Three-Inch Teeth

Joe Pickett #24

by C.J. Box

Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett faces two different kinds of rampaging beasts—one animal, one human—in this riveting new novel from #1 New York Times bestseller C.J. Box.

A rogue grizzly bear has gone on a rampage—killing, among others, the fiancee of Joe’s daughter. At the same time, Dallas Cates, who Joe helped lock up years ago, is released from prison with a list of six names tattooed on his skin. He wants revenge on the people who sent him the people he blames for the deaths of his entire family and the loss of his reputation and property.
    Targeted are a judge, the county prosecutor, his lawyer, a prison guard—and both Nate Romanowski and Joe Pickett. Using the grizzly attacks as cover, Cates devises a method of violence identical to the bear killings and sets out to methodically check off his list.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Westerns, Crime, Audiobook, Suspense

371 pages, Hardcover

First published February 27, 2024

About the author

C. J. Box is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 24 novels including the Joe Pickett series. He won the Edgar Alan Poe Award for Best Novel (Blue Heaven, 2009) as well as the Anthony Award, Prix Calibre 38 (France), the Macavity Award, the Gumshoe Award, two Barry Awards, and the 2010 Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association Award for fiction. He was recently awarded the 2016 Western Heritage Award for Literature by the National Cowboy Museum as well as the Spur Award for Best Contemporary Novel by the Western Writers of America in 2017. The novels have been translated into 27 languages.

Box is a Wyoming native and has worked as a ranch hand, surveyor, fishing guide, a small town newspaper reporter and editor, and he co-owns an international tourism marketing firm with his wife Laurie. They have three daughters. An avid outdoorsman, Box has hunted, fished, hiked, ridden, and skied throughout Wyoming and the Mountain West. He served on the Board of Directors for the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo. Box lives in Wyoming.

--from the author's website

Series:
* Joe Pickett

http://us.macmillan.com/author/cjbox

Reviews

[PamG · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[John (JC) · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Stace · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Luvtoread (Trying to catch up) · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!!

[Barry who enjoys well-written thrillers, mysteries , & espionage & loathes romance, horror & supernat · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[Stephen Davis · Rating 1 out of 5]

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.

[Valleri · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 darker than some of the previous books and a couple of things happened that made me cry, 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!!

[Damo · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this 24th book in the 'Joe Pickett' series, the game warden has problems with a killer grizzly bear and an ex-convict. The book can be read as a standalone, but familiarity with the series is a bonus.

*****

Joe Pickett is a Wyoming Game Warden who's encountered all kinds of trouble in his district, Twelve Sleep County, a sprawling region of forests, mountains, rivers, flora, and fauna.



Twelve Sleep County once had big problems with the Cates family, all of whom were violent sociopaths. Now, the entire Cates clan is deceased except for Dallas Cates, a former rodeo star who's been in the Wyoming State Penitentiary for the last five years. Not for much longer though, since Dallas is scheduled for release.



Right around the time of Dallas's re-entry into society, a deranged grizzly bear goes on a rampage in Twelve Sleep Country. The bear kills a man who's fishing, and a Predator Attack Team is assembled to take down the grizzly.



Conversely, animal rights activists, who call themselves the 'Mama Bears', campaign to save the bear, whom they call Tisiphone.



Skip to Dallas Cates, who's just been released from the penitentiary. Dallas sees a news story about the bear attack in his old stomping grounds, and he gets an idea.



Dallas has a 'kill list' of people he blames for ruining his life, including a prosecutor, a judge, his lawyer, a prison guard, Joe Pickett, and Joe's friend Nate Romanowski - a tough outdoorsman who helped capture Dallas.



Dallas, who's psychotic but clever, plans to use the grizzly bear attack as a cover for his revenge plan. Dallas breaks into a small rural museum and saws off the head and paws of a huge stuffed bear, then burns down the building.



Dallas then assembles a group of ex-convicts, including his former cell-mate, who's good with mechanical devices. The criminals assemble a gizmo that can simulate a bear attack, and Dallas sets out to murder the people he hates.

Joe Pickett and the Predator Attack Team are puzzled by the bear attacks all over northern Wyoming, some of which are hundreds of miles apart. They can't figure out how Tisiphone is ranging so far and wide. In the meantime, Dallas Cates is getting closer and closer to the homes of Joe and Nate, whom he considers his #1 enemies.



As all this happening, we catch up with the characters' personal lives. Joe Pickett and his wife Marybeth are thrilled for Nate Romanowski, who's now married with a baby daughter.



This once would have been unimaginable for the 'mountain man', but Nate seems to be settling into family life and his falconry business. (FYI: Falcons are used to scare off birds that are damaging property, etc.)



As it happens, Joe and Marybeth's oldest daughter Sheridan, who learned falconry from Nate, now works for him as a Master Falconer. Sheridan goes on a job in Colorado, which has unusual repercussions.



Meanwhile, elections are coming up in Twelve Sleep Country and several candidates are running for sheriff. Politics in the region has often been rife with corruption, which has affected Joe's job, and Joe hopes that era is over.....but is it?





There are twists and surprises as the book reaches it's climax, which is edge-of-the-seat exciting.

C.J. Box always devises clever plots for the Joe Pickett books, and this novel is no exception. Highly recommended to fans of thrillers.

You can follow my reviews at http://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com

[Jeremy Peers · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[William A. Hall · Rating 1 out of 5]

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

[Daniel Ray · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[KYLE MILLER · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Gloria Zak · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Box’s publisher should be ashamed

[Judy NH Gardener · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Bam cooks the books · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Jerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those reviews written in the heat of the moment that reflects the broiling emotions that are ripping through me. I read the first half of C.J. Box’s 24th Joe Pickett novel - “Three-Inch Teeth” – the night before last and then stayed up late last night devouring the last half with a level of addictive passion that I didn’t know that I had in me.

This was a watershed book in the Joe Pickett series. An unbelievable, gut wrenching, turning point in the lives of Joe and Nate’s families. Everything has changed and will never be the same for them, leaving me to try and pick up the pieces of the emotional storm that C.J. Box has left me in. As was once said about Dr. Suess’s classic character – “You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch!”

A lot of things happen in “Three-Inch Teeth” and most of them not good.
A grizzly bear goes on a rampage near Joe’s hometown, causing him and the Predator Attack Team to investigate and hunt it down. The question they face is trying to figure out what would cause the grizzly to do such a thing…

A prisoner is being released from the Wyoming State Penitentiary in Rawlins. Not just any inmate. However, someone forgot to notify the Pickett’s family that Dallas Cates is free again, and he has a list of six people that he holds responsible for the deaths of his own family members. Some of them include Joe and Nate…

Sheridan Pickett, Joe’s daughter has arrived in Colorado where she is working on a job for Nate’s bird abatement business, Yarak, Inc. The Never Summer Ranch needs to have a large fathering of starlings removed and Sheridan wants to perform well on her first solo assignment. However, the owner is not only a bit off, but somewhat pushy with her. To make matters worse, there’s an older woman on the ranch that takes an immediate dislike to Sharidan. An almost outright hatred when finding out Sheridan’s last name, and Sheridan senses something almost familiar about the angry woman, but not in a good way…

Normally, I would say a little more about the plotlines, but I am purposely holding back this time, as I don’t want to give anything away. This is a read that is best left for the reader to experience the discovery process for themselves.

Again, this is a watershed moment for the Joe Pickett and Nate Romanowski families, as well as the readers themselves. Be ready to be surprised, shocked, angry, emotional, and even lashing out in frustration and outrange. C.J. Box takes no prisoners and holds nothing back in this one. His plotting is tight and full of forceful impact, reminding us constantly why we love these characters and family driven values of love, trust, and commitment. He also forces us to be accountable for our actions and the Shakespearian impacts and costs it has on ourselves and the ones we love. 24 books in and C.J. Box has turned everything upside down in a way that I never saw coming and left me drained.


For me, this book demonstrated in a personally powerful way why I love this series so much, and each character. I respect Nate’s Dudley-do-the-right thing attitude. I in awe of Marybeth’s brilliance in figuring things out and putting the pieces together. I relate to Nate’s personal sense of justice, raw and violent as it is. He is our inner voice that we rarely let out. I also adore watching Sheridan grow up before my eyes, an independent young woman finding her own place in the world as a falconer. I love all of them and they are like family and friends to me.

I am sure that most fans and readers will need to digest the several outcomes of this book, myself included. I also assume some will be angry too. To some degree myself too, but I find myself mostly sad. At the same, I tip my hat with respect to C.J. Box, who put together creative storylines that were layered in complexity and executed with a riveting rollercoaster ride that hits every emotional button in the highest way possible. “Three- Inch Nail” demonstrates what a master storyteller he really is.

I close with two personal side notes.

First, my only complaint about this one is the tool used to simulate a bear attack was contrived and even outlandish to me, but C.J. Box’s writing style was good enough to help me ignore this over-the-top gadget because of the ongoing drama that overwhelmed it.

Second, in my previous review of “Shadows Reel” - two books ago in the series – I was very critical about one of the elements of the ending that I felt didn’t feel made sense. One that really frustrated me. However, I am happy to report that C.J. Box corrects that issue, providing an explanation that fills in the blanks about that very issue. It would be a spoiler to explain, but you can look back at my previous review in the section following the spoiler warning note after reading this book and you will understand my issue and how C.J. Box resolved it.

Overall, after reading this review you won’t be surprised that “Three-Inch Nail” is 5-star rating for me. For me it may be one of the lowest points ever for the characters, yet at the same time, one of the most dramatic moments of prose that C.J. Box has ever delivered. One that left me with chills and emotionally spent.

[Kent L. Phillips · Rating 2 out of 5]

The End

Poorly written. Nothing like previous books. I am very disappointed. I have been a loyal fan and have all of the Picket books. Here’s hoping this is the end of the series as the turn taken boy this story will not fly.

[Sarah Vigue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched and creative

Three-Inch Teeth, the 24th installment in C.J. Box’s long-running Joe Pickett series, proves the series is still going strong. Packed with suspense, action, and the rugged atmosphere fans have come to love, this entry is both a return to form and a compelling standalone thriller.

This time, Joe is tracking a rogue grizzly bear that’s been terrorizing the Wyoming wilderness—except the real threat may not be the bear at all. The plot weaves together man versus nature with deeper themes of vengeance, corruption, and justice, all set against Box’s signature backdrop of untamed landscapes.

Joe Pickett remains a grounded and likable hero, driven by duty and a strong moral compass, while familiar supporting characters like Nate Romanowski add grit and edge. The pacing is quick, with short chapters and just enough twists to keep the pages turning.

While the story occasionally stretches plausibility and leans heavily on returning character dynamics, Box’s skill in building tension and setting the scene more than makes up for it.

Three-Inch Teeth delivers what fans expect: high-stakes thrills, wilderness justice, and a hero who won’t back down. A solid addition to the series that’ll leave you eager for the next hunt.

[Allison Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[STP · Rating 1 out of 5]

First Pickett book I didn't like

This book was dark and depressing for me. I hated the ending. No mention of the 2 other Pickett daughters and adding Joe's long lost mother to the mix, briefly, and with no further development of that storyline possible, it just felt incomplete and rushed. I've been an avid reader of the Joe Pickett series, but I'm not sure I'll read any more of them.

[john v hoffman · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think the plot was stupid,

Nobody could make a killing machine like they made, it was a dumb plot, Uh etc off liv was not needed . I probably won't read any Joe Pickett books. Joe was the main character not Dallas.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Katherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gratuitous carnage.

[Cherie · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Monnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.