The Recurring Cast
Character guide · 32 books · 2001 to 2026 · Mostly set in the fictional Saddlestring, Wyoming

C.J. Box

Crime and mysteryPolice proceduralRural crime

Joe Pickett is a Wyoming game warden with a strong moral compass and bad luck with state-issued trucks, who keeps finding murder in the mountains. His friend Nate Romanowski, an outlaw falconer, handles what Joe cannot. Box’s second series follows investigator Cassie Dewell in Montana.

Best estimate, compiled from series guides, publisher descriptions and reviews where available, and from memory otherwise. Book level only, not chapter level. Minor includes cameos and brief references. Each book carries a confidence rating in its tooltip. The Missing (2027) is not yet out. Standalones are left out.

Vote for C.J. Box as a favourite author, and for books and characters below. See the favourites

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Who appears in which book

Click a name to follow that character from book to book, or a book title to see its cast.

LLeadMMajor·MinorHas a note
The chart needs JavaScript. The reading order and character list below work without it.

C.J. Box books in order

Each series in publication order, with its lead characters. Where the story runs in a different order, switch to Story order. Crossover books are marked and listed under their main series. Use My books to track what you have read.

Joe Pickett

26 books · Set in the fictional Saddlestring, WyomingRural crime
  1. 1Open Season2001With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
  2. 2Savage Run2002With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
  3. 3Winterkill2003With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
  4. 4Trophy Hunt2004With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
  5. 5Out of Range2005With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
  6. 6In Plain Sight2006With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
  7. 7Free Fire2007With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
  8. 8Blood Trail2008With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
  9. 9Below Zero2009With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
  10. 10Nowhere to Run2010With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
  11. 11Cold Wind2011With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
  12. 12Force of Nature2012With Joe Pickett and Nate RomanowskiBuy on Amazon
  13. 13Breaking Point2013With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
  14. 14Stone Cold2014With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
  15. 15Endangered2015With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
  16. 16Off the Grid2016With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
  17. 17Vicious Circle2017With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
  18. 18The Disappeared2018With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
  19. 19Wolf Pack2019With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
  20. 20Long Range2020With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
  21. 21Dark Sky2021With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
  22. 22Shadows Reel2022With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
  23. 23Storm Watch2023With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
  24. 24Three-Inch Teeth2024With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
  25. 25Battle Mountain2025With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
  26. 26The Crossroads2026With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon

Cassie Dewell

6 books · Set in the fictional Grimstad, MontanaRural crimePolice procedural
  1. 1Back of Beyond2011With Cody HoytBuy on Amazon
  2. 2The Highway2013With Cassie DewellBuy on Amazon
  3. 3Badlands2015With Cassie DewellBuy on Amazon
  4. 4Paradise Valley2017With Cassie DewellBuy on Amazon
  5. 5The Bitterroots2019With Cassie DewellBuy on Amazon
  6. 6Treasure State2022With Cassie DewellBuy on Amazon

Characters

8 recurring and key characters, with the book each one first appears in.

Twelve Sleep County

Cassie Dewell