Vicious Circle

 Chapter One
 
 
     Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett flicked his eyes between the screen of the iPad mounted in front of him and the side window, as the vast dark pine forest spooled out beneath the Cessna Turbo 206 below.  He tried to keep his eyes wide open so he wouldn t miss anything but he fought against his instinctive reaction to close them tightly in anticipation of the inevitable engine failure that would result in his quick and fiery death in the Bighorn Mountains.

     For the first time in his life, he understood the desire for the fidgety solace of a set of prayer beads, and he wished he had some.

     It was Halloween night, and the pilot, John Wilson Bill Slaughter, a stout and compact man in his early sixties with an aluminum-colored crew-cut, eased down the nose of the small plane.  Black timber filled the windscreen. Joe tried to breathe.

     Twelve hundred feet, Slaughter said through the headset to both his co-pilot Gail Herdt and Joe who was looped in.

     Roger, she said.

     Both Slaughter and Herdt were retired from the military as well as members of the Wyoming Civil Air Patrol.  Herdt was an art teacher at Pinedale Middle School, and Slaughter had a small Angus cattle operation near Torrington.

     Why twelve hundred feet? Joe asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.

     We normally don t drop below two thousand feet at night, Herdt said calmly.  It s not considered very safe.

     So don t tell anyone, Slaughter said.

     Joe asked, Then why are we doing it?

     She looked over her shoulder at him alone in the backseat. To see better, she said, matter-of-fact.

     Joe

C.J. Box is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of seventeen Joe Pickett novels, most recently Off the Grid; five stand-alone novels, most recently Badlands; and the story collection Shots Fired. He was won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, Gumshoe, and two Barry awards, as well as the French Prix Calibre .38 and a French Elle magazine literary award. His books have been translated into twenty-seven languages. He and his wife Laurie split their time between their home and ranch in Wyoming.

Praise for Vicious Circle

The unexpected, suspenseful turns will keep readers enthralled.  Another winner for Box. Library Journal (starred review)

Bracingly familiar pleasures expertly packaged...first-timers will be intrigued and fans amply rewarded. Kirkus Reviews

This outing is the most suspenseful yet in this world-class series, setting a new standard for Box. Publishers Weekly (starred review)

We ve noted previously how the fully fleshed family dynamic is one of this series enduring strengths, and that pays dividends here as we viscerally feel Joe s fear for his loved ones and his powerlessness to protect them. Box masterfully tightens the suspense until we re caught in a vicious circle of our own and unable to stop reading. Booklist

C. J. Box is back and better than ever. Providence Journal

Praise for Off the Grid

With this exceptional entry, Box solidifies his place at the upper end of the crime fiction pantheon. Publishers Weekly (starred, boxed review)

Filled with high suspense, formidable characters, and an action-packed ending more vivid than most movies. Off the Grid never falters as Box again delivers an exceptional thriller. South Florida Sun-Sentinel

You can t help turning the pages and holding your breath until you find out where this scary, all-too-plausible caravan is heading. Kirkus Reviews

A terrorist thriller with a uniquely western flair...This is a breakneck story that Pickett fans will want to read in one sitting. Booklist

Picking up a new C. J. Box thriller is like spending quality time with family you love and have missed....It s a rare thriller series that has characters grow and change. An exciting reading experience for both loyal fans as well as newcomers. Associated Press

A terrific read yet again from C. J. Box. Suspense Magazine

Box is a master. The Denver Post

Off the Grid is a warning of sorts in that it shows how U.S. national security is vulnerable to a