One-Car Bridge

Joe Pickett #14.4

by C.J. Box, David Chandler (Narrator)

After Wyoming warden Joe Pickett prevents big-game hunting at the Crazy Z Bar Ranch, the furious landowner plans to fire his blameless manager, Kyle Sanford. But w/tempers reaching a boiling point, the confrontation soon leads toward a potentially deadly comeuppance. Narrated by David Chandler

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Westerns, Short Stories, Mystery Thriller, Suspense

Audio CD

First published January 1, 2015

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

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in Shots Fired: Stories from Joe Pickett Country.

[Sandra Hoover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this short story - it kind of shows another side of Joe Pickett...one where he's able to live with the "gray" area which felt like the right thing to do.

[Asheley T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this very short story, which is numbered #14.5 in the Joe Pickett series. Not much happens at all-it reads mostly like an extended scene that would be part of a regular-length novel-but it feels very comfortable because we know exactly how Joe acts and thinks. I always find comfort that I know exactly who Joe is and I can (almost) always predict how Joe will respond to situations. I am curious if the featured characters in this story will appear later in the series. I kind of hope so.

The only problem I have with this one is that the numbering isn't well-done. With this story coming directly after Stone Cold (#14), there is one character present in the short story that should not be at all. This sort of drives me crazy because it is poor editing in an otherwise wonderfully-crafted series. This same thing happened before with the numbering of another of Box's short stories. The Master Falconer (#11.5) contains a character that has already died earlier in the series. Bah!

I found this short story located in the Shots Fired anthology, along with the Dull Knife short story, which features Joe Pickett, and The Master Falconer short story, which features everyone's favorite falconer, Nate Romanowski.

[Randy Tramp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe Pickett must visit someone who's mean and doesn't have a problem showing that meanness.
I love the "behind the scenes" look at where this story came from. During a conversation. The topic: a grandfather who was notoriously tough on his employers.
Old man Dietrich reminded me of Donald Trump. Firing people who didn't succeed. Great story. I loved it.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of the Anthology "Shots Fired: Stories from Joe Pickett Country"

Joe is the barer of bad news that sends a family into turmoil over what the future holds for them.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Crazy Z Bar Ranch is owned by Lamar Dietrich, a wealthy man who lives out of state and is mean and spiteful to everyone. He wanted the Game and Fish Commission to approve his plan of setting aside acreage to house exotic game animals for his friends to hunt. Joe Pickett, game warden, was against this idea as were the commissioners because there was no guarantee that any of the animals could not get out and what would happen if they bred with domestic stock? His request was denied. He had the manager’s son drive him to the ranch and he would probably sack the manager. The mail delivery person drove like a maniac and when the boy saw her coming on the bridge, he reacted by driving the car off of the bridge into the swift current. It was either that or have a head-on collision. The boy was saved but Dietrich died.

[Lesa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read in SHOTS FIRED

[Kabira]

read in the anthology Shots Fired

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, but still Joe sweet.

[Mi3sprouts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to it as part of “Shots Fired”

[David Highton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this great short story featuring Joe Pickett in Shots Fired

[Rocklee · Rating 3 out of 5]

What can I say? It was a very short story.
I love Joe Pickett.

[Woody James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short Joe Pickett story from C.J. Box. No seat belt just like a guy who thinks it is all about him.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good short story, Joe did not do anything stupid for a change.

[Laura Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very, very short story.

[Denver Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly, a very small glimpse into the minds eye of Joe Pickett. It is easy to see from this book how he made the leap and so many of his other books that resulted in a solved case. Very interesting.

[Janet Cline · Rating 5 out of 5]

short e book

[Erth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good short read

[Lisa Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impressed how quickly the author introduces the characters and gives you enough information about them to really be able to picture the scene and leave you wondering.

[Tonya Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great short story. I was in the edge of my seat as I read this, I was not for sure how this one would wind up!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part on a collection of short stories, some about Joe Pickett, some not, all interesting.