IN PLAIN SIGHT

Opal Scarlett, matriarch of the powerful Scarlett family and the owner of a sprawling Wyoming ranch, has disappeared. Is she hiding—or dead? Joe Pickett, the game warden in nearby Saddlestring, investigates. When a series of events threatens his family, the most likely suspect is working for the Scarletts. David Chandler gives a solid performance, convincingly portraying the gritty Pickett; his vindictive and petty new boss, Randy Pope; the new Scarlett ranch hand, vicious J.W. Keeley; and Pickett's bratty daughter. As in the other Joe Pickett novels, the pace of the mystery is slow, but the detours into the daily challenges of being a game warden and the glimpses of the wildlife and majesty of the wilderness are compelling. A.C.P. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2009]