Reading order · 26 books · 2001 to 2026 · Set in the fictional Saddlestring, Wyoming
Joe Pickett Books in Order
Joe Pickett is a game warden in Twelve Sleep County in northern Wyoming, a decent, stubborn man who cannot leave a wrong alone and keeps wrecking his state-issued trucks. His cases set him against poachers, killers and powerful interests, and his friend Nate Romanowski, a falconer and former special forces soldier, deals with what the law cannot.
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Series facts
- Books
- 26
- Published
- 2001 to 2026
- First book
- Open Season
- Latest
- The Crossroads (2026)
- Setting
- Set in the fictional Saddlestring, Wyoming
The reading order
Every Joe Pickett book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
26 books · Set in the fictional Saddlestring, Wyoming
- 1Open Season2001With Joe PickettJoe Pickett, a young game warden in Wyoming, finds a dying outfitter in his own woodpile, with an empty cooler that held something worth killing for.Buy on Amazon
- 2Savage Run2002With Joe PickettAn environmental activist is killed when the cow he was sitting next to explodes in the Bighorn Mountains.Buy on Amazon
- 3Winterkill2003With Joe PickettIn a blizzard, Joe Pickett finds a Forest Service supervisor killed in the mountains.Buy on Amazon
- 4Trophy Hunt2004With Joe PickettCattle and wild animals are being found mutilated in Twelve Sleep County, and then the bodies of two men are found in the same state.Buy on Amazon
- 5Out of Range2005With Joe PickettJoe Pickett is sent to Jackson Hole to cover for a fellow game warden who killed himself, and finds a town of wealth and secrets.Buy on Amazon
- 6In Plain Sight2006With Joe PickettThe powerful matriarch of a local ranching family disappears, and her feuding sons fight over the land, while someone stalks Joe Pickett’s family.Buy on Amazon
- 7Free Fire2007With Joe PickettThe governor sends Joe Pickett to Yellowstone National Park, where a man has killed four people in a strip of land where, through a legal loophole, he may never be convicted.Buy on Amazon
- 8Blood Trail2008With Joe PickettHunters are being killed and dressed like game animals in the mountains, and Joe Pickett is assigned to help catch the killer.Buy on Amazon
- 9Below Zero2009With Joe PickettJoe Pickett starts receiving text messages from someone who claims to be April, the foster daughter his family believes is dead.Buy on Amazon
- 10Nowhere to Run2010With Joe PickettJoe Pickett is posted to a remote district on the Colorado border, where he runs into two strange brothers living off the land in the mountains.Buy on Amazon
- 11Cold Wind2011With Joe PickettJoe Pickett’s mother-in-law Missy’s latest husband is found dead, hanging from a wind turbine, and Missy is arrested for his murder.Buy on Amazon
- 12Force of Nature2012With Joe Pickett and Nate RomanowskiNate Romanowski’s past in special forces catches up with him, and Joe Pickett has to decide how far he will go to help his friend.Buy on Amazon
- 13Breaking Point2013With Joe PickettTwo agents of the Environmental Protection Agency disappear after visiting a local man’s building site, and Joe Pickett is caught up in the manhunt in the mountains.Buy on Amazon
- 14Stone Cold2014With Joe PickettThe governor sends Joe Pickett to the Black Hills area of northeast Wyoming to investigate a mysterious, wealthy man who may be a contract killer.Buy on Amazon
- 15Endangered2015With Joe PickettJoe Pickett’s foster daughter April is found beaten and left in a ditch, and the prime suspect is her boyfriend, a rodeo champion from a dangerous family.Buy on Amazon
- 16Off the Grid2016With Joe PickettNate Romanowski, hiding from the FBI, is pressed to help assess a terror threat in Wyoming’s Red Desert, while Joe Pickett’s own assignment draws him into the same remote country.Buy on Amazon
- 17Vicious Circle2017With Joe PickettThe Cates family, who once endangered Joe’s daughter April, come after Joe and his family, and Joe and Nate must prepare for the attack.Buy on Amazon
- 18The Disappeared2018With Joe PickettA British businesswoman goes missing after a stay at a luxury guest ranch, and the new governor sends Joe Pickett to find her.Buy on Amazon
- 19Wolf Pack2019With Joe PickettJoe Pickett investigates a drone that has been harassing wildlife, which leads him to a man under federal protection and a team of cartel assassins.Buy on Amazon
- 20Long Range2020With Joe PickettA grizzly bear attacks a group of hunters, and the same night the wife of a local judge is shot through her window from long range.Buy on Amazon
- 21Dark Sky2021With Joe PickettJoe Pickett is ordered to guide a tech billionaire on an elk hunt in the mountains, just as a killer comes after them.Buy on Amazon
- 22Shadows Reel2022With Joe PickettJoe’s wife Marybeth receives a photo album that once belonged to a Nazi official, while Nate hunts a ruthless rival who stole his falcons and attacked his wife.Buy on Amazon
- 23Storm Watch2023With Joe PickettJoe investigates the frozen body of a missing university professor, facing obstruction from federal agents, while Nate is recruited by militant secessionists.Buy on Amazon
- 24Three-Inch Teeth2024With Joe PickettAn enormous grizzly is killing people in the mountains, and Joe Pickett’s old enemy Dallas Cates is out of prison and wants revenge.Buy on Amazon
- 25Battle Mountain2025With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
- 26The Crossroads2026With Joe PickettBuy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read the Joe Pickett books in order, starting with Open Season. Joe’s family grows up across the series and several storylines run from book to book.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Joe Pickett | Nate Romanowski | Marybeth Pickett | Sheridan, Lucy and April | Missy Vankueren | Governor Spencer Rulon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Open Season | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 2 Savage Run | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 3 Winterkill | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 4 Trophy Hunt | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 5 Out of Range | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 6 In Plain Sight | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 7 Free Fire | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 8 Blood Trail | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 9 Below Zero | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 10 Nowhere to Run | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 11 Cold Wind | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor |
| 12 Force of Nature | LLead | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 13 Breaking Point | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 14 Stone Cold | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 15 Endangered | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 16 Off the Grid | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 17 Vicious Circle | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 18 The Disappeared | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 19 Wolf Pack | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 20 Long Range | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 21 Dark Sky | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 22 Shadows Reel | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 23 Storm Watch | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 24 Three-Inch Teeth | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 25 Battle Mountain | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 26 The Crossroads | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
Characters in the Joe Pickett books
6 characters from C.J. Box’s chart, with the number of Joe Pickett books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Joe PickettWyoming game warden | 26 | Open Season 2001 |
| Nate RomanowskiFalconer and former special forces operator, Joe’s friend | 24 | Winterkill 2003 |
| Marybeth PickettJoe’s wife, a librarian and researcher | 26 | Open Season 2001 |
| Sheridan, Lucy and AprilJoe and Marybeth’s daughters | 26 | Open Season 2001 |
| Missy VankuerenMarybeth’s scheming mother | 26 | Open Season 2001 |
| Governor Spencer RulonWyoming governor who uses Joe as his troubleshooter | 14 | Free Fire 2007 |