Open Season by C.J.Box held my interest and it was easy reading, but disappointed about half-way through. The book was suggested by my mystery book group, and was praised by the NYT. The mechanics are fine, the plot interesting, and the setting stunning. I simply found the hero, Joe Pickett from Wyoming Game and Fish such a straight-shooter as to not be able to suspend my disbelief. The other characters were quite shallow, but did their jobs as good or bad actors. The mother-on-law was a totally over the top, but whatever. I know that Box had to draw them all starkly as local cowboys/cowgirls, or out-of-owners to enhance the flavor. It just broke down for me as Joe tried to uphold the endangered species act yet stay part of the community. The book was sold as a great clash of these forces, but it could have been done more smoothly and believably. Perhaps the audience is expecting such stereotyping, with Box treating them as outsiders by implication.
I found several mistakes in the weapons descriptions which I won’t belabor here, as I’m not anywhere near an expert. I’m surprised he hasn’t taken a huge amount of grief for it, or maybe he has and has fixed a lot of it. Living in this country and writing about it all, I am very surprised at this. It makes it less realistic.
It also grated on me, as someone who has visited the area, how he changed names so crudely. Twelve sleep for Ten sleep? Miller’s weasel for black footed ferret? Why? Either make things up and fit them into the landscape, or don’t change anything at all except for inventing your own characters. I’ve heard he gets more adept in later books, and Joe grows quite a bit.
I liked the POV of the older daughter, which he did a good job with. The other women were all stereotypes. My book club especially said that moving with the mother-in-law to the fancy ranch house was too over the top and clichéd.
I think I’d call this Longmire-Lite, as it’s set in a similar place with some slightly similar violent plots, but with little internal motivations and all very weak women, at least so far in the series. Longmire does a good job with the Native Americans, which the shows make a mess of, but that’s a different review.
It’s worth me to move to the next book in the series as Box improves with time.
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