You’ve seen the hats. You’ve probably seen the Wyoming license plates on the covers. If you’re like most people, you found Joe Pickett because you wanted a hero who actually has a mortgage and a wife he actually likes. Joe isn't some super-soldier with a dark past. He’s a guy who’s kinda bad at shooting and constantly gets his state-issued truck totaled.
Getting into cj box joe pickett in order is more than just checking off a list. It’s watching a man age in real-time. Unlike Jack Reacher, who is eternally forty-something and homeless, Joe Pickett grows gray. His daughters, Sheridan, April, and Lucy, go from toddlers to adults with their own messy lives. If you skip around, you’re basically walking into a family Thanksgiving ten years late and wondering why everyone is mad at "Uncle" Nate.
The Definitive Joe Pickett Reading Order
Starting at the beginning isn't just a suggestion; it’s basically mandatory if you want the emotional payoff. C.J. Box writes these as a continuous timeline. Here is the path through the Wyoming sagebrush.
- Open Season (2001): This is where the legend starts. Joe finds a dead poacher in his woodpile. It’s simple, gritty, and establishes that Joe is the only honest man in Twelve Sleep County.
- Savage Run (2002): Exploding environmentalists. This one gets a bit wilder.
- Winterkill (2003): You meet Nate Romanowski here. Nate is the outlaw falconer who becomes Joe’s best friend and the "muscle" the series occasionally needs.
- Trophy Hunt (2004): Animal mutilations and local dread.
- Dull Knife (Short Story): Set between Trophy Hunt and the next book. It’s found in the Shots Fired collection.
- Out of Range (2005): Joe heads to Jackson Hole. He hates it. You'll see why.
- In Plain Sight (2006): A ranch matriarch disappears, and things get ugly.
- The Master Falconer (Short Story): Another Nate-heavy bridge story.
- Free Fire (2007): This one uses the real-life "Zone of Death" legal loophole in Yellowstone. It’s arguably one of Box’s smartest plots.
- Blood Trail (2008): Someone is hunting hunters.
- Below Zero (2009): The return of a character we all thought was gone. It’s a massive turning point for the Pickett family.
- Nowhere to Run (2010): Joe is working in a remote district and runs into two "mountain men" who are basically human nightmares.
- Cold Wind (2011): Joe’s mother-in-law, Missy, is in trouble. Again. She’s the character everyone loves to hate.
- Force of Nature (2012): This is Nate’s backstory. If you want to know why the government is so scared of a guy with birds of prey, read this.
- Breaking Point (2013): The EPA vs. a local builder. It gets bloody.
- Stone Cold (2014): A mysterious man on a high-end ranch.
- Shots Fired (2014): This is a collection of stories. Not all are Joe, but the ones that are fit perfectly in the gaps.
- Endangered (2015): Joe’s daughter is found near death. Joe goes on the warpath.
- Off the Grid (2016): Nate and Joe head to the desert.
- Vicious Circle (2017): The Cates family returns. These are Joe’s greatest villains.
- The Disappeared (2018): Missing British executives and ranch drama.
- Wolf Pack (2019): Drones and the Sinaloa cartel.
- Long Range (2020): A sniper shot from a distance that shouldn't be possible.
- Dark Sky (2021): Joe has to take a tech billionaire on an elk hunt. It goes exactly as poorly as you’d imagine.
- Shadows Reel (2022): Nazi memorabilia and a cold-blooded murder.
- Storm Watch (2023): Crypto-mining in the mountains.
- Three-Inch Teeth (2024): A rogue grizzly bear and the return of Dallas Cates.
- Battle Mountain (2025): The fallout from the previous year's violence.
- The Crossroads (Coming Feb 24, 2026): Joe is left for dead in an ambush, and his daughters have to step up to find out who did it.
Why the Order Actually Matters
Honestly, if you just pick up Three-Inch Teeth because the cover looks cool, you'll be fine for the plot. Box is a pro; he catches you up. But you’ll miss the soul of the thing. The Joe Pickett series is a long-form drama about a marriage.
Joe and Marybeth’s relationship is the anchor. In Open Season, they’re struggling to pay for their kids' shoes. By the later books, Marybeth is a successful library director and the family’s financial rock. Seeing that evolution is what makes the books feel "human-quality" and not just like another procedural.
Then there’s the Nate Romanowski factor. Nate starts as a terrifying hermit in a trailer. Over twenty-plus books, he becomes a father, a husband, and tries (and often fails) to go straight. If you don't read the cj box joe pickett in order, Nate’s occasional "disappearances" won't have any weight.
The "Zone of Death" and Real Wyoming
One thing most people don't realize is how much real-world research goes into these. In Free Fire, Box explores a 50-square-mile stretch of Yellowstone in Idaho where, due to a constitutional loophole, you could theoretically commit a crime and not be able to form a jury. It's a real thing. Law professors have written papers on it. Box just added a game warden and a few bodies to make it interesting.
🔗 Read more: Bobby Bare Marie Laveau: The Story Behind the Only \#1 Country Song with a Scream
Common Misconceptions
People often ask if they should read the Cassie Dewell books (the ones Big Sky was based on) alongside Joe. You don't have to. They exist in the same universe—there’s even a crossover or two—but Joe’s story is mostly self-contained to his family and his district.
Also, don't get confused by the TV show. The Joe Pickett series on Paramount+ (rest in peace) mixed storylines from Open Season and Savage Run in the first season. The books are much tighter. They don't need the TV fluff.
A Quick Note on Short Stories
You can skip the short stories if you're in a rush. Dull Knife and The Master Falconer are great, but they aren't essential "main quest" items. They’re like DLC for your favorite video game. Fun, but you won't be lost without them.
Actionable Steps for New Readers
If you're ready to dive into the world of Twelve Sleep County, here is how you should actually do it.
- Start with Open Season: Don't let the 2001 publication date scare you. It’s timeless.
- Track the Daughters: Pay attention to Sheridan’s age. She is the "shadow protagonist" of the series and eventually becomes a major player in the later books.
- Watch the Governor: Wyoming governors change throughout the series, and Joe’s relationship with "The Gov" is always a source of comedy and stress.
- Pre-order The Crossroads: If you're catching up now, you've got just enough time to hit the February 2026 release of the 26th book.
The best way to experience this is to buy the physical books or the audiobooks narrated by David Chandler. Chandler is Joe Pickett to most fans. Once you hear his voice for Joe and the slightly gravelly tone he gives Nate, there’s no going back. Grab a copy of Open Season at your local library or used bookstore and start the journey properly.