Out of Range by C.J. Box - 4 stars

[Ellen]

Saddlestring, Wyoming, game warden Joe Pickett is shocked and saddened to learn that his friend and fellow warden Will Jensen has committed suicide. Joe is chosen to temporarily fill Jensen's job in the larger and more affluent Jackson area. Once Joe arrives he immediately has doubts about his friends' death; Joe can't accept the fact that Will would end his own life. It becomes obvious that Will had changed completely in the few months before he died. He was depressed, confrontational and often drunk. This was not the man Joe admired and he is determined to find out the truth.

Along with the investigation into Will's death, Joe is faced with local politicians who are hounding Joe to approve their multi-million dollar housing plan, a group of animal activists, and some underhanded actions by local hunting guides. Joe's reputation as a trouble-maker has preceded him to Jackson and not even the local police are welcoming. As Joe gets closer to the truth of Will's death, someone is determined to stop Joe - permanently.

This is the 5th book in the Joe Pickett series. I love the setting of Wyoming and the wilderness around the Tetons. Joe is a loving husband and father but is definitely not a paragon of virtue. He has his flaws which make him realistic. I look forward to the rest of the series.