Joe Pickett Books in Order: How to read C.J. Box’s series?

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Created by Charles James Box, Jr. (or C.J. Box), Joe Pickett first appeared in the 2001 novel Open Season. He is the new game warden in Twelve Sleep, Wyoming, a town where nearly everyone hunts, and the game warden – especially one like Joe who won’t take bribes or look the other way – is far from popular.

Like it is written on Box website, over that time, he’s taken on environmental terrorists, rogue federal land managers, animal mutilators, crazed cowboy hitmen, corrupt bureaucrats, homicidal animal rights advocates, and violent dysfunctional families.

How to read the Joe Pickett Series in Order?

Each novel in the Joe Pickett book series offers a standalone story, but the lives of the different characters evolve from one book to the other.

  1. Open Season – When Joe Pickett finds a local hunting outfitter dead, splayed out on the wood-pile behind his state-owned home, he takes it personally. There had to be a reason that the outfitter chose his backyard to die in. Even after the ‘outfitter murders’ are solved, Joe continues to investigate, uneasy with the easy explanation offered by the local police.
  2. Savage Run – When a massive blast rocks the forests of Twelve Sleep County, Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett is called to the scene to help investigate the death of a colorful environmental activist. The case is wrapped up quickly, explained as an environmental publicity stunt gone wrong, but Joe isn’t convinced.
  3. Winterkill – Joe Pickett’s pursuit of a killer through the rugged mountains of Wyoming takes a horrifying turn when his beloved foster daughter is kidnapped.
  4. Dull Knife (short story) – Collected in Shots Fired.
  1. Trophy Hunt – Local authorities in Twelve Sleep County, Wyoming, are quick to label a rash of animal mutilations as the work of a grizzly bear, but game warden Joe Pickett suspects that something far more sinister is afoot.
  2. Out of Range – When a good friend and fellow warden kills himself, Joe Pickett is chosen to temporarily run his Teton district. But Jackson, Wyoming, is a far cry from Joe’s hometown of Saddlestring.
  3. In Plain Sight – Ranch owner and matriarch Opal Scarlett has vanished under suspicious circumstances during a bitter struggle between her sons for control of her million-dollar empire. Joe Pickett is convinced one of them must have done her in.
  1. Free Fire – Joe Pickett’s been hired to investigate one of the most cold-blooded mass killings in Wyoming history. Attorney Clay McCann admitted to slaughtering four campers in a back-country corner of Yellowstone National Park. In this remote fifty-square-mile stretch a man can literally get away with murder.
  2. Blood Trail – Game wardens have found a man dead at a mountain camp. Is the murder the work of a deranged anti-hunting activist or of a lone psychopath with a personal vendetta? Joe Pickett is the man to track the murderer and stop him, before someone declares open season on humans…
  3. Below Zero – Six years ago, Joe Pickett’s foster daughter, April, was murdered. Now, someone is leaving phone messages claiming to be the dead girl. As his family struggles with the disturbing event, he discovers that the calls have been placed from locations where serious environmental crimes have occurred.
  1. Nowhere To Run – It’s Joe Pickett’s last week as a temporary game warden in the mountain town of Baggs, Wyoming, but his conscience won’t let him leave without checking out the strange reports coming from the wilderness: camps looted, tents slashed, elk butchered.
  2. The Master Falconer (short story) – Collected in Shots Fired.
  3. Cold Wind – When Earl Alden is found dead, dangling from a wind turbine, his wife, Missy, is arrested. Unfortunately for Joe Pickett, Missy is his much-disliked mother-in-law, and he’s not sure what to do – especially since it looks like Missy is guilty as sin.
  4. Force Of Nature – In 1995, Nate Romanowski was in a Special Forces unit abroad when his commander, John Nemecek, did something terrible. Now the high-ranking government official and cold-blooded sociopath is determined to eliminate anyone who knows about it – like Nate, who’s hidden himself away in Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains.
  1. Breaking Point – Joe Pickett always liked Butch Roberson – a hardworking local business-owner whose daughter is friends with his own. Little does he know that when Butch says he is heading into the mountains to scout elk, he is actually going on the run.
  2. Stone Cold – Everything about the rich stranger is a mystery: the massive, isolated ranch in the remote Black Hills of Wyoming, the women who live with him, the secret philanthropies, the private airstrip, the sudden disappearances. And especially the persistent rumors that the man’s wealth comes from killing people. Joe Pickett is assigned to find out the truth.
  3. Endangered – Joe Pickett had good reason to dislike Dallas Cates, and now he has even more – Joe’s daughter, April, has run off with him. And then comes even worse news: She has been found in a ditch along the highway – alive, but just barely, the victim of blunt force trauma. Cates denies having anything to do with it, but Joe knows in his gut who’s responsible.
  1. Off The Grid – Nate is off the grid, recuperating from wounds and trying to deal with past crimes, when he is suddenly surrounded by a small team of elite professional special operators. They’re not there to threaten him, but to make a deal. They need help destroying a domestic terror cell in Wyoming’s Red Desert, and in return, they’ll make Nate’s criminal record disappear.
  2. Vicious Circle – The Cates family had always been a bad lot. Game warden Joe Pickett had been able to strike a fierce blow against them when the life of his daughter April had been endangered, but he’d always wondered if there’d be a day of reckoning. He’s not wondering any longer.
  3. The Disappeared – Wyoming’s new governor isn’t sure what to make of Joe Pickett, but he has a job for him that is extremely delicate. A prominent female British executive never came home from the high-end guest ranch she was visiting, and the British Embassy is pressing hard.
  4. Honor & … (short story) – It features Box’s character Joe Pickett and Sandra Brown’s character Lee Coburn from her novel Lethal.
  1. Wolf Pack – Joe Pickett has his job back. The bad news is that he’s come to learn that a drone is killing wildlife–and the drone belongs to a mysterious and wealthy man whose son is dating Joe’s own daughter, Lucy. When Joe tries to lay down the rules for the drone operator, he’s asked by the FBI and the DOJ to stand down, which only makes him more suspicious. Meanwhile, bodies are piling up in and around Joe’s district in shocking numbers.
  2. Long Range – When Joe Pickett is asked to join the rescue efforts for the victim of a startling grizzly attack, he reluctantly leaves his district behind. One survivor of the grizzly’s rampage tells a bizarre story, but just as Joe begins to suspect the attack is not what it seems, he is brought home by an emergency on his own turf. Someone has targeted a prominent local judge, shooting at him from a seemingly impossible distance. While the judge was not hit, his wife is severely wounded, and it is up to Joe to find answers–and the shooter.
  3. Dark Sky – It’s a crisp October morning in Wyoming’s Twelve Sleep County, and game warden Joe Pickett should be keeping watch over his patch. Instead, the state governor has roped him into leading Silicon Valley billionaire Steven Price on a hunting trip. The department is facing major budget cuts and Price’s social media empire could bring serious business into the state – if someone can persuade him of Wyoming’s charms.
  1. Shadows Reel – A day before the three Pickett girls come home for Thanksgiving, Joe is called out for a moose poaching incident that turns out to be something much more sinister: a local fishing guide has been brutally tortured and murdered. At the same time, Marybeth opens an unmarked package at the library where she works and finds a photo album that belonged to an infamous Nazi official. Who left it there? And why?
  2. Storm Watch – When a prominent University of Wyoming professor goes missing, authorities are stumped. That is, until Joe Pickett makes two surprising discoveries while hunting down a wounded elk on his district as an epic spring storm descends upon him. First, he finds the professor’s vehicle parked on a remote mountainside. Then Joe finds the professor’s frozen and mutilated body. When he attempts to learn more, his investigation is obstructed by federal agents, extreme environmentalists, and Governor Colter Allen.
  3. Three-Inch Teeth – A rogue grizzly bear has gone on a rampage—killing, among others, the potential fiancée of Joe’s daughter. At the same time, Dallas Cates, who Joe helped lock up years ago, is released from prison with a special list tattooed on his skin. He wants revenge on the people who sent him away: the six people he blames for the deaths of his entire family and the loss of his reputation and property. Using the grizzly attacks as cover, Cates sets out to methodically check off his list. The problem is, both Nate Romanowski and Joe Pickett are on it.

If our article about the Joe Pickett Reading Order is useful to you, don’t forget to bookmark it! You may also be interested in the Cassie Dewell series, the Walt Longmire series by Craig Johnson and the Cork O’Connor series by William Kent Krueger.

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52 Comments

  1. C.J. Box is one great author, certainly at least when it comes to setting forth great adventures for game warden Joe Pickett in the great wilds of Wyoming. Very intriguing and suspenseful…some of the more entertaining reads to be found in my opinion and I have only read the first four.

    Looking very much forward to the rest of the novels and a big “hats off” to C.J. Box. You do your research well obviously and have the wonderful gift of wrapping that into a wonderful story. Tough to put it down once you get into it.

  2. In which book did Joe Pickett’s house burn down? I have read the series but do not recall his house being burned.

  3. I have really enjoyed reading these books about Joe Pickett; I love how his character has developed. The first book was on tape – Vicious Circle – and that’s how I found about these books and the author.

  4. I can’t read Box’s books fast enough. Joe Pickett is fascinating as a law enforcement officer and a family man in the open spaces of Wyoming. The books are so well written and engaging, Box just draws you into Pickett’s world.

  5. Have one left to go: The Disappeared. It will be a bummer not having another one to turn to next. This is a great series… as good as the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child and the John Puller/Amos Decker/Will Robie series by David Baldacci.

  6. Very entertaining series. I suggest he do more research on guns. The revolver used by Nate doesn’t require the hammer to sit on an empty chamber. There’s no .308 magnum, the loading port on the 870 goes to the magazine under the barrel, not the receiver, unless the action is open and empty. Even then, a shell inserted through the ejection port would wind up in the chamber.

  7. My Wife is a bit OCD, and on the cover of “The Disappeared”, there is a man in a “Red” truck. All of the books say that Joe drives a “Green” truck. My wife wants to know why it’s not a Green truck on the front? My wife is struggling with this, and I have to listen to it. Please advise. Thanks.

    1. I must be like your wife as I too thot the same thing—then I thot that maybe the villain in this story drives a red truck—but it looked like Joe the game warden would look to me————-maybe ask Mr. Box.

    2. I’ve listened to all of the Joe Pickett series and can’t wait for another to come out. If you like Joe Pickett, listen to the Corkran O’Conner series. Very similar. But Cork O’Conner is a sheriff in the Northern Boundary area.

  8. Maybe that’s not supposed to be Joe Pickett in his truck. Maybe it is a person that “disappeared”! That’s my next book to read – when I can get my hands on it.
    WONDERFUL series!!

  9. I’m confused. If April dies in Winterkill, why does she keep appearing in later books? Can anyone explain this to me?

    1. I caught that as well Mary, thinking I had missed something along the way as I’ve not been able to read them in order as I get them from Overdrive and frequently I’m on a waiting list. I’m on Cold Wind and she’s a sullen teenager right now.

    2. I have read about 14 books so far; all out of order ? Maybe Another reader can explain April to us.

    3. I’m down to 3 remaining books , not including his new release next month. I don’t know WHAT I’m going to do when all of them are finished, haha. But, just today I saw where he’s got a new release in August staring Cassie Dewell. I love those series as much as Joe Pickett’s.

    4. Mary: Below Zero, book 10 tells the story of the return of April. I’m not far enough to explain it as I just began the book last night. I’ve not been able to read the series in order..that would have been helpful, haha. But I checked all the books out at my local library and it was take when available.

    5. Assumed killed; April was actually kidnapped and missing for mutliple years and returns a a few books later in the series

    1. Missy (Joe’s mother-in-law) is also leaving on a plane at the end of ‘Stone Cold’.

  10. I started reading this series a month ago and have now read 9 of the 22 books, however, I have not read all of these in order. I am really enjoying this series and look forward to finding the remaining books. I have also read the 4 othernon Joe Pickett books that form a story arc by C.J. Box and I recommend others try these as well.

  11. I am a Joe Pickett fan…(CJ Box) and have enjoyed all the comments here. It makes me happy to see that I have this series and author in common with so many of you. I only have the last 3 books to read. ..
    Note to CJ Box: please keep the series going!

  12. C J Box is a wonderful and extremely talented writer who my husband &I love! We have traveled to Saddlestring and met some very nice people up there and stayed about a hour two years ago! We had just left Yellowstone Park and came back by way of Bear Paw and down into Cody! Talk about BIG country, we are looking toward to going back!

  13. Read 3 Joe Pickett novels, Breaking Point, Endangered and The Disappeared. Really enjoyed them all! Although not a prolific reader, I came across C J Box’s Joe Pickett books in a discount book shop here in the UK. I could tell that these books were going to be very good reads after I read the blogs. Just about ready to start reading Stone Cold!

  14. I, too, have read them out of ord er! ! But they carry well on a stand alone!
    I loved Joe Pickett for many yrs and C.J. Box books take me back to those great times. How Pocket could have been some of these game wardens I personally knew.
    Thank you Mr. Box for all this wonderful reading.

    If I could meet Mr. Box, I think I would be like the Beatle fans, back in the day, that blushed and nervous!!
    Thanks to all of you who wrote reviews. I like reading them – at least, when they are good!!

    1. Read 16 of the 19 in Order and they are superb. All of them.

      My personal favorites are Out of Range, Blood Trail, Nowhere to Run (#1) and Off the Grid. Maybe Stone Cold as well. They are all so darn good.

      The chronological aging of the characters is superb and really sets Joe Pickett series apart. As well as the realistic motivations and flaws of the characters.

  15. Down to the last three book in Box’s series and struggling with the anticipated depression I will surely suffer when I finish the last one. Having back packed in the Wind River Range and traveled the area and small towns I am astounded at his mastery of words to describe the scenery I remember so well. It i especially nice to read of an protagonist who has real human qualities. Interesting side story, reading one of his books while on vacation I was approached by a woman who asked about my interest in Box, claimed she was related to him and shared the story of how he chose a game warden as a protagionist. According to her, C J Box was discussing ideas of a book with a friend in a restaurant and had said he was considering making the character a game warden when a nearby ease dropper said, ” Why would anyone want to read a story about a gay Mormon?” No way to know if it is true but it sure tickled my funny bone. Hope he keeps the books coming.

  16. I was looking for clues in the above comments on what to read next after or while waiting for the next installment. I will tell you all, my favorite author before finding C.J. Box was Dawn Lee McKenna and her ‘Forgotten Coast Series’.

  17. I am reading the entire series for the second time and find it’s just as enjoyable as the first-it’s been a while. Another author I love is William Kent Krueger and his Cork O’Connor series. If you love Joe, you’ll love Cork. Enjoy!

    1. I read corc o Conner books and it led me to Joe Pickett. Loved them!!!! Sure wish theu wouldn’t have ended

  18. I found a title, “Shots Fired”, that apparently belongs in the Joe Pickett series. Where does it belong in the list?

  19. Can anyone tell me , asking for a library customer, if Nate is in the series from the beginning or is he introduced in a particular book. thanks, our library is small and does not have all the books. I am looking to order the books from other libraries. thanks again.

  20. After reading through all of these comments regarding C.J. Box and his Joe Pickett novels, I can honestly say I agree with just about each and every one of them. It’s a wonderful series, written in a muscular yet wittily droll style that we westerners can appreciate. Box’s knowledge of idioms and syntax used in everyday conversations just enhances his excellent story telling talent. I started with Open Season and have progressed up to Breaking Point. It’s been a real comfort during this bleak year. Thanks for a great entertaining series Mr. Box.

  21. I am going to start reading the Joe Pickett series…….if they are anything like the Highway………I have been watching on TV the show which is called Big Sky, and that made me want to read C J Box………this is the first time in many years I read a book front to back in one sitting. I could not put it down!!!!!! If the Pickett series is as action packed as The Highway……I feel I won’t be doing much else…….thank you CJ Box for your books, and hopefully you will have another book turned it to a series like Big Sky. Thank you

  22. I’m thinking its a marketing ploy because red may show up better on bookshelves than green… just my assumption though

  23. Have read all of the Joe Pickett novels and the stand alone books by C.J. Box as well. They are so fun we made a trip to the Mountain West and Yellowstone, the Black Hills, etc. His writing makes a person want to see the country. We met him at a book signing in La Jolla, CA. Good times. I cannot recommend the stand alone, Three Weeks to Say Good Bye. It made my skin crawl and had to delete it from my Kindle.

  24. I recently discovered the Joe Pickett books and absolutely love them! I started with his latest book “Long Range”. It was so good!

    I’m jumping all around, finding books that are out of sequence, but it’s interesting this way too. I’ve read ten of them in two months!
    Keep writing Mr. Box! Love them all!

  25. Started reading them from the back side, “Dark Sky”. Weird right! Picked up my first book (Dark Sky) at Costco ( Hardcover). I had forgotten what it was like to anticipate the next volume. Even though I knew I was completely out of order. I didn’t find it difficult to weave the characters at all into the stories. Well done CJ Box…thanks for reminding me how fun it can be to imagine! Well done. Been a westerner all my life, love everything it stands for in Wyoming or anywhere out here in God’s majesty. Enjoy everyone!!

  26. Thank you for this list, I have really enjoyed these books. I just finished Master Falconer in Shots Fired. When should the other short stories be read? Should they be read now, interspersed with other books, or after finishing the series?

  27. I wish I were younger and could visit Wyoming and be able to climb around in that part of the world. I used to read a lot of books when I drove truck over the road. Helped fill dead time when you get stuck waiting. One type of book I quit reading were those in series because the later books seemed to spend more time reintroducing characters or reliving incidents that occurred in previous books. THANK GOD that CJ Box has held himself in check in that regard.
    You are one of the authors who has renewed my passion for reading. I don’t have a lot of money and rely on my local library for your books. I just blew through ‘The disappeared , Wolf Pack, Long Range, and Dark Sky in 4 days. I’m returning them this afternoon and I’m hoping they have your latest.
    Thank you for bringing these characters to life in my imagination.

  28. I became an Audible reader a few years back . I read real books just as speedily as I listen it was just that I could continue my audible book when I had chores or grocery shopping or yard work. Or driving along with my husband who is listening to Fox News night and day. I’m not opposed to Fox News but hearing it all once or twice a day is plenty. I just put my ear pod in the ear away from him and listen away .! I only ever use one of them in case any thing really important needs my attention.🤣. I just read all the books in about 2 weeks (or listened). I loved them all ! It now I have to WAIT for the next one! I did miss the one with Sandra Browns character in it so I need to go find it. Is it in one of the short story books? I have three questions that maybe I missed the answer to? I know Joe and Mary Beth had a grave they visited when they thought April had died but I never remember hearing anything else about it- what they did with it? What did Joe and Mary Beth do with the house they had bought when Joe got fired from the Game wardens ? With the nosy neighbor? Later it was mentioned that game wardens had to live in the state housing provided so I’m assuming they sold that place. Did Sheridan never forgive the head wrangler at the dude ranch ? He seemed like a really good guy and seemed like they had something real ? And lastly what happened to Lucy’s high school boyfriend who was going into the service after high school? I know kids drift apart after school but thought they might keep in touch! These are just petty things but they’re things I wonder about. When is the next Joe Pickett due out ? I’ve got the series with a woman in it in my wish list so I’ll assume they are just as good and start them. Thank you for the hours of entertainment you’ve given me. The last book was probably one of my favorites! And the o e before it where he agrees to take the hunters out or more like was ordered too! I miss the old governor ! He was something! I am kind of amazed at the lack of respect other law enforcement groups treat Joe and the job of Game Warden in general. I live in Texas and they even have there own reality show !!!! Lol. It’s pretty good. LONE STAR LAW. Much like Wyoming they each have many many miles they each have to cover.

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