Trophy Hunt (Joe Pickett Series #4) by C. J. Box

From the Publisher

Local authorities are quick to label a rash of animal mutilations the work of a grizzly bear, but Joe Pickett suspects that something far more sinister is afoot. And when the bodies of two men are found disfigured in the same way, his worst fears are confirmed: a modern-day Jack the Ripper is on the loose--and the killings have just begun.

Publishers Weekly

Box's riveting fourth Joe Pickett adventure (after 2003's Winterkill) opens on a disturbing note, with the Wyoming game warden's chance discovery of the oddly mutilated body of a moose near his favorite fishing hole. When several mangled cows and two grisly human corpses are added to the macabre menagerie, Joe reluctantly joins a task force to investigate. Bud Barnum, the corrupt sheriff of Twelve Sleep County, attributes the mutilations to birds or a notorious grizzly bear from Joe's jurisdiction, but Joe isn't convinced. Enter paranormal expert Cleve Garrett, who zealously follows mutilation and alien sightings in his recreational vehicle laboratory. Despite ridicule from the task force, Joe interviews Garrett, who supplies little fresh information but gives off creepy vibes. The clues that the quietly heroic Joe gathers from many disparate witnesses, including his own young daughters and a mentally incapacitated fisherman, may point to the otherworldly, but readers will be well satisfied with the all-too-earthly solution to the bizarre crimes. With its credible and sensitively drawn characters, loads of interesting tidbits about the natural world and timely plot, this skillfully crafted page-turner should have wide appeal. Agent, Ann Rittenberg. Author tour. (July 1) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

A moose is dead, its face flayed away. Then cattle suffer a similar fate. Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett jumps to the right conclusion: a vicious killer is getting ready to test his skills on humans. From the Anthony Award-winning author. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Dead fish and game are only the appetizers for Warden Joe Pickett's biggest problems in his fourth case. It's obvious that cavalier local fisherman Jeff O'Bannon is to blame for the fish floating belly-up in Crazy Woman Creek. But who's killed the elk, excised the flesh from half his face, and dragged off his enormous carcass? Who's killed 12 head of Don Hawkins's cattle in exactly the same way? And has this slaughter of innocents been nothing more than preparation for the remarkably similar murders of ranch hand Tuff Montegue and water-engineering exec Stuart Tanner? Robey Hersig, the County Attorney heading the hastily assembled Northern Wyoming Murder and Mutilations Task Force, lists the likeliest causes: "BIRDS . . . CULTS . . . DISTURBED INDIVIDUALS . . . ARABS . . . GOVERNMENT AGENTS . . . GRIZZLY BEAR . . . ALIENS." But Joe, skeptical of all these explanations, demands the right to investigate on his own. Even though his mortal enemy, Sheriff Bud Barnum, keeps reminding him he's only a fish-and-game warden, nobody can deny that Joe's pulled off some spectacular victories in the past (Winterkill, 2003, etc.). Not this time, though. The fact-based mutilations are so outre you just know the answer's going to be a letdown, and it is-even though Joe and his family sweat out suspenseful duels with a self-styled paranormal expert and a trusted neighbor. Author tour. Agent: Ann Rittenberg/Ann Rittenberg Literary Agency

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