Blood Trail

As the book opens, Joe Picket is just settling into his new status as a game warden without portfolio. He hasn't a territory of his own and is acting as a general troubleshooter, traveling around the state wherever needed. When someone starts hunting and killing hunters in a most gruesome fashion, the Governor naturally puts Joe on the case as part of a multi-agency investigation. Surprisingly Joe's boss and bane, Randy Pope, becomes directly involved and even seems supportive (if somewhat reluctantly). As the story develops and the body count rises, multiple characters become involved, including a famous man tracker, a well-know animal rights activist, an old nemesis (Vern from book 1), and Joe's friend Nate Romanowski. Local law enforcement continues to be self-serving and largely incompetent. The hunter of hunters remains unidentified and it is up to Joe and Nate to solve the mystery.
There is quite a lot of violence and suspense, and the story ends with a typical C.J. Box twist.
Though the mystery is resolved, Box leaves a few loose strings at the end of this book. One presumes that they will be taken care of in later books.
A solid 4 stars.