Clay Hutmacher Jr just wanted to catch some trout. That was his hope as he waded knee-deep into the Twelve Sleep River, casting his line while taking a break on the Double Diamond Ranch. With Elk season just a day away, his father, who runs the ranch—one of the largest in all of Wyoming—has been preparing for the arrival of out-of-state hunters. The break in the action has allowed Clay Junior time to slip away and clear his head, though as he reels in his line, his thoughts rarely drift away from Sheridan Pickett and the diamond ring in his pocket. He has hopes of making a life with the woman he loves and is excited to ask for her hand in marriage. As he cast his line back into the river, Clay fails to notice the presence of a nearby grizzly bear. A moment later, moving with the force of a runaway freight train, the bear charges Clay Junior, pinning him to the bottom of the river before sinking its razor-sharp teeth into the young man’s skull.
Elk season opening day means long hours for game warden Joe Pickett, now in his early fifties, as he patrols Saddlestring and the surrounding mountains. His day, however, takes a dark and unexpected turn when Clay Senior calls him sobbing, reporting the death of his own son. Joe is both taken aback at the revelation that Clay Junior is dead and shocked to hear that his death has come at the hands of a rogue grizzly, and he moves quickly to the Double Diamond ranch. After observing the crime scene and what little is left of Clay Junior, Joe calls the attack into the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Soon after, the Predator Attack Team is dispatched, and the five-man unit, plus Joe, begins tracking the bear. That leads to another dangerous encounter, along with the arrival of the “Mama Bears,” two women who advocate for all types of bears and claim to have a connection to them.
Meanwhile, more than two hundred miles away at the Wyoming State Penitentiary in Rawlins, inmate Dallas Cates—the former Rodeo champion and ex-boyfriend of April Pickett, Joe’s adopted daughter—is being processed for release after spending the last five years in prison for crimes he committed against the Pickett family. Having spent the last half-decade plotting and planning his revenge, Cates, now covered in tattoos and with massive muscles packed onto his once lean frame, leaves a free man. A free man who’s carrying a list containing the names of everyone he feels wronged him.
Back in Saddlestring, Joe and the Predator Attack Team continue to track the bear, but as the days go by, new reports of fatal bear attacks begin to pop up around the state, elevating the level of panic from Wyoming residents, not to mention Joe’s bosses. But as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that the five-hundred-plus-pound grizzly is far from the only threat lurking and, in fact, may not even be the most dangerous predator on the loose.
Simply put, to not read Box’s work is to miss out on the best series in print today, and he wastes no time reminding readers why he’s such a special storyteller, kicking off his twenty-fourth Joe Pickett novel with a stunning opening that’ll stay with readers for quite some time. But while the plot, which is brilliantly wound and developed, is the main course, it’s Box’s lasting ability to flesh out his beloved cast of characters that makes his work stand out in such a profound way. Longtime readers will surely enjoy seeing Joe, Marybeth, Sheridan, and, of course, outlaw falconer Nate Romanowski and his growing family, along with a plethora of other returning characters. Moreover, those interactions between such characters create some of the most special moments. That, of course, is not to take away from the story at hand, which takes shape quickly and does a wonderful job of creating a false sense of expectations for how things may eventually play out. Box has nailed twisting threads before, so expect to be fooled yet again, and even when you think you know exactly how things will play out, trust me, you don’t.
Daring, bold, and impossible to put down, Three-Inch Teeth is a masterfully spun mystery, and C.J. Box proves yet again that nothing is off-limits and nobody is safe as he dials up a nerve-wracking, heart-thumping final act that leads to his most jaw-dropping and shocking ending to date.
Book Details
Author: C.J. Box
Series: Joe Pickett #24
Pages: 384 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 0593331346
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Release Date: February 27, 2024
