The Master Falconer

Joe Pickett #4.5

by C.J. Box, Phil Parks (Illustrator)

"A dramatic short story of justice both old and new from the New York Times–bestselling author of Cold Wind.

The West is not the way it’s portrayed in the movies. But when a man from the East brings trouble for Nate Romanowski and his friend Joe Pickett, a little frontier-style justice may be just what’s called for. An exciting new addition to the series that People hails for “combining harrowing adrenaline rushes with complex morality, humor, and a landscape described so vibrantly it seems to have a life all its own.”

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Short Stories, Thriller, Westerns, Crime, Adventure

38 pages, Hardcover

First published April 19, 2011

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]

Had to hurry and borrow this book after noticing another short story disappeared from library's Overdrive collection.
This is a good short story with the focus on Nate and Peregrine falcon. Money can't buy Nate! 🥰

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short story featuring the mysterious Nate Romanowski. Nate has a mysterious past and I'm pretty sure his military record with special forces is totally redacted. He lives a simple life, but he won't let anyone push him around. Joe Pickett is his best friend. When someone from Nate's past shows up in Saddlestring, Nate sets about showing them that not everyone can be bought, intimated or bullied and he shows them what a little Old West justice looks like.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fanflippin'tastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You go Nate :)

[Scott A. Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than average Novella. Nate as only Nate can be. Truly satisfying ending as well.

[Randy Tramp · Rating 5 out of 5]

A man from the East brings trouble for Nate Romanowski and Joe Pickett.

Love the drama. Love the thrill and love the comedy. Not in that order.

[wally · Rating 4 out of 5]

read this this evening. seems like i read something much like this in one of the joe pickett stories but can't for the life of me tell you which story it was. but that belief didn't get to me until the ridge scene...you know...wagon-ho! heading across the prairie and you get the lineup of heathen arapaho there on the ridge-line? ready to sweep down, whoop it up? yeah. well...too...nate hanging off the side of a cliff face, say, which is also what he did in this last i read, vicious circle...only in that one he's setting some sort of traps. for falcons. all to put the six-hour bother on you once you're done. like, did he have time, what with being up in the big cedar...putting the keebosh on one of the bad guys. with the casull .454. had one blow up on me this once, put a hole in the hood of the truck where i was leaning over it...bench-rest hood. scope...gone...yeah, gets your attention. so...good read. i really liked it. i guess the bar scene seemed familiar, too...blondes in body suits. don't let your imagination wander too far now. blocks of thousands of dollars. this that the other. okay then.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great look into some aspects of Nate's past.

[Stefan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great little novella (or short story if you prefer) in the Joe Pickett series by C.J. Box. This one focuses Joe Pickett's friend, the Master Falconer, Nate Romanowski and gives a little more character background information.

Trouble comes to town looking for Nate… and you can safely say that Nate is not in it for the money.

It was a very quick and enjoyable read.

[Graff Fuller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joe Pickett 4.5 The Master Falconer by Phil Parks, C.J. Box

challenging dark reflective sad tense

Fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters are a main focus? Yes

3.5 Stars

For some reason (and I do not know why) I had this short story to be put at 6.5 originally, but then put it at 4.5 in the order. When I went to log it as read...I found it to be 11.5. I do NOT know what's going on. Hmm?

This was/is a "get to know Nate better" story.

It was fun.

Not sure I believe the conclusion would actually fufill the desired results that happen in the story, but hey. It was definitely interesting.

[Ronna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short special e book is a must read for all Joe Picket and Nate fans. If you don't have an e book device, borrow one. I am not generally a short story fan, but I was immediately involved with heightened emotions as I read how Nate handled yet one more abombimable situation! I have given everything written by CJ Box a 5 star rating so far, only because there is not a greater rating available!!

[Asheley T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

I feel conflicted about this very short Joe Pickett short story. Only about 30 pages or so, it features everyone's favorite falconer Nate Romanoswki, with Joe Pickett acting as a supporting character. I loved this reversal! I think all loyal Pickett fans are salivating for more Nate in this series because he is wildly interesting. He's just wild. And I enjoyed the story, even in its brevity. You can go ahead and read this one at any time, although having such a short exposure to the characters really doesn't tell you much about them. I know for certain that having read the series in order before this added to my enjoyment, simply because Nate's train of thought and actions were totally in character with the Nate I've grown to love over the past eleven books.

Still.

I can't get over the fact that with the numbering of this series (this is #11.5), it is out of order with the full-length novels. There is a character alive in this short story that has already lost his/her life previously in the series. I'm really disappointed that I didn't go ahead and read this one earlier, although I honestly never really read things out of order. The entire time I was reading-even as I was enjoying the story-I was frustrated at this sequencing error.

I found this short story located in the Shots Fired anthology, along with the Dull Knife short story, which features Joe Pickett.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Master Falconer (Joe Pickett, #4.5)
by C.J. Box

An outstanding short read from Mr Box which focuses on Nate Romanowski Pickett's sidekick and sometime enforcer.
Pick it up its well worth your time.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short little book in the Joe Pickett world. This was set on Nate Romanaski & his falcons.
Great pace, tension, some twists, keeps in character with the rest of the books & was a quick read.
This is the 2nd short story I’ve read from Box. Long or short, C. J. Box writes a good story.

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short Story 4.5

Part of the Joe Pickett series involving an Arabian Sheik willing to spend $$$ for falcons in which Joe plays a minor role. The violence a bit much for me.

[Emerson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not appreciate the blatant Islamophobia.

[Sandy]

Dumb, dumb and dumb. STOP writing 35 page books with no meaning to them. Also this book is listed as book 11.5 and in book 11 Alisha dies but she is alive in book 11.5. At least make this book fall in line better with characters being alive or dead.

[Jaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nate wins again

[Jeff Jacobson · Rating 5 out of 5]

You gotta love Nate Romanowski. He is the kind of guy you want on your side in a dark alley. CJ Box does it again you get so tired of people who think they can buy off or just push people around. It’s bad karma and what goes around comes around.

[Naomi Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short gritty Western.

Big bad guys think they can buy anybody and everybody, but get roundly outsmarted in this short story in the Joe Pickett series.

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Master Falconer is a short story set between books four and five of author C.J. Box’s series centered around Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett. It’s a story that features Joe’s friend, Nate Romanowski, who has been evasive about his background up until now. It’s been alluded to that he was in the military in covert operations, and is now wanted by authorities for an unknown reason.

A wealthy foreigner shows up at Saddlestring Airport looking for Nate. We learn that Nate was once in Special Forces in Afghanistan, where he studied falconry. Al-Nura Abd Saud knew him then. He has periodically turned up in Nate’s life, looking for Nate to keep him supplied with young falcons. For unknown reasons, Nate has acquiesced to Saud’s demands.

Until now.

Saud had Nate’s birds stolen from him and is holding them hostage until Nate fills his most recent order. This comes after a disturbance in Saddlestring, which has upset Nate. He is a quiet person who likes to lay low, and Saud and his men coming into town and drawing attention to themselves – and Nate by extension – has his hackles up. Nate turns to Joe for help, although Joe really is in the background here as Nate figures out a way to get Saud to return his birds and leave.

To read my complete review please go to The Master Falconer by C.J. Box – Unveiling Nate’s Secrets

[Tara Scherner de la fuente · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should really be numbered at 9.5 or 10.5 (or earlier) rather than 11.5 in terms of reading order.

Not exactly a spoiler, but one of the characters in this story is dead by the end of book 11, and also... Nate wouldn't have been seen by the sheriff for a number of books. He also wasn't living where described at the time of book 11. Or 10. This story would be quite a bit earlier, really.

Anyway, I'm only nerding out about that. And hey, if anyone's reading this, you could read this any time after the first couple books, probably. I recommend before book 11. A few before.

[bert-bobbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

really enjoyed this short story .... especially the ending!

[Debbie DeBusk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nate being Nate.

A satisfying read when you tire of a world motivated by greed. While Joe works within the constraints of legalities, Nate takes a straighter path to problem solve.

[Cookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE LOVE LOOOOOVE the ending! Short and sweet!

[Tonya Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing short story. Nate is my hero. He does not let anything or anyone faze the ice water that flies through his veins.

[Sheree Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nate

I have always been fond of Nate. This short story with him as the main character was a treat to read.

[Maureen Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nate, awesome as ever!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nate Romanowski is the master falconer. A friend of Joe Pickett’s, Nate was with Special Forces in Afghanistan when he started falconry. A wealthy Saudi named Al-Nura Abd Saud wants Nate to find him wild peregrines and has taken Nate’s birds until his order has been fulfilled. Nate doesn’t take well to orders. He brings a crate of baby birds to Al-Nura and tells him it is time for him to leave. The crate is full of baby chickens not peregrine chicks.

Nate is independent and fiercely loyal to his friends. Joe Pickett is probably his closest friend and he and Joe saw how pushy and arrogant Al-Nura and his son Lamya were being to Joe's townspeople. When his bodyguard got too rough with one of their friends, that was all it took. Nate was through with him and told him to keep his money. Some things are just not worth it.

[Michael Petty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, admittedly, I read this one a bit out of order. I've only read "Open Season" and one other Pickett-centric short story, but I picked up "The Master Falconer" on a whim and read it this evening to help me sleep. Unfortunately, C.J. Box tends to keep me awake, and now I'm sitting here writing this review. This one centers on Joe Pickett's "sidekick" Nate Romanowski, a major character in the "Joe Pickett" series of novels and one I'm only familiar with (at this point) because of the television series of the same name. But you don't need to know much about Nate to enjoy "The Master Falconer" and see that this is a man escaping his past so that he can live honestly with the man he's trying to be. It's a good tale, and likely even better in the full context of the larger series of books, but I enjoyed the heck out of it.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#5.5 in the Joe Pickett series. In this 2006 novella, Joe's friend Nate Romanowski takes the lead role.
Nate's falcons have been kidnapped and his girlfriend stalked to coerce him into providing a Saudi royal with six wild peregrine falcon chicks. Nate's solution is novel and makes interesting use of his girlfriend's brother. Well written and an engrossing read - although I will award 4 stars to a well written, enjoyable novel, an equivalent novella will earn 3 stars, this one gets 4.

The West is not the way it’s portrayed in the movies. But when a man from the East brings trouble for Nate Romanowski and his friend Joe Pickett, a little frontier-style justice may be just what’s called for.