Book on CD read by David Chandler

Book number seven in the mystery series featuring Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett.

Recently fired from his job as a game warden, Joe is working on his father-in-law’s ranch when he’s asked by the Governor to investigate an unusual crime that occurred in Yellowstone National Park. An attorney, Clay McCann confessed to killing four campers, claiming self-defense. But he did so in a tiny corner of the park that is actually in Idaho, and a loophole in the law gets him off completely. The Governor wants to know what’s really going on.

Gosh but I love Joe Pickett. He’s an astute observer, keeps his cards close to the chest, doesn’t take unnecessary changes, but doesn’t hesitate to go into dangerous situations when it’s called for. He calls on his friend (and somewhat of an outlaw), Nate Romanowski, for back-up. This is a guy you definitely want to have on YOUR side!

Joe quickly discovers that not everyone comes to Yellowstone for the spectacular natural scenery. There are some hidden agendas regarding ecoterrorism, deals cut with major bioengineering firms, and possible drug dealing. Can he sort it out and discover the “real” culprit before a natural disaster occurs to wipe out all evidence?

I’ve yet to visit Yellowstone, but this book really increases my desire to do so. That’s just a bonus.

David Chandler does a good job of narrating the audiobook. He sets a good pace and I like the way he interprets Joe and Nate. ( )

Book 7 Joe Pickett has been fired from his game warden job and is living with his wife's mother and spouse as a ranch foreman. He is approached by the Governor of Wyoming to find a way to find a killer guilty in a murder he committed in Yellowstone National Park. He finds a conspiracy among the park's upper echelon, along with the governor's right-hand man. Quite the adventure. Also educational in describing the volcanoes that exist in the park and their potential volatility.
Kirkus: Fired from his job as Game and Fish Warden after wrapping up his colorful sixth case (In Plain Sight, 2006), Joe Pickett returns to nab the perpetrator of the perfect crime.

According to his own confession, small-time lawyer Clay McCann, feeling bullied and insulted by four campers he encountered in Yellowstone Park, shot them dead. A ingenious technicality he’s discovered, however, prevents him from being tried and convicted. Wyoming Governor Spencer Rulon, a former prosecutor, can only slap McCann’s wrist, but he’s determined to figure out what Rick Hoening, one of the victims, meant by an email that hinted at secrets that could have a major impact on the state’s financial health. So he asks Joe, now working as foreman at his father-in-law’s ranch, to poke around the park while maintaining full deniability for the Governor. The situation stinks, but Joe’s so eager to get away from his wife’s poisonous mother and go back to his old job that he agrees, and in short order there’s a spate of new killings to deal with—some committed by McCann, some not. As usual, there’s little mystery about which of the sketchy suspects is behind the skullduggery. But, as usual, the central situation is so strong, the continuing characters so appealing and the spectacular landscape so lovingly evoked that it doesn’t matter.

Middling for this fine series, which automatically makes it one of the season’s highlights.

(2007)Another very good Joe Pickett story. Joe is hired by Wyoming's governor to look into deaths at the Zone of Death in Yellowstone Natl Park. Turns out that these deaths are connected with a plot to corner the market on microbes in the active seismic region for gas conversion. The conspirators lead back to the governor's aide and Joe's friend Nate gets caught in the crossfire and is arrested at the end. KIRKUS REVIEWFired from his job as Game and Fish Warden after wrapping up his colorful sixth case (In Plain Sight, 2006), Joe Pickett returns to nab the perpetrator of the perfect crime.According to his own confession, small-time lawyer Clay McCann, feeling bullied and insulted by four campers he encountered in Yellowstone Park, shot them dead. A ingenious technicality he's discovered, however, prevents him from being tried and convicted. Wyoming Governor Spencer Rulon, a former prosecutor, can only slap McCann's wrist, but he's determined to figure out what Rick Hoening, one of the victims, meant by an email that hinted at secrets that could have a major impact on the state's financial health. So he asks Joe, now working as foreman at his father-in-law's ranch, to poke around the park while maintaining full deniability for the Governor. The situation stinks, but Joe's so eager to get away from his wife's poisonous mother and go back to his old job that he agrees, and in short order there's a spate of new killings to deal with�some committed by McCann, some not. As usual, there's little mystery about which of the sketchy suspects is behind the skullduggery. But, as usual, the central situation is so strong, the continuing characters so appealing and the spectacular landscape so lovingly evoked that it doesn't matter.Middling for this fine series, which automatically makes it one of the season's highlights.Pub Date:May 10th, 2007ISBN:0-399-15427-2Page count:288ppPublisher:PutnamReview Posted Online:May 20th, 2010Kirkus Reviews Issue:March 15th, 2007

I think this was the best of all I have read of these so far. Interesting plot device and was never obvious what was going to happen. ( )

Second time through and still my favorite out of the Joe Pickett mysteries I’ve read so far. The plot centers around the ‘Zone of Death’ – a remote corner of Yellowstone where even murder can’t be prosecuted due to a legal loophole – and the exotic thermophiles that thrive in the scalding hot springs located throughout the park. Once again I was completely hooked by the high level of tension and suspense along with the vivid descriptions of the area's natural beauty. ( )