Off the Grid by C.J. Box

Sequestering gift table in our apartment's front lobby yielded a bunch of C.J. Box novels. I had heard of him, as a western kind of writer, and thought I'd like to try him out. But the reviews on Amazon were not such that I wanted to spend money on him. So it was a happy surprise for me to see this and many other "Joe Pickett" novels on the table. I thought I shouldn't be greedy and would start with just taking one. I chose "Off the Grid" because it wasn't named something like the others which all seemed to have a lot to do with COLD, ice, or blood! I was also hoping it would be near the beginning of the series so I would have some context. Looking in the front of the book for the list, this one came second, and the first one wasn't on the table, so it seemed a good choice. Later I realized this is the second to the latest--the publisher had put them in reverse order, probably to fool people like me! But no matter, I'm not going back for more.

That's not to say it wasn't an enjoyable, fairly clean read. It was. I liked the characters--the silent strong Nate, a falconer, and the hapless Joe Pickett and his family. They were likable and admirable. Their situation was interesting too--terrorists hiding out in the desert in Wyoming. I could feel the authenticity of the Wyoming--incuding UW--vibe. But it's not great writing and it's not great plotting, just good and a page-turner. Box definitely keeps the tension high as the adventure unfolds. That part was enjoyable. The dialogue was a little stilted and unreal too, at times. Uneven, I'd say. I enjoyed the scenery and the birds and the little I learned about falconry.

I know there are better books and better choices. This one wasn't bad, but it's going back on the table for someone else to pick up.