"...tremendous advance praise. Now I know why...what great writing is all about."

Bestselling author CJ Box has often put his protagonist, game warden Joe Pickett, in rough territory. But never has the tenacious lawman faced an adversary he can't beat, can't run away from, and maybe even can't outlive in Nowhere To Run (Putnam, $24.95).
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Box's latest Joe Pickett thriller has been getting tremendous advance praise. Now I know why. Just thinking about Joe's trail ride into hell makes me tired.

Warden Pickett is nearing the end of his two year tenure in remote Baggs, Wyo. Joe's been sent to the "game warden's graveyard" to make the media forget all the noise in his recent past. It'll be nice to get back to Saddlestring, to Joe's wife Marybeth and three daughters.

He just had to take one last trail ride; had to see who was poaching someone's elk deep in the forest of the Sierra Madres.

Joe never met anyone like the Grim brothers; towering twins from another era with the instincts and agility of a mountain lion. He never should've disturbed the fisherman, never should've asked to see a license. Joe should've just ridden off, like the odd brothers recommended.

Now he's hurt, lost, horseless, with no phone nor weapons. And the brothers are closing in for the kill.

The first 100 pages of Nowhere To Run are what great writing is all about. Box takes warden Joe out of his element, at his most vulnerable, with an almost impossible chance of making it out alive. You won't want to move an inch during Pickett's ordeal.

Joe wakes in a Montana hospital, his courage hobbled, his soul damaged. No one seems to believe his fantastic tale of the marauding brothers. There's also the mysterious woman who helped Joe in the woods. Could she be connected to the missing Olympic hopeful who disappeared in that area a couple years back?

The missing girl's parents are willing to finance another expedition for Joe to find their daughter. But does the powerful father have another agenda? Why is the FBI keeping a tight lip on the Grim brothers? And who's the shadowy guy asking Joe all those questions?

Joe is riding back into his worst nightmare. But this time he's got backup. Survivalist, falconer and most wanted, Joe's pal Nate Romanowski is packing his Casull .454 and a sack of attitude.

High in the mountains, another hunting party is on the move, set on eradicating the Grim brothers. If you've seen the movie Predator, you know their odds.

The finale of Nowhere To Run is fast, unexpected and laced with sadness. When the truth comes out, who will side with whom, and how many have to die?

CJ Box is sure to grab a few more awards with Nowhere To Run. This is high adventure at its finest.

JC Patterson is a literary critic and avid reader.