Three-Inch Teeth (Joe Pickett #24) (2024)

C. J. Box continues to excite readers with unique crime thrillers that are full of suspense and action. The twenty-fourth book in the series featuring Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett is mostly set in October in Saddlestring, Wyoming. A rogue grizzly bear is on a rampage in an area where there aren’t supposed to be any. Additionally, Dallas Cates is released from prison and wants revenge on the people who sent him there and who he blames for killing his family. Meanwhile, Joe’s oldest daughter, Sheridan Pickett, takes on her first solo assignment as a master falconer.

The characters are well defined. Readers get a good feel for Joe, his wife Marybeth, and Sheridan. Their characters have depth, and by this time in the series, they feel like well-known friends. Joe is conscientious as always. Marybeth is inciteful and looks at situations very differently than Joe. Sheridan loves her job and is better with people than her boss Nate Romanowski. I loved seeing how Sheridan grew as the story unfolded. The author does a great job of capturing the various characters and the cultural lifestyles and differences.

The writing is fluid and descriptive which helps readers envision the scenes without disrupting or slowing the flow. There was a strong sense of place causing me to feel as though I was living the events alongside the characters. The dynamic plot has a tremendous amount of conflict and action that kept me engaged throughout. It is twisty and heartrending with exciting scenes, a murderous antagonist, and an incredible setting.

Box is an excellent storyteller who continues to bring suspense throughout this novel. Those who follow the series will enjoy learning more about Joe’s family. What an ending! I didn’t expect some of that to happen. The author surprised this reader with two unexpected twists and set the stage for the next book. This is an unforgettable novel with the devastating events that occurred. Coming to terms with them and understanding the fallout from the events will undoubtedly be threads readers will see soon.

Overall, this was intriguing, gritty, chilly, suspenseful, and action-packed with compelling characters that kept me turning the pages as I sat on the edge of my seat. With exciting scenes and fascinating story lines that converge, this fantastic crime thriller was intense and dramatic. It kept me on an emotional rollercoaster throughout the novel. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam’s Sons provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for February 27, 2023. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

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My 4.52 rounded to 5 stars review is coming soon.

Don't Miss This Breathtaking And Captivating Novel!

Joe Pickett is a middle aged game warden who loves his job and all the wild animals under his ferocious and protective care until things go wrong and that's exactly what happens in C.J. Box's newest novel. An unusual, savage grizzly attack takes place and it happens to be his daughter's boyfriend and the young man dies immediately but he also happens to be the only son of one of Joe's best friends who is crazy with grief. A wildlife team is called in to track the bear before any other attacks occur, unfortunately they are not quick enough to stop another brutal death by this frenzied grizzly.

In the meantime an inmate named Dallas Cates is released with revenge on his mind since Joe and a few members of his family were responsible to putting Dallas away years ago and he has a tattooed list of several people who he wants to meet up with face to face where they will be sorry that they ever laid eyes on him.

Never in all Joe's experience has he ever come across an animal that seemed to have hatred and intent on their mind. This bear continues on it's rampage and evades capture at every turn while so many people are in danger since hunting is open season and hunters are camped out all over the state and they are just open targets for this crazed beast.

This book was just so wonderful with the modern, western settings and all the detailed, flushed out characters who seemed like real people. I'd love to see this novel made into a movie. There wasn't a dull minute throughout the story. So much excitement, action, drama, intrigue and heart. I couldn't get enough of this book and I definitely look forward to reading more from this author including previous books. I can't believe this is my first novel by C. J. Box but it certainly won't be my last. The quality of the writing and storytelling were just top notch while the atmospheric settings were breathtaking and realistic.

There are a few different storylines which coincide together that made the book so exciting and fun although this is a very serious book and there are elements of human and animal horror which unexpectedly take place place and if readers enjoy dark and very different thrillers then this book will be perfect for them. I can't say enough good things about this novel since it caught me off guard and I fell in love with so many of the characters and despised yet was so intrigued by the bad guys! Believe me, the bad guys are some of the most evil villains that I've come across and I just loved reading about them but I'm so glad they were not real people and this was a fictional story!

Highly Recommended!

I want to thank the publisher "Penguin Group Putnam" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this fascinating thriller and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given a rating of 4 1/2 EXCITING AND STELLAR 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌠 STARS!!

Well…at least Joe Pickett did not destroy a truck in this book. This is another action packed novel by C J Box. There is a two pronged problem that Joe has to face. First, you have a grizzly that has acquired a taste for humans. Second, Dallas Cates has been released from the penitentiary, without the Picketts receiving notification, and he is looking for revenge. There is humor, sadness, gore, revenge, heartbreak all wrapped in these pages. Throw in to the mix the Mama Bears (two middle age ladies that are advocates for the bear) and a disorganized Sheriff department, which is little to no help to Joe, and you will have the recipe for mass confusion. I do not want to reveal too much about this novel. It is a very worthy read.

SPOILER ALERT!!!

I have read virtually every book that C J Box has written and this is, by some margin, the most seriously flawed.

A bear has killed Joe Pickett's good friend's son. Not only that but this fellow had been seeing Joe's daughter for some time and had planned to propose to her that evening, after dinner at the Pickett home. He was standing in a river fly fishing when a young elk came flying out of the woods at breakneck speed with a grizzly bear in pursuit. The elk got to the other side of the river and sprinted away and the grizzly changed her angle of attack slightly and came after the fisherman who never had a chance.

Joe, the local Game and Fish Warden summoned the bear team made up of elite game wardens who had great experience in tracking down, trapping, and relocating or, if need be, killing problematic grizzlies. They assembled near where the young fisherman was killed and came face to face with The Mama Bears, a self-appointed grizzly guardian group who tried to foil the bear hunting team wherever they could.

As the bear hunting team was getting ready to begin their hunt, the grizzly came bounding out of the woods and killed a team member. Even with two deaths, The Mama Bears could not be dissuaded and they made life as difficult as possible for the grizzly hunting team. Shortly after the second kill, a third grizzly kill was reported some distance from the first two and then a day later, another grizzly attack occurred and then another in different parts of the state.

Big Spoiler Piece to follow -> Box never accounted for the complete lack of grizzly tracks, scat, smell or damage at all of the sites following the first two. Nor did he account for the extraordinary distance between the kills, far farther than a grizzly could have traveled. He also failed to account for the theft of a stuffed grizzly's jaws and claws. Of course, what happened was that a recurring villain in Box books was released from prison, stole the grizzly parts and had a mechanical genius who was once his cellmate, create a mechanical grizzly.

In addition to all of that, the book was very melodramatic in places, unlike anything else that Box has written. Maybe he had a deadline or he was just burned out because this book simply did not approach the standard that he had set with previous books.

I would advise you to give this a pass.

Ciao

I have once again been transported to the foot of the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming to check in on Joe Pickett, the local game warden of Twelve Sleep County and feel so much better for the experience. This time out, Joe’s up against a grizzly bear that appears to be on the rampage throughout the area, attacking people with enormous ferocity.

When a grizzly attacks a man who’s doing some fly fishing the alarm goes up and a specialist team of predator hunters are called in. Grizzlies rarely make it to this part of Wyoming and Joe Pickett is ready to help his fellow game wardens track it down. But the fast-moving bear soon makes a second attack and this puts the entire county on edge with the locals afraid to leave their homes.

Dallas Cates has been released from prison. The former rodeo champion has had some significant run ins with both Joe Pickett and Nate Romanowski and still blames them for his incarceration. While in prison his rage has built along with his physique and he now has, tattooed on his hand, a series of check boxes that represent the people he’s going to make pay. He’s out and he’s looking for vengeance.

Three-Inch Teeth is the 24th book in the Joe Pickett series and continues to provide fresh and interesting plots filled with tense confrontations and some downright dangerous situations. In fact, it felt to me as though the series has entered a far darker era with graphic violence becoming more frequent, the appearance of more vicious and indiscriminate killers and a few longer term characters from the series making sudden unexpected exits.

Devotees of the series will appreciate the appearances and references to some of the regular characters. In particular, Nate Romanowski is again on scene to add a gritty edge to proceedings. Also, the art of falconry is once again explored through the work of Joe and Marybeth’s eldest daughter Sheridan.

The majority of the story is narrated from the alternating viewpoints of Joe Pickett and Dallas Cates - good and evil, hunted and hunter. This technique ensures a heightening of the tension as we can see the danger growing ever closer. The pace is rapid as the action continues to pile one shocking scene on top of the next in a grim but compelling fashion.

Certainly, Three-Inch Teeth may be enjoyed as a stand alone thriller, but, with so many returning characters who have significant history with Joe, it will be far more enjoyable (and meaningful) if you’ve read the previous books.

My thanks to Putnam via NetGalley for the digital uncorrected proof copy that allowed me to read, enjoy and review this book.

HUGE thanks to both G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Three-Inch Teeth!! This book is #24 in the Joe Pickett series and the expected publication date is February 27, 2024.

I have read every book in this fabulous series and plan on reading all of the future books, as well! Mr. Box is a Wyoming native and has worked as a ranch hand, surveyor, fishing guide, small-town newspaper reporter, and editor, which adds to the authenticity of Joe Pickett, et all.

Three-Inch Teeth is a little darker than some of the previous books and a couple of things happened that made me sad, but life isn't made up of just sunshine and rainbows, is it? I hope this series never ends!

I found this book to be unputdownable and highly recommend it!!

Some of the stuff mystery/thriller authors come up with is wild. Family and friends convening an intervention wild. Grizzly bear/s seem to be hunting people throughout Wyoming. As the kills mount up and evidence is compiled (no cocaine was found), new theories and ghosts from the past invade Joe Pickett and Nate Romanawski’s present and threaten their future.

C.J. Box’s Joe Pickett series is consistently great and Three-Inch Teeth is remarkably good. There are more than a few surprising developments. One was so out of the blue I gasped. Actually gasped. Like I have the vapors.

I resisted reading the series until book 16 or something. I didn’t think it would interest me. I don’t hunt, I’m not a cowboy, I’ve only rode a horse once and my idea of camping is staying in a crappy hotel. You wouldn’t think I’d be the target audience. Yet, I can’t get enough of Joe and Nate and all the rest.

Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Three-Inch Teeth!

I’ve tolerated a lot through this series just because I love Joe and Nate. Overwhelming misogyny, lack of feeling sometimes ridiculous plots. But despite it all I kept coming back, but this may have been the final nail in the coffin. Now he’s just lazy. I was all in when the book started and we had a man eater bear on the loose. Nature against man. I’m HERE for it. There’s a reason I’m #teamorca. But no…we can’t stick with what could have been a great trek through the wilderness, man against beast hunt. We have to bring back ridiculous villains, that enact a revenge plan that employed a device so stupid I can’t believe it got through the editor. Then he just starts killing everybody off. The most devastating of them was barely even addressed and if cops were called we never see that…or the aftermath of one of the villains being caught. He’s set it up so the next book will put us back to the beginning. I did not listen to 24 books to end up exactly where we started. If he’s run out of ideas, he should have just stopped writing. He didn’t even give the bear it’s due.

I have read and enjoyed the entire series, until this one. I could barely force myself to finish it. The plot device of using a mechanical bear to wreck vengeance on past foes is too awkward and contrived to hold one’s interest. A disproportionate amount of time is spent in the company of the psychotics planning and carrying out the attacks. They are not good company. The degree of random violence, even including the shooting of a sixth grade girl to create a diversion so that the psychos can escape a crime scene, is gratuitous. This is not entertainment. The subplot with Sheridan and Joe’s estranged mother is just pasted in and is left weirdly unresolved and unexplained. One wonders how much of this book was actually written by C.J. Box. The series seems to have run its course.

Excellent! Believe it or not, this is my first Joe Pickett book and I loved it. I have to thank my husband for recommending this series; he's read them all. Because he's told me so much about the characters, I had no trouble jumping into the series so far along.

This one is quite violent so be aware, other first timers. Joe Pickett is a game warden in Wyoming and he's called to the scene of a horrifying death caused by a grisly bear. The hunt for the animal begins. But unbeknownst to Joe, a human killer has been released from prison, someone maybe even more dangerous than that bear!

I enjoyed these characterizations, thought the bad guys were absolutely psychotic, and felt horrible for those innocents caught in the evil-doers' schemes. Certain plot twists shocked and appalled me but boy, what a story! I'm definitely looking forward to what happens next.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this new suspense thriller via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

I listened to the audio at 1.2X (I love how David Chandler narrates this series, but definitely listen at a faster than normal speed!)

This is one of the books that you really need to read a few of the others because there are connections between past books (specifically Dallas Cates) and this book. The body count in this book surprised me. Not that Box isn't prepared to kill off people you love or hate, but there was one in particular I was shocked. And, this book -- while the primary situation and crime was resolved, clearly leaves an opening for the next book. Normally I dislike that in books, but here it was done very well because there was a satisfying resolution.

It's hard not to give away spoilers, so I'm not going to mention specific story points. Some things I liked is the character development of Sheridan (oldest daughter) and how she has grown up over the years to where she is today, and as always I like the cast of realistic characters that always populate this series.

Definitely looking forward to the next book.

If you're able to overlook the absurdity of a killing machine that must have its victim exactly 15-feet away, rides on the back of a truck that no one ever manages to see, mimics the bite of a grizzly bear, and that the murderers never clean so that the DNA from each previous victim would be transferred onto each new victim, well, more power to you; you'll likely enjoy the novel. Me, not so much. The Dallas Cates character was also a problem, varyingly a rather poor decisionmaker as well as a brilliant criminal mastermind, obnoxious but charismatic. And then there's the whole Nate issue... a man who had gotten the drop on nearly everyone in nearly every Pickett book, well, except for this one.

Well researched and creative

Wow! Couldn't put Three Inch Teeth down. Outstanding! Edge of your seat, anger, tears, and vengeful fury. C.J. Box is the best!

Box’s publisher should be ashamed

So disappointed. One of my favorite series. This story was so unbelievable. And the side story of Joe’s mother? What was that even for~ added nothing to the plot. And Nate? Really? Not looking forward to next one. May be time to move on.

C.J. Box' Joe Pickett series is utterly amazing. This is the 24th book in the series and without a doubt one of the best yet.

For sure, this is one of the most violent and dark of the books in this series that I've read - this is the 24th, and I'm pretty sure I haven't missed any of them. But it all comes together to make this one hard to put down as well as introduces possibilities for new and exciting directions to come.

Early on, trouble shows its ugly face in the form of a gigantic grizzly bear - an animal not common to the Wyoming territory served by game warden Joe Pickett. The bear has its deadly way with the son of a local landowner, instilling fear in the community and sparking efforts to find the critter before it finds another victim. Concurrently, readers learn that Joe's old nemesis, former champion rodeo rider Dallas Cates, has been released from prison. Apparently, he's gathered some followers who share his mindset and formulated a plan to get even with all the folks who've wronged him over the years, with Joe and his good friend Nate Romanowski at the top of the list. Nate is, shall we say, a rugged individualist and falconer who now owns a professional bird abatement company that employs Joe's daughter Sheridan, a master falconer in her own right.

The motive of Dallas's gang may be clear, but their method is nothing short of unorthodox - not to mention confusing, given the flurry of grizzly bear activity of late. Meantime, Nate sends Sheridan to handle a big bird problem at a client's farm, where she gets an unexpected revelation that will give Joe and his wife, local library director Marybeth, reason for even more concern.

Chapters flip back and forth among the various scenarios - Joe and his crew trying to find the errant grizzly before it strikes again, Dallas and his buddies working their way down his list of victims and Sheridan's experiences on the bird rout. It's all fast-paced, right up to the end - when it gets downright frantic (not to mention sad). In fact, it was so abrupt that it felt sort of like somebody smacked me in the brain and ran away before I could catch my breath and ask the questions that immediately came to mind.

Oh well, as I said before, I expect to get some answers with the next book - which hopefully will come sooner rather than later. Meantime, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity once again to read and review a pre-release copy of this one.

OOF

This certainly ended up punching the reader in the gut at one point. Things are definitely going to take a darker turn going forward, methinks.

Things from the last handful of books built to quite the epic showdown in this one.

It was well written, and I have thoroughly enjoyed this ride with the Pickett family. It'll be a little weird to not be around them for at least a year now that I've caught up.

I am, like most reviewers, a great fan of C.J. Box and his Joe Pickett series. And thanks to NetGalley, I was able to enjoy the latest book in the series entitled “ Three-Inch Nails.” This time Joe is facing a rampaging grizzly bear who, curiously, appears to be targeting specific people. In the meantime, we also are following Dallas Cates, not a fan of Joe Pickett, as Cates has just been released from prison and seeking revenge for past concerns.
I have read the entire Joe Pickett series and found this book a bit darker than most of the stories. The story felt closer to Box’es Cassie Dewell novels in its tone. Perhaps there may be a crossover story coming in the future? Now that would be interesting!
Enjoy the book all you Joe Pickett fans…and for those who haven’t read one yet you will enjoy Thrre-Inch Nails and go on to read the rest of the series.

Some authors with long running series tend to level off somewhere in their numerous missives, but C. J. Box doesn’t lose a step. His books with iconic game warden, Joe Pickett just keep getting better and better.

Joe finds himself on the hunt for a rogue grizzly bear who has already killed one person, (his daughter, Sheridan’s boyfriend) and viciously attacked another. But when horrendous attacks begin happening all over the state with people Joe and his wife personally know, well something seems out of sorts.

With wonderful characters, beautiful country and a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat please put this one on your to read list. In the end who is the most chilling—-man or beast? See for yourself.

Rage Against the Machine

Clay Hutmacher Jr. was out fly fishing thinking about proposing to Sheridan Pickett that evening when a random act of nature took his life. A grizzly bear popped out of the forest after an elk that swam away and left Clay standing in the path of the grizzly. The next victim would be a member of the Predator Attack Team who came to hunt down the bear.

From that point on the bear victims seemed to be everywhere, and strangely enough, Joe and Marybeth Pickett knew all but one well. It almost seemed to be too much of a coincidence.

This is one of those in the Joe Pickett series that was just almost too terrible, and with so many terrible things in the guys life one would wonder how he remained sane. As always it was exciting and kept your attention, but there are people I wish the author would stop killing off. I’m giving this one a four and a half stars rounded up to five. He killed off one too many important characters this time for the whole enchilada.

I normally do not write book reviews, but in this case I feel compelled to do so. If I could have rated this book below one star, I would have done so. This book is nothing but evil and diabolical at best. Evil in views of the attempted murders and murders, and diabolical in terms of the main method used in the killings. It appears that the author was hellbent on removing some of the previous Joe Pickett book's main characters. Don't make the mistake of believing that "Three-in Teeth" is a book about Joe Pickett. It most certainly is not - it is a novel about sheer violence! The Joe Pickett series of books, of which I have read every one of them, was a good series without having turned to the dark side of life. There was no need for such abject violence in that the series was a top seller without reaching deep into the depths of human life in an apparent attempt to make the series more provocative. With this book, I have purchased and read my last book by C. J. Box. Done, finished!

bah of Montana

Absolutely brilliant book. I was hooked right from the first page. The plot was pure genius. The way it all played out was fascinating. Great mix of characters all worked in well. The book was well written. Lots of twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your chair. Will definitely be looking for this author again

Definitely not his best, or maybe I was expecting a lot more tension. Love all C.J. Box books but thought it was just average.
Thanks NetGally for advance copy

4.5⭐️ this one one was great. Lots of old bad guys are back and raising hell. Plus a grizzly bear gone rogue.

It’s best to read the older books to understand the relationships between all the characters. This also leaves a cliff hanger and sets up the next book.

This book had me gasping in horror. The twists and turns…I can’t wait for the next chapter of what Joe and Nate will do. This one ended in two cliffhangers.

I've read every Joe Pickett book written, but I did not like this one. It was like reading a biography on the grizzly bear and an atlas outlining back roads in Wyoming. There was hardly enough about Joe to fill two chapters, and the rushed ending was not well done. This book was dark with no substance, and I'm not sure why Box chose to go that direction because it was a real turn off. I'm glad I got it from the library because I wouldn't even want it on my bookshelf.

I love this series, but…

A grizzly bear mauls an innocent young man and has the town in a frenzy. A killer with revenge on his mind gets released from prison. And he goes after people he blames for ruining his life and successfully makes their murders look like grizzly bear attacks. Yeah, right.

Moreover, there’s a serious flaw here. When an inmate is released from prison, the administration is normally required to notify officials from the convicting county. That notice would be in writing, generated by a staff member as part of their normal duties, and sent well in advance of the release date. Isn’t that the way our prisons should work?

That didn’t occur here and a proper warning would have altered everything about the book. For me, distorting reality like this lowers my star rating considerably.

If you have not read CJ Box's Joe Pickett series, I envy you. This is book #24 in a series where each book is excellent and the characters quickly become part of your family.

We've had the good fortune to watch Joe and Marybeth raise their daughters in a Wyoming that few people will ever see. They've gained friends and enemies along the way, but always manage to do what's right by the people they care for. Each book has a story that is central to this one book plus there are several over arcing plot lines that keep Joe on his toes and sets up the story for the next book. THREE - INCH TEETH refers to the canines of a grizzly that we meet in the first chapter as it sets the tone for the rest of this book. I'm calling this an OH, NO book because every chapter contains at least one scene where I said OH, No!!!!

Box manages to slam shut the door on some arcing stories and opens the door to several that we'll visit again in the next few books. The worst part of a Joe Pickett book is the wait for the next one. 5 easy stars because I can't give it more.