In Long Range, by C. J. Box, game warden Joe Pickett is called in to help with the sniper shooting of a Judge’s wife. Judge Hewitt’s wife was killed by accident as the shot was intended for the Judge. Judge Hewitt is beside himself and calls on all of the local law enforcement officers in the area to make a list of people brought before his court and start eliminating suspects. Then other people involved in law enforcement have shots taken at them. It doesn’t help that the new sheriff cannot investigate his way out of a paper bag and doesn’t want Joe’s help.
Meanwhile, Joe’s best friend, Nate Romanowski had a nasty visit from an ex-FBI agent. Nate, who for years lived off the grid, got married, had a baby, and with the help of his new wife, started a legitimate bird-abatement business, using his falcons to remove unwanted bird infestations. This FBI agent told Nate that a drug cartel may be gunning for him due to Nate’s involvement in the death of that cartel’s hit men. Of course, Nate’s involvement was supposed to be secret, but this is just another example of why Nate feels he cannot trust authority. Are the shootings connected with the threats against Nate?
Long Range is fast paced story that will appeal to C.J. Box fans. There were a lot of good twists and setup to the story that shows that Box hasn’t lost his touch. I listened to the audio version of the book and David Chandler did a good job as the reader. It was another satisfying fun story that entertains without taxing the brain too hard.