Rifle Season

Mace Winters #1

by Pat Kelly

A game hunter is in a race against time to save his family from the most dangerous predator on earth—other people—in this high-stakes thriller in the vein of Jack Carr and Peter Heller.

Mason “Mace” Winters, with his acclaimed reputation as one of the best big game hunters in Colorado, lives for the thrill of the hunt. His lucrative career guiding the wealthy on intense hunts through the Colorado mountains is suddenly brought to a stop when an accident hangs an involuntary manslaughter conviction around his neck. Now he’s relegated to a life of trash pickup in the very wilderness where his prowess as a tracker and killer was the stuff of legends.

At rock bottom, Mace descends into a haze of Tito’s and sativa when two strangers seek him out. They wave enough cash under his nose to convince him to help them up into the mountains he knows so well on the opening day of Colorado’s rifle season. An innocent enough request, and the perfect cover for the trip’s true to assassinate an infamous warlord. All at once, Mace goes from unwitting to unwilling accomplice and it will take all his now dusty skills to outfox his patrons in their deadly game.

Genres: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

272 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication January 27, 2026

About the author

Pat Kelly, born in Galveston, Texas, and raised in Denver, attended CU Boulder. After working as a writer in New York City, he pursued screenwriting in Los Angeles, and his credits include A Perfect Murder and Don't Say a Word. Rifle Season is his debut novel. He currently lives in San Miguel County, Colorado, and Malibu.

Reviews

[Sandra Hoover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rifle Season is a dark, gritty, propulsive debut novel by Author Pat Kelly that introduces readers to Mason (aka Mace) Winters whose legendary reputation as an expert big game hunter and guide in Colorado was besmirched after a hunting accident saddles him with an involuntary manslaughter conviction. Now he spends his days in a drunken haze picking up trash in the same wilderness he once stalked as a guide for wealthy big game hunters. Mason's lucrative career and marriage are already on the rocks when two mysterious strangers hire him as a guide for a photo shoot of an elusive mountain lion. When they return to his home on opening day of rifle season requesting his services again, Mason ignores the warning bells sounding in his gut in favor of earning big bucks he desperately needs and repairing his damaged reputation. By the time he realizes they're foreign operatives on a mission to assassinate a warlord that's hunting trophy elk in the higher elevation with a friend of Mason's, his fate is sealed. With a blizzard blowing in, Mason's only choice is to play along and wait for a chance to overtake them. Rusty though they are, he'll match his uncanny skills to theirs any day of the week, especially on this terrain. Afterall, these mountains are his stomping ground. One he knows like the back of his hand. With his and his wife's life at stake, Mason needs to clear his head and call on his ingrained survival skills to become the deadly predator he once was. This is a winner take all game. He has one shot at saving lives. One shot at redemption. Failure is not an option.

When I heard Rifle Season being compared to C. J. Box's Open Season, I knew I had to read it, and I'm happy to say it surpasses the hype. Kelly wastes no time transporting readers into the middle of a deadly game of cat and mouse beginning with the chilling prologue and ending with the final incredible shot. His descriptive narrative brings scenes to life as both breathtakingly beautiful and life threatening at the same time. An insane pace is propelled by a tone of malice and the fear of time running out. In-depth characterizations are spot on, relatable, and believable. Mason's anguish and despair can be felt in the beginning as can his stone-cold determination and rage throughout. The author nails the essence of who he is and what he'll do to save those he loves as he struggles to hold it together. The same holds true even for the villains in this story. They're professionally written, despicable, and yet convincing. As the story unfolds, the stakes are raised with every shocking plot twist until the violence explodes on the page leaving readers to figure out if anyone survived.

Author Pat Kelly scrutinizes the age-old tradition of hunting and man's moral rights as it pertains to the sport as well as his coexistence with nature in Rifle Season. Themes of revenge, forgiveness, redemption, and justice are evident throughout this well-written, masterful thriller. The author does an excellent job highlighting man's conservancy of nature and wildlife in a chilling battle of the fittest. Rifle Season reads like it's written by an expert, well-seasoned author with several titles under his/her belt making it hard to believe this is Kelly's debut novel. I hope there will be many more books in the series. Nature and hunting advocates will devour this book as will fans of fast-paced, explosive, second-chance thrillers. Rifle Season will be one of my top five reads of the year.
Many thanks to Atria Books/Emily Bestler Books for a complimentary arc of this title for review. Opinions expressed in my review are my own. This book is scheduled for release in Jan. 2026. This review is published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine and is available on my blog Cross My Heart Reviews.

[Abibliofob · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was something about in description of this book that caught my eye and boy am I glad it did. Rifle Season by Pat Kelly is one wonderfullly well written first book that I wish I could read one again for the first time. It's rural, smalltown and it's very hard to put down. A thriller with some great characters and twists I didn't see coming. If I should describe it in a few words it would be "mayhem on the mountain" I really liked this book and now I sit here wondering if it will be a series? If not I will still keep my eyes on the look out for the next book by this author. I must thank Edelweiss , Simon & Schuster and Atria for letting me read this advance copy. It will be one of my great surprise books I have read this year and I recommend that you preorder it for the release in January of 2026.

[Steven Netter · Rating 5 out of 5]

READ MY FULL REVIEW AT Best Thriller Books

Rifle Season is a straight-shooting, violent and intense story about reckoning, retribution, and redemption. Dark, ominous and unnerving in all the best ways. Pat Kelly’s debut thriller hits the bullseye.

From the setting to the characters and the overall plot, Rifle Season hits upon a winning formula that engages readers early and keeps them anxiously on the hook until the end. And even though there is a patient buildup to the explosion of violence, it never feels slow or drawn out because each action has the distinct purpose of dialing up tension and expectations. And when you think you know what will happen next, you’re smacked upside the head with a twist that changes the game. It’s excellent storytelling by a debut author.

[Cindy Burnett (Thoughts from a Page) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. So beautifully written and a fabulous thriller.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Novel was a very fun read. The characters were written well and they felt extremely personable. Their vernacular was even that of the hunters and outdoorsman of my area. Mace, the main character, has traits and strife that a lot of the people in my community can relate to, making the story that much more enjoyable and familiar.

Early on, the characterization and world development felt simultaneously overwhelming and comforting. The pacing felt moderately slow as the characters and their flaws were being set up, but the imagery was so astounding that I could envision the world in my head as if it was the exact reality presented in front of me. As the plot developed, with its quirky twists and turns, the pacing picked up and the “adventure” was fluid. I had to force myself to stop turning pages as the hours grew late. The authors ability to grow tension is phenomenal.

There were minor grammatical and formatting issues, however, the copy I received is an ARC and it is easily assumed that those minor errors will be ironed out. They didn’t impact the read at all.

I would wholeheartedly purchase this novel again and, it goes without saying, I will recommend it to all of my peers that enjoy the outdoors and thrilling adventures. This would work wonderfully as a solo novel or as an installment in a series and I am excited to see what author Pat Kelly has for us in the future!

[Thrillers R Us · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two Oscar winners and a modest box office return wasn't enough to propel the 1988 Tom Berenger actioner to the buddy-movie league of legends. Known as DEADLY PURSUIT outside the US, SHOOT TO KILL allowed cinephiles to touch grass in the Pacific Northwest when a wilderness guide must unwittingly team up with a stick-in-the-mud FBI agent to apprehend a dangerous criminal loose in the wild. RIFLE SEASON takes this premise and pits unsuspecting wilderness guides against a billionaire war criminal from the eastern fringes of Europe, armed to the teeth mercs, and 700 lb Elk behemoths with razor-sharp headgear, resulting in a relentless chase and stalk, leaving readers never knowing what fresh hell might be around the next bend. It's game on and RIFLE SEASON reminds to keep your powder dry, your eyes peeled and your weapon ready--it's Rocky Mountain High and danger runs deep.

From hieroglyphics to the open range, the fabled Colorado Elk is ostensibly the aim of the game of RIFLE SEASON, a Euro Teddy Roosevelt/Hemingway big game hunter wannabe getting behind the glass and not catching on that everyone wants a piece of his hide. Disenfranchised huntmaster and nature guide Mason "Mace" Winter unwittingly facilitates this turn of events, in sound company of his pint sized friend TITO'S and Mary Jane. Still nursing a runny gash in his soul after a hunting trip went bad for a client and even worse for a bow hunter not wearing the proper attire in the wild, Mason's religion is now attention to detail and the point of the gun is his only law. While running the razor's edge of the abyss as two lives arced across decades toward a preordained, zero sum collision on a nameless Colorado mountain, guns are the great equalizer in a crazy revenge scheme by an injured but capable mercenary. The great game is no longer wapiti, but slaying big-brained hominids in blizzardy conditions.

Resonating with flavor from DEATH HUNT, AVENGING FORCE, COMMANDO and CLIFFHANGER, RIFLE SEASON is a mesmerizing yarn not unlike ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, or better, Once Upon a Time in Western Colorado, just without the land theft and custom train for the robber baron. Despite featuring as satisfying a moment as a harmonica jammed into Henry Fonda's face, a prompt to play the tune of death, RIFLE SEASON's gun culture becomes somewhat tiresome, as filling tags, glassing terrain, running bolts et cetera are mentioned ad infinitum. Boldly stating that self-loathing is tougher than Kevlar, that shooting a harmless herbivore is not the height of masculinity, guns are tools not rattlesnakes, that fortitude is the bridge to victory and looking for trouble is the best way to find it, RIFLE SEASON is a well-paced cat and mouse thriller of stalking, evading and making one shot, one kill. In fact, RIFLE SEASON is a great Western that isn't (one) in the conventional sense--it's more biblical. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Always and forever. It's RIFLE SEASON. Lock and load.






























Thank you Pat Kelly, NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, Atria Books, Emily Bestler & D.Brown for the ARC. <3

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚Rifle Season
✍🏻Pat Kelly
Blurb:
A game hunter is in a race against time to save his family from the most dangerous predator on earth—other people—in this high-stakes thriller in the vein of Jack Carr and Peter Heller.

Mason “Mace” Winters, with his acclaimed reputation as one of the best big game hunters in Colorado, lives for the thrill of the hunt. His lucrative career guiding the wealthy on intense hunts through the Colorado mountains is suddenly brought to a stop when an accident hangs an involuntary manslaughter conviction around his neck. Now he’s relegated to a life of trash pickup in the very wilderness where his prowess as a tracker and killer was the stuff of legends.

At rock bottom, Mace descends into a haze of Tito’s and sativa when two strangers seek him out. They wave enough cash under his nose to convince him to help them up into the mountains he knows so well on the opening day of Colorado’s rifle season. An innocent enough request, and the perfect cover for the trip’s true to assassinate an infamous warlord. All at once, Mace goes from unwitting to unwilling accomplice and it will take all his now dusty skills to outfox his patrons in their deadly game.
My Thoughts:
Pat Kelly'a debut novel,Mason (aka Mace) Winters whose legendary reputation as an expert big game hunter and guide in Colorado. A hunting accident saddles him with an involuntary manslaughter conviction. A thriller with some great characters and twists I didn't see coming. A instinct that told him not to let the client take that shot, and instinct that proved all too correct in ending the lives of two people .This was definitely a page turner.
Thanks NetGalley, Atria/Emily Bestler Books and Author Pat Kelly for the advanced copy of "Rifle Season" I am leaving my voluntary review in appreciation.
#NetGalley
#Atria/EmilyBestlerBooks
#PatKelly
#RifleSeason
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

I won a advance reader's edition from Simon & Schuster - thank you! This book was an "unedited" version, so I noticed some typos and lack of pages breaks...which hopefully will be fixed before publication.

I liked this book, though I wanted to like it more than I did. Solid story, decent characters, some tense moments...but it felt like it was missing something.

I think overall this book could use some refinement. And maybe build the characters up more. I know basic things about them, but not what really drives them. Especially the main characters. That said, the characters were all likable...even the bad guys!

The story itself was enjoyable, gritty, and it kept me interested. And a couple twists here and there...one twist didn't surprise me, another twist I did NOT see coming at all! I like that! I don't want it to be predictable.

I love stories set in the mountains where you never know what the weather will do, what wildlife will appear, and what other dangers may crop up. The setting was awesome, but I wanted it to play a larger role in the story.

I was interested to find out how it would unfold. At the same time, it didn't wow me. I DID like it. But I can't quite put it on my list of recommendations. Though I will say that if there is a book #2 I will probably read it!

[Daphne Manning · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say this book was an adventure in itself is an understatement. Mace or Mason, built a reputation on landing the big game for his clients . Elk, the big buck , lions. The terrain he stalked was as familiar as it was unpredictable. Guiding men with more money than sense was easy money in the mountains he loved and hated at the same time. If there is one thing Mace lives by it’s that instinct that comes with hard won. A instinct that told him not to let the client take that shot, and instinct that proved all too correct in ending the lives of two people . Forward to a broken just getting by Mace, and his wife, a trauma surgeon, close to the end of her need or want of Mason. A chance to reclaim or at least do the thing he does so well begins innocent enough. So innocent, that he puts his better judgment aside and agrees to take a couple out to “just take pictures” of a local lion. Unknown to Mace is the bigger picture. One that involves a monster responsible for the slaughter of thousands in a foreign country. A man so driven to exact the full price of that slaughter, he’s blind to any and all in his path. A couple whose bond began in war and only thrives in pursuit . In this case it’s of the human kind. It is a great read.

[Linda Galella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy for review purposes. All opinions are honest and mine alone.


In all honesty, RIFLE SEASON did not appear to be a book I would enjoy. My intentions were to scan the book to get a brief overview so I could provide basic information to the guys in my development who often grouse about the book assortment in our Little Free Library Sheds being mostly “chick lit”. They’re not totally wrong.

My perusal turned into piqued curiosity that turned into actual interest and I found myself reading the book - as in all of it.
This was a debut venture for Pat Kelly and he got much of it right. The “thriller” elements were tight and intense, especially for the last 30% of the story.

Because I had a physical ARC, it’s impossible for me to tell if the lack of page breaks between POV changes were a purposeful decision or a giant editing error. Whatever the answer is, I’m seriously hoping it’s fixed prior to the 1/27/26 on sale date. Having one narrator running into another without page breaks or I. D. inserts made for difficult reading transitions and many times of having to reread significant portions to capture a change over. This fact caused a debit of
one star to the rating.

The other debited star is due to over writing. Some of the prose related to flora and fauna is perfectly lovely. I was transported to the mountains of Colorado and the unique micro climates where the story takes place. Temperatures, humidity, changing light, winds, sounds, all of it. Readers will not have to imagine a single thing. Every tiny detail is elaborated in mind numbing minutiaed detail. Every step, every action, every time; it’s all too much, even tho’ it’s written well, grammatically speaking.

Mace is the troubled hero of this tale. He’s trying to save his marriage from ruin and his life from self destruction via alcohol, pot and recrimination. His wife threw him a last chance lifeline that turned into a fight for their very lives: a couple pretending to be on a wildlife photo shoot are actually hunting a human on the first day of RIFLE SEASON and Mace is their guide. He’s the only guy who has the skills to get the job done. Jamie, his wife and Vince, his dog, are tangled up with Hazim, a soldier who kidnapped her to keep Mace on task. He’s a complicated character as are the couple pretending to be wildlife enthusiasts. The author did a very good job developing both primary and secondary characters. They experience growth and change throughout the story, not all of which is positive but does make for good reading.

Typical for this type of book, there is a good deal of descriptive violence and crude, foul language with no sexual content. Hunting is a primary activity so activities related to animal death within that sport, legal and otherwise, are included. Many humans are cavalierly murdered without conscience.

Within the main story there are a few mysteries that need to be solved. Author, Pat Kelly, was quite skillful in creating twists that sent me scrambling; one especially was an “Are you kidding me?!?” moment that brought the whole story up a notch and made me sit still to finish reading the book, then and there. Recommended for those who aren’t squeamish, love hardcore thrillers with realistic characters and are able to wade thru an over abundance of prose📚

Read and Reviewed from a GoodReads Giveaway with thanks to the author and publisher

[Sandi Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was definitely a page turner.
Mason “Mace” Winters had a reputation as one of the best game hunters in Colorado. He would guide the wealthy on intense hunts for Elk through the Colorado mountains, but it all ended when his client fatally killed a bow hunter in an accident, and they were both convicted of involuntary manslaughter as his state license was suspended and his insurance canceled he turned to alcohol.

A year later, two strangers, Vanessa and Clay, saying they were real estate agents, sought him out with enough cash to convince him to help them up into the mountains so they could photograph a mountain lion. This was the perfect cover for the trip’s true purpose, which is to assassinate David Petrovic aka Dragan Kordic, an infamous warlord from Serbia. As they kidnapped Mace's wife Jamie, Mace unwillingly becomes an accomplice, and to stay alive it will take all his skills to outfox these professional killers in their deadly game on the opening day of Colorado’s rifle season.

[Tanya Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

AMAZING thriller and in many ways a psychological thriller on top of just a thriller.

Now that I see Mace Winters #1, I am hoping to see a second book because this one left a lot of ways that things can continue to go.

I figured out too much of the "mystery" before the end of the book to give it 5 stars, because I didn't have to guess enough.

The characters are interesting and are a tangled web that you can figure out if you pay attention. I feel for Mace and what he went through and understand why he changed. I understand his wife and her frustration with Mace. I feel bad that so many people were tangentially impacted by the desire of one person to end the life of another and yet these things happen every day, just in less complicated way.

[Scott Lovelace · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very exciting debut, and the introduction to a new series.  Mace (Mason) Winters,  a former big game guide, trying to regroup after a horrible accident, reluctantly agrees to take a couple on a picture taking trip. There are more sinister actions in play.  This was a very engaging story,  beautiful landscapes. The beginning is more of a slowburn developing characters and world, the ending is extremely entertaining and very fast paced. This one was excellent, I look forward to more of the Mace Winter's story.

[Belladonna · Rating 2 out of 5]

(won in a giveaway) If you had told me this was a debut novel, I would have not been surprised. The plot was fine but not amazing but the writing was completely juvenile and like that of a novice. There was so much extra detail, every character introduced had at least one paragraph telling all about them (height, weight, physical characteristics, etc). I’ll admit, this is not my usual type of book but unfortunately, it wasn’t the plot that sucked so much as the writing.

[Travis Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rifle Season
By Pat Kelly
Pub Date: Jan 27 2026

I went into this book completely blind and was very surprised by what I read. This is an action packed thrill ride of a read. There is so much to like here: the character development is fantastic. The story is fast paced and fun. This is as good as it gets for a debut novel and I will be looking forward to Pat Kelly's next book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this book early in return for my honest review.

[Codi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book left me wanting more. It left me wondering what the heck was going to happen the entire book. It is written in a way that I enjoyed, changing the point of view mid-page but in a way that worked. I wouldn’t normally pick up a book like this but I am glad that I did!

I won this book via a Goodreads giveaway.

[Virginia Winfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this thriller. I think that the first part is a little slow but I really enjoyed the last half of the book when it git a faster pace. I think if you like talk about guns and hunting you will enjoy the whole book. I like Mace and enjoyed seeing him remind himself as the book proceeds. I loved Jamie and how strong she is. I received a copy of the book and gave an honest opinion.

[Doug Yonce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice balance of action, characters, research, and plot development. I could enjoy this read on a variety of levels , and I did. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and very provided an honest review.

[Tia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! My first one from this author and it didn’t disappoint . If it was up to me to read this on my own I wouldn’t have picked this book. But I’m glad I got to read it because It definitely had me at the edge of my seat with each page. Now I need another book from him 😱😱

[Pam Mooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thriller! An adventure that stays with you long after you put the book down. I loved the characters and the descriptive background. The twist and turns along the so unexpected and jaw dropping. An author to follow and a good read.

[Gracie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It is very well written I love the cover and it was a really really really good book

[Roxanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid read for the Thriller genre!
I won a copy from Goodreads.

[Samuel White · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't think a hunting thriller would keep my attention. But this one is full of surprises.

[Sandy Pipp · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I did not like this book. Then I get into it. It keeps you going. Good thriller.

[Beverlee]

Thank you Atria Books for the giveaway! I didn't actually read this, so I donated it. It honestly did not look like something I would personally enjoy but I know others will.

[Leslie Basney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great debut novel with a grittier and more violent CJ Box feel. Should make a good series. Thank you Edelweiss for the EARC.

[J R · Rating 5 out of 5]

intense and gripping thriller with great plotting and tense vibes throughout. the characters play well off each other and the setting just spurs it on. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

[Kimberly Vanderbloom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won an advance copy of Rifle Season through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
This was a solid, fast-paced thriller with a strong sense of place. The Colorado wilderness and the timing around rifle season added tension and atmosphere, and the story kept moving at a steady clip. I appreciated how much the setting mattered to the plot rather than just serving as a backdrop.
Mace is a complicated protagonist, and while I didn’t always feel deeply connected to him, his situation and choices kept me engaged. The story leans more on momentum than character depth, but it works for the type of thriller this is aiming to be. I found it easy to keep turning pages and wanted to see how everything would resolve.
Overall, Rifle Season is an engaging read for fans of outdoor and survival-based thrillers. It delivers suspense, a compelling setup, and a strong setting, making it an enjoyable choice for readers looking for a straightforward, high-stakes story.