The Crossroads The Crossroads

Publisher Description

“Raining here, but I’ve got a cup of hot tea and a Joe Pickett novel, so who has it better than me?” —Stephen King

Game warden Joe Pickett fights for his life as his daughters try to uncover who shot him and left him for dead in this riveting new novel from #1 New York Times bestseller C. J. Box.


Marybeth Pickett gets the call she has always dreaded: her husband Joe is in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the head.

Joe was found in his pickup at Antler Creek Junction, a crossroads connecting three ranches. Each road leading to a dangerous family. Each family with a different bone to pick with the local game warden. Marybeth and the new sheriff assume that Joe was ambushed by one of the families, but they have no idea which one since Joe didn’t say where he was going or why.

With Joe unconscious and fighting for his life with Marybeth at his side, Sheridan, April, and Lucy split up and investigate each of families to uncover the truth of what happened to their father, before it’s too late.

GENRE
Mysteries & Thrillers
RELEASED
2026
February 24
LANGUAGE
EN
English
LENGTH
352
Pages
PUBLISHER
Penguin Publishing Group
SELLER
Penguin Random House LLC
SIZE
4.2
MB

Customer Reviews

thetnhorners ,

Great Book

This was the best book Box has written, and I have read them all. It was nice Joe wasn’t the center of the story even though Joe was the center of the story. FYKYK. Great book.

FloridaSherry ,

Super Read

Couldn’t put this book down. I’d read some negative reviews and thought about not spending the money on this book. But having read all the previous novels decided to take a chance. Am I glad I did! Engaging from the start to finish. Yes the wife and daughters are featured but Joe’s backstory is interwoven throughout the story. Five stars isn’t enough!

MTGal13 ,

Last Book

This will likely be my last C.J. Box novel, which is a shame, because I have always enjoyed Joe Pickett’s exploits. The writing in the past few novels seems to have become too simple and the stories too formulaic. This novel, while entertaining, is not representative of the quality of Box’s earlier work. Just my disappointed opinion.

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