"...unexpected pleasures."

Mysteries often provide unexpected pleasures. Intricate plots and surprise endings are standard fare, but a delightful fringe benefit can be a mini-travelogue. Where else can you try to unravel a tantalizing conundrum and enjoy a visit to an exotic locale?

The title Winterkill clearly indicates a trip to the mountain West. Here in the shadow of the Bighorns amidst the blizzards, an anti-government revolt is brewing. Enter the FBI, eager to justify what happened at Ruby Ridge. Author C.J. Box returns with Joe Pickett, intrepid state game warden, rival to the sheriff and decidedly cynical about federal agents...

Pickett is a vivid example of the pioneer ethic, an ambivalent mixture of respect for the diminishing wilderness and bitter resentment of federal law enforcement. - Jeremy C. Shea