Good reading.

[grampster]

Author CJ Box has a series of mystery books set in the Bighorn Range of Wyoming. His main characters are Joe Picket, a Wyoming Game Warden, and his family.

Firearms play a prominent part in the stories. There are several books and they progress over time. I really recomend them as fun reading as his descriptive narrative brings the area of Wyoming to life. It's a different twist to the mystery genre.

 

[yhtomit]

Thanks!

I'm a big fan of mystery series set out west; after years of reading Tony Hillerman, I ended up with a semi-regular drive (long story) between El Paso, Texas and Seattle, Washington; I did this several times by somewhat different routes, but in part because of those books ended up driving through the four corners area several times, stopping in towns and by sights I knew first from Hillerman's books -- what beautiful country. Wish I had more time to get back there, too. I've been to (well, mostly "through" but of course it's hard not to stop once in a while) Wyoming (also breathtaking), so this sounds like a series I'd really like.

timothy

 

[grampster]

Yeah, I've read all of Hillerman's books and I'd like to go see the territory he writes about. As a Michigan boy, it's a long way. But, I just retired so we've been thinking about flying west and renting a car and mosying around the area as well as back up into Wyoming/Idaho/Montana.

 

[akodo]

I've read the CJ box books. Yes, good guns there, especially liked the choice of weapons for his friend the falconer.

One thing that never set right with me was that the main characters favorite weapon was a 12 guage. In my experience, a 12 guage loaded with birdshot shoots a hell of a lot different than a 12 with slugs. A guy who can drop quail or break clays all day with a 12, well, taht skill doesn't really translate to hitting a target at 75 yards with slugs, and if I was doing what this guy is doing, I'd definately have slugs in there.

Plus, I could see if they gave the main character a background from say south dakota where it woudl make sense for the 12 guage to be the gun he was most familar with, but not where those guys are from, there the rifle is king.

It would have made so much more sense if they had just given him a .243, that at least makes sense as a rifle he grew up shooting and hunting mulies with. Sure, if he was going to bag an elk he'd want somethign more, but for game warden duties, the power of his boyhood .243 is just fine

 

[grampster]

Remember, Joe can't hit the broad side of a barn with his handgun. Scattergun makes sense for a poor shot. I agree regarding slugs, but maybe because he was a good wingshot, he felt comfy with the 12. Confidence is a good part of good shooting. Also, nothing quite as intimidating as the sound made racking one home on a scatter gun.

 

[akodo]

practice is what is called for, and it doesn't bug me that he chooses a shotgun over a handgun, it is that he chooses a shotgun over a rifle.

Regarding being a practiced wingshooter...that doesn't fit with the rest of his background. When authors don't make things fit, or don't explain why the parts that don't fit exist, well that is bad.