Author: C.J. Box

I guess if you’re going to read one Joe Pickett book you may as well read two. This one is #18 so only a couple of years have passed. The usual characters are all in attendance and it seems that in spite of what he would like, Joe is constantly thrust into and solving police cases.

This story involves an English CEO who goes missing after spending a week on a very posh dude ranch. Joe’s daughter, Sheridan, just happens to work at this ranch. Joe is working at the request of a new governor and it would appear he has been set up to fail in his mission and, therefore, lose his game warden job.

I really do think this will be the last one in the series that I read.

Goodreads Rating: * * *

Author: C.J. Box

I know when I finished the first book in the Joe Pickett series I said that I wouldn’t read any others. We watched a Joe Pickett series on Netflix and I enjoyed it so I decided to read another one. This one is #16 in the series so a lot had happened since the first book and where the Netflix series ended.

All the characters I remembered from the book appeared in the television series, although I didn’t remember the Nate character. He returns in this book along with Joe’s eldest daughter who is now in her early twenties. The story is much more violent than I would have expected and deals with terrorists planning an attack in America.

Goodreads Rating: * * *

Author: Kent Haruf

Pat found this book on a shelf at the Lodge when we were staying in Vancouver; he hadn’t finished it so he brought it home. When he was finished he said I might like it so I added it to my pile of books.

It is a simple story, well-written, about the lives of several characters in a small town in Colorado. The characters include co-workers at the school, one of the teacher’s children, a student and two bachelors.

This is the first novel in a set of three and I’ll definitely read more of them.

Goodreads Rating: * * * *

Author: Emma Donoghue

Some time ago Pat and I watched a travel documentary on Ireland. One of the places that was talked about was Skellig Michael. This is a fictional account of the very first monks to settle on the island.

Three priests set out by boat from a well established monastery in search of a spot where they would be way from all of the worldly temptations. The island they came ashore on was remote and rugged – there was only one tree and the island was inhabited only by birds. The zealousness of the leader meant it was a very hard life for his two followers.

This is quite unlike any of the other books I’ve read by Donoghue. I didn’t know of the connection between the story and Skellig Michael until I read the author’s notes.

Goodreads Rating: * * * *