THE CROSSROADS is a gripping, family-centered mystery for both loyal fans and newcomers. Readers love Joe Pickett—a likeable, dogged hero who always tries to do the right thing—and this time, his three daughters share the spotlight. Set against the fierce beauty of the modern West, where energy empires, cartels, and powerful families vie for control of the land, Box delivers a timely, emotionally charged thriller about family, loyalty, and the cost of standing for what’s right in a world where corruption runs deep.At the heart of C.J. Box’s appeal is his creation of game warden, Joe Pickett, an unlikely hero who has nonetheless become one of the most beloved protagonists in contemporary crime fiction. Joe is not a hard-drinking big-city detective or a noir antihero; he’s a polite, hard-working game warden in rural Wyoming, a family man who “lives paycheck to paycheck” and is deeply fond of his wife and daughters (no brooding lone wolf clichés here). He’s human and fallible – he sometimes screws up, doubts himself, or gets in over his head – but he always tries to do the right thing. That said, he’s encountered some very grisly scenes and insane villains. And game wardens are unique because they can legitimately be involved in just about every major event or situation that involves the outdoors and the rough edges of the rural new west.C. J. Box is the #1 New York Times of twenty-six Joe Pickett novels, eight stand-alone novels, and a story collection. He has won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, Gumshoe, and two Barry awards, as well as the French Prix Calibre .38, the Western Heritage Award for Literature, and two Spur Awards. An avid outdoorsman, Box has hunted, fished, hiked, ridden, and skied throughout Wyoming and the Mountain West. He has been executive producer on shows based on his books, including ABC TV’s Big Sky and Joe Pickett on Paramount+.#cjbox#speakingofwriterspodcast#authorpodcast#joepickett#bookpodcast