Precious Cargo

by C.J. Box

From the Audible Originals anthology Birds of Prey: The Harlan Coben Challenge comes this thrilling story of deceit and duplicity by New York Times best seller C.J. Box.

It starts with a stranger walking into a campsite, seemingly out of nowhere. It ends with that same stranger at the Denver airport. Along the way, he has acquired a prize that will be his salvation.

But the road to Easy Street can take unexpected turns. And the only certainty about a sure thing is that nothing is certain at all.

Watch for Birds of Prey: The Harlan Coben Challenge, coming to Audible on Oct. 6, 2022.

Birds of Prey was created in partnership with International Thriller Writers (ITW).

©2022 C. J. Box (P)2022 Audible Originals, LLC.

Genres: Audiobook, Fiction, Thriller, Short Stories

Audible Audio

Published June 2, 2022

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]

3.5⭐
A short story about Peregrine falcons and a thief from a campsite near Snake River Canyon, Idaho. Precious Cargo is part of Birds of Prey: The Harlan Coben Challenge which is Audible exclusive. This one story is a "freebie" which makes me wonder if there are more from this collection to listen to as singles.

🎧 47mins by CJ Box (intro) and Fred Berman

[TheBookWarren · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 Stars — Really enjoyed this one. A taut, tense thriller about a robbery gone terrifically awry. Box has a skill-set that is excellently crafted and fine tuned for enjoyable tension & this short story is indeed no fodder!

Perfect for a quick one-sitting read with a warm beverage on a cool evening, if you partake.

[Henry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mildly entertaining Audible Original short story.

[Natalie H · Rating 3 out of 5]

November 2023
Audiobook edition
36m 56s (1.3x speed)

Nice and short. An egg thief with a bad end that seems like jail if the security don't treat the wife like she's crazy . It looked like his downfall came from his own paranoia and inability to be nice. It was a shame about the husband, he was pretty much done when he let the others live. I'm curious how the wife found him in the airport, whether it was a coincidence or if she was hunting him.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audible short story. I like the Joe Pickett series so thought I’d give it a try. Pretty predictable.

[Gareth Is Haunted · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good short story about a theft gone wrong. Worth checking out if you have a spare hour.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m one of the outlier reviewers, so do take my opinions with a generous pinch of salt.

I enjoy C.J. Box’s Joe Pickett novels, but this short story disappointed because many characters are stereotypes. Also, I don’t appreciate chance-meeting tropes, especially those in airports. There’s the female-traveler-with-comfort animal, not to mention the recently bereaved widow. If it weren’t for narrator Fred Berman’s 5 stars voice-acting, this would’ve been a DNF. Bravo, Fred Berman!

If you’re a C.J. Box reader, you’ll probably love this short story. Again, please remember the pinch of salt . . . or three.

[Mary Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

PRECIOUS CARGO BY C J BOX I love C J Box. His Joe Pickett series was great. This is A short story about peregrine falcons. Based in Snake River Canyon, Idaho. A theft gone wrong. A great listen on Audible.

[Ursula Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great short story about a theft and getaway that went horribly wrong. A man stealing bird eggs stumbles upon a camp and murders some of the campers. His getaway doesn’t go as planned and he gets his just deserts. A great short listen. The author does an intro about why the birds are special.

[Macky · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️3.5⭐️

[David Highton · Rating 4 out of 5]

short audiobook story

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️ 3.5 stars ⭐️

[(Grace) Kentucky Bohemian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not Usually My Thing
I'm not a big fan of short stories because I enjoy the "long game" when it comes to reading. I want to invest in the characters and feel like I know them as the story plays out. Short stories simply can't afford that luxury.

But one thing I am a HUGE fan of is the author C.J. Box. Especially his Joe Pickett series and the Nate Romanowski character who is a world-class falconer. So, for Mr. Box, I'll try a short story. He did not disappoint (as I knew he wouldn't). He has just shown readers that whether he writes a series with nearly 30 books in it or a singular short story, his work is superb. This particular story has the element of karmic irony, which is something justice-seekers have a big fondness for. To be clear, it does not include any of his previously published characters. There's no Joe or Nate here, just new characters for us to enjoy. It's a short read, but a good one!

[Krystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short, intense thriller about theft gone wrong. I would have just kept reading this had it been longer. It had a lot of interesting facts about birds of prey particularly the peregrine falcon. Box has a brilliant way of painting rural landscapes and dropping realistic action onto those picturesque places.

[Carie Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mildly entertaining short story about a falcon thief that comes to Idaho. I mainly listened to the audiobook because it was based in Idaho. Not super exciting. But it was a fun listen while I folded laundry.

[Simon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The ending was disappointing.

[Myrtha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good short story, well narrated. An Audible free sample of BIRDS OFPRY, the anthology.

[Paul Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good one!

[Michael Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoy his writing on the outdoors!

[Priscilla Chau Davey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining till the end.

[Sally Kintz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read anything you can by C J Box. The guy is a good writer who understands a good story.

[Paulette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice short story.

[Daniel Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant short story….WORST South African accent I’ve ever heard!!!!!

[Harmony · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot was ok and the characters felt flat and constructed largely from Boomer intergroup stereotypes.

[BH Gill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story where karma doesn't quite catch up to the problem party.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short story. Thanks to mom for telling me about it

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short book but most enjoyable read about the falcons which C. J. Box writes about in the Joe Pickett books.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth a listen.

[Andrea Corley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Precious Cargo was nothing short of an interesting and perplexing story, but for some reason, it just didn't really excite me!

Had the book been longer, it might have felt like it wasn't worth my time, however, it was a quick, short read with a really unique storyline! Although there was a lot of mystery, even as much as with the characters, which might have been too much!

This title was narrated by Fred Berman, which honestly was a lot of it's saving grace! He is a fantastic narrator that really gave this short story a great deal of depth!

Overall, if you have a little time to kill, want to read a short story that might still leave you questioning long after the last page, then Precious Cargo is the book for you!

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

26 (2nd BTA) An alternative title could be Just Deserts. Not very original nor any twist to the tale. But we’ll written and pacy. Recommended to the normal crew.