those doing it for hire without any motivation. The book makes some good superficial points on how basically neither side of the environmental arguments are right or wrong...not sure there are any 'good' solutions to the problems that man has created. However, I do know that violence isn't o...more
Dayna Smith
The second novel in the Joe Pickett series. Joe Pickett is a game warden in Wyoming. Joe is called to the scene of an exploding cow, yep, you heard that right. The explosion killed a famous environmental activist and his new wife. As other environmental supporters begin to die, Joe finds himself in the middle of a war between a secret group of ranchers and militant environmentalists. Box addresses both sides of the debate with fairness and understanding. You will want to vacation in Wyoming. An...more
Karen Hall
When an environmentalist was murdered by an exploding cow, I had a little trouble with suspension of disbelief. I've heard Mr. Box speak, though, and he cites this as one of the most creative ways he's ever killed a character -- and as a writer I have to agree; it's hard to top. I listened to this book on CD and found it entertaining enough to get me across South Dakota and back. Worth the read if you can forgive the exploding cow...
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Savage Run (Paperback)
Savage Run (Joe Pickett, #2)
Savage Run (Joe Pickett, #2)
Savage Run (Joe Pickett, #2)
Savage Run

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Edgar Award-winning author C.J. Box is the author of eleven novels including the Joe Pickett series. He's also won the Anthony Award, Prix Calibre 38 (France), the Macavity Award, the Gumshoe Award, and the Barry Award. His short stories have been featured in America's Best Mystery Stories of 2006 and limited-edition printings. 2008 novel BLOOD TRAIL was nominated for the International IMPAC Dubli...more
More about C.J. Box...
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“On the third day of their honeymoon, infamous environmental activist Stewie Woods and his new bride, Annabel Bellotti, were spiking trees in the forest when a cow exploded and blew them up. Until then, their marriage had been happy.” 7 people liked it
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