# C. J. Box
**C. J. Box** (Charles James Box Jr., born 1958) is an American author of crime and thriller fiction, best known for the Joe Pickett series of novels featuring a Wyoming game warden. He is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty books, including the Joe Pickett novels, eight stand-alone novels, and a story collection, and his books have been translated into 30 languages.[1](https://www.cjbox.net/) • [2](https://penguinrandomhouselibrary.com/author/?authorid=2303477)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name and birth | Charles James Box Jr., born 1958 in Casper, Wyoming[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/box-cj) • [4](https://www.buechertreff.de/buchreihe/28358-joe-pickett-wyoming-c-j-box-reihenfolge/) |
| Signature series | Joe Pickett novels, beginning with *Open Season* (2001)[2](https://penguinrandomhouselibrary.com/author/?authorid=2303477) |
| Major awards | Edgar Award (for *Blue Heaven*, 2009), Anthony, Macavity, Gumshoe, two Barry Awards, French Prix Calibre .38, Maltese Falcon Award (Japan), Western Heritage Award for Literature, two Spur Awards[1](https://www.cjbox.net/) • [5](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/314195.C_J_Box) |
| Other series | Cody Hoyt / Cassie Dewell novels: *Back of Beyond*, *The Highway*, *Badlands*, *Paradise Valley*, *The Bitterroots*, *Treasure State*[1](https://www.cjbox.net/) |
| Television | Executive producer of ABC's *Big Sky* and of *Joe Pickett* on Paramount+, both based on his novels[6](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/760589/the-crossroads-by-c-j-box/) |
| Writing habit | Writes 1,000 words a day and has published two books a year[7](https://wyofile.com/wyomings-mystery-man-c-j-box-on-top-new/) |
| Latest releases | *The Crossroads* (February 24, 2026), the 26th Joe Pickett novel; *The Missing* (February 23, 2027), the 27th[8](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/cj-box/the-crossroads-2/) • [9](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/BC9/a-joe-pickett-novel/) |
## Life and early career
Box was born in [Casper, Wyoming](https://www.edgepedia.org/casper-wyoming), and graduated from the [University of Denver](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-denver) in 1981.[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/box-cj) Before writing fiction he worked as a ranch hand, surveyor, fishing guide, and small-town newspaper reporter and editor.[10](https://us.macmillan.com/author/cjbox) At Kelly Walsh High School in Casper he edited the school newspaper, which won national awards after he pursued the football coach over "jocks-only classes"; at the University of Denver he wrote as the college paper's restaurant and rock critic.[7](https://wyofile.com/wyomings-mystery-man-c-j-box-on-top-new/) After college he could not find journalism work in Denver and returned to Wyoming, where the publisher of the *Saratoga Sun* hired him after an interview conducted on a fishing boat on the [Platte River](https://www.edgepedia.org/platte-river); he became the paper's sports editor.[7](https://wyofile.com/wyomings-mystery-man-c-j-box-on-top-new/)
His career then moved into tourism. He managed travel development for the Wyoming Travel Commission and served as CEO and president of Rocky Mountain International Corporation, a tourism marketing firm he co-owns with his wife, Laurie.[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/box-cj) • [11](https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/C-J-Box/258109388) In 2008 he won the BIG WYO award for his efforts to bring visitors to Wyoming.[11](https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/C-J-Box/258109388) He has said that hosting international journalists on trips across the Mountain West exposed him to the outdoor activities and landscapes that later fed his fiction.[12](https://psc-cjbox.squarespace.com/news/john-waynecom-written-in-wyoming-an-interview-with-cj-box)
## The Joe Pickett series
Box's debut novel, *Open Season*, was published on July 9, 2001, and introduced Joe Pickett, a Wyoming game warden based in the fictional town of Saddlestring in Twelve Sleep country.[13](https://cjboxbooklist.com/joe-pickett-series/) • [14](https://www.hookedtobooks.com/joe-pickett-books-in-order/) The novel won Best First Novel awards at the Macavity, Anthony, Barry, and Gumshoe Awards, and was a New York Times Notable Book.[13](https://cjboxbooklist.com/joe-pickett-series/) • [3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/box-cj) Encyclopedia.com lists the Edgar Award among *Open Season*'s honors as a first novel, while Box's own site credits him with the Edgar Alan Poe Award for Best Novel, which [Goodreads](https://www.edgepedia.org/goodreads) attributes to *Blue Heaven* (2009); the two claims describe different books and both are attributed here as stated.[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/box-cj) • [1](https://www.cjbox.net/) • [5](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/314195.C_J_Box)
The series follows Pickett, a game warden and trained, armed law enforcement officer whose districts can encompass 5,000 square miles of rough country, often working alone far from backup.[15](https://www.cjbox.net/about-joe-pickett/) Box has said the books take place in real time, with Joe a year older in each novel; Joe was thirty-four and somewhat naive in the first book.[16](https://crimereads.com/the-modern-day-westerns-of-c-j-box/) Over the series Pickett has taken on environmental terrorists, rogue federal land managers, corrupt bureaucrats, and violent dysfunctional families, and has matured and lost some of his innocence.[15](https://www.cjbox.net/about-joe-pickett/) Recurring characters include his wife Marybeth, his three daughters, and the outlaw falconer Nate Romanowski.[9](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/BC9/a-joe-pickett-novel/)
The novels are set against conflicts over land in the Rocky Mountain West, including federal land management, environmental activism, energy development, and ranching interests.[17](https://www.booksonboard.com/order-of-books/cj-box/) • [15](https://www.cjbox.net/about-joe-pickett/) Box describes them as both thrillers and contemporary westerns, and has identified revenge as one of the classic western themes running through the series.[16](https://crimereads.com/the-modern-day-westerns-of-c-j-box/) He has published one or more books each year since the debut, reaching *Battle Mountain* (2025), the 25th novel, in which Pickett and Romanowski pursue converging investigations involving a secret meeting of military-industrial leaders and a recruited band of terrorists.[18](https://apnews.com/article/f3671eb965e055c786a5775f87a273fc) *The Crossroads* (2026), the 26th novel, departs from the pattern: Pickett is shot and left in a coma, and his adult daughters Sheridan, April, and Lucy drive the investigation into who hired the gunmen.[8](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/cj-box/the-crossroads-2/) • [19](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780593851098) *The Missing*, the 27th novel, is scheduled for February 23, 2027.[9](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/BC9/a-joe-pickett-novel/)
## Other fiction
Beyond Joe Pickett, Box writes the Cody Hoyt / Cassie Dewell series, beginning with *Back of Beyond* and *The Highway*, and continuing through *Badlands*, *Paradise Valley*, *The Bitterroots*, and *Treasure State*.[1](https://www.cjbox.net/) His stand-alone novel *Blue Heaven* (2009) won the Edgar Award for Best Novel.[5](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/314195.C_J_Box) He has also published a story collection, *Shots Fired*, containing ten selections including four Joe Pickett tales.[20](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/authorpage/c.-j.-box.html) His short fiction includes the MatchUp anthology story "Honor & ...", written with Sandra Brown, pairing her character Lee Coburn with Joe Pickett.[21](https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/C-J-Box/409579542)
## Television adaptations
Box has served as executive producer on two television series based on his books: ABC's *Big Sky*, adapted from his Cassie Dewell novels, and *Joe Pickett*, streamed on Paramount+.[6](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/760589/the-crossroads-by-c-j-box/) • [1](https://www.cjbox.net/)
## Recognition
Box's awards include the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, and Gumshoe Awards, two Barry Awards, the French Prix Calibre .38, the Maltese Falcon Award (Japan), the 2010 Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association Award for fiction, the 2016 Western Heritage Award for Literature from the National Cowboy Museum, and two Spur Awards from Western Writers of America.[1](https://www.cjbox.net/) • [2](https://penguinrandomhouselibrary.com/author/?authorid=2303477) He received a certificate of appreciation from the Wyoming Game Warden Association in 2005 for his accurate portrayal of game wardens' lives, an honor he has called very special among his awards.[15](https://www.cjbox.net/about-joe-pickett/) He lives in Wyoming with his family.[11](https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/C-J-Box/258109388)
## References
1. [Author C.J. Box (official site)](https://www.cjbox.net/)
2. [C.J. Box, Penguin Random House Library Marketing](https://penguinrandomhouselibrary.com/author/?authorid=2303477)
3. [Box, C.J., Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/box-cj)
4. [Joe Pickett Bücher in der richtigen Reihenfolge, BücherTreff.de](https://www.buechertreff.de/buchreihe/28358-joe-pickett-wyoming-c-j-box-reihenfolge/)
5. [C.J. Box, Goodreads author page](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/314195.C_J_Box)
6. [The Crossroads by C.J. Box, Penguin Random House](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/760589/the-crossroads-by-c-j-box/)
7. [Wyoming's Mystery Man: C.J. Box on Top, WyoFile](https://wyofile.com/wyomings-mystery-man-c-j-box-on-top-new/)
8. [The Crossroads, Kirkus Reviews](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/cj-box/the-crossroads-2/)
9. [A Joe Pickett Novel series, Penguin Random House](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/BC9/a-joe-pickett-novel/)
10. [C.J. Box, Macmillan](https://us.macmillan.com/author/cjbox)
11. [C.J. Box, Simon & Schuster author page](https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/C-J-Box/258109388)
12. [Written in Wyoming, An Interview with C.J. Box, JohnWayne.com](https://psc-cjbox.squarespace.com/news/john-waynecom-written-in-wyoming-an-interview-with-cj-box)
13. [Joe Pickett Series, CJBoxBooklist](https://cjboxbooklist.com/joe-pickett-series/)
14. [The Complete List of Joe Pickett Books in Reading Order, Hooked to Books](https://www.hookedtobooks.com/joe-pickett-books-in-order/)
15. [About Joe Pickett, official site](https://www.cjbox.net/about-joe-pickett/)
16. [The Modern-Day Westerns of C.J. Box, Crime Reads](https://crimereads.com/the-modern-day-westerns-of-c-j-box/)
17. [C.J. Box Books in Order, Books on Board](https://www.booksonboard.com/order-of-books/cj-box/)
18. [Book Review: Terrorists gather in C.J. Box's new Joe Pickett novel, 'Battle Mountain', AP News](https://apnews.com/article/f3671eb965e055c786a5775f87a273fc)
19. [The Crossroads: A Joe Pickett Novel, Publishers Weekly](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780593851098)
20. [Books by C. J. Box and Complete Book Reviews, Publishers Weekly](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/authorpage/c.-j.-box.html)
21. [C. J. Box, Simon & Schuster (Honor & ...)](https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/C-J-Box/409579542)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Literature and written works › Writers and literary biographies › Fiction writers: novelists and genre › Crime, mystery, and thriller writers › Surnames symbols to H*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license