"Exciting environmental who-done-it"

He is a radical environmentalist known nationwide as an ecoterrorist and founder of the group One Globe. On the third day of his honeymoon, he and his bride Annabel are in the Bighorn National Forest spiking as many trees the have nails when a cow explodes and blows them away. Stewie Woods never realized two men were assigned to kill him had tracked him for days.

After Stewie is taken care of, the two shooters, Charlie Tibbs and the Old Man crisscross the country killing environmentalists who are in a position of power. Their killing spree includes a writer, a lawyer and a lobbyist. When word gets back to the pair that Stewie may still be alive, Charlie goes back to finish the job. The environmentalist killer tangles with game warden Joe Pickett, a man with a keen sense of justice and a determination to uphold the law at the cost of his reputation and even his life.

In SAVAGE RUN, the Wild West is still a place where some "respectable" citizens are willing to take the law into their own hand to get their viewpoints across to those who try thwart them. The hero is an admirable man, whom a century ago would be considered a "white rat" willing, even eager to see justice triumph. C.J. Box is a talented writer who take his audience out of the typical suspense thriller box and keep his readers audience on their edge of their seat eager to find out what happens next.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted May 10, 2002

Summary

C. J. Box's debut novel, Open Season, with its memorable new hero, thrilling plot, and vivid settings, hit the mystery-book world with the force of a speeding rifle bullet-and put it "on the Best of the Year track" (Los Angeles Times). Now C. J. Box returns with a gripping and suspenseful new novel, as dramatic and brutal as its Wyoming wilderness setting. When a massive explosion occurs deep within the forests of Twelve Sleep County and a colorful environmental activist appears to have perished in the blast, Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett is called to the scene to help investigate. Pickett soon discovers clues that lead to a deadly conspiracy-one that will test his courage, his survival skills, and his determination to "do the right thing" despite all costs. A richly textured novel, Savage Run is an exciting confirmation of the talents of a writer hailed by Tony Hillerman as "a great storyteller."