Author
C. J. Box has written formidable novels, fourteen in all.
With his latest book, Shots Fired, he has exceptionally
ventured into the short story realm. The plot lines vary from
adventure to crime procedural to historical. There are ten
stories, three of them never published, and four include Box’s
main character, Joe Pickett, although in the story “The
Master Falconer” he makes only a cameo appearance.
The book opens with “One-Car Bridge,” where Joe
Pickett must deliver bad news to the manager of the Crazy
Z Bar Ranch, that the Game and Fish Commission will not allow
the landowner, Lamar Dietrich, to convert his ranch into an
exotic game hunting operation. Anyone who likes the Dallas
TV series will thoroughly enjoy this story, since Lamar could
be a member of the Ewing family.
A favorite of Box fans will be “The Master Falconer”
starring Nate Romanowski, a former Army Special Forces soldier.
This story can best be described as John Wayne, Nate, meets
an Arab terrorist, a Saudi plutocrat. A quote from the book
that describes the Saudi: “If you’re looking for
one of the main guys establishing a violent religion that
exists to wipe us out…” Knowing what he is up
against, Nate gives the Saudis a true taste of western spirit
as he overcomes the trap set. If for no other reason, this
must be read for the spectacular ending alone.
Box stated, “It was written years ago as a limited edition
publication. There were only 250 copies released so very few
people had a chance to read it. As a heads up, in the book
out in March, Nate will be in it. He starts out in Federal
prison and is released on certain conditions.”
Although the other nine plots relate to aspects of western
culture, two in particular are very interesting. “Pronghorns
of the Third Reich” was created from a 1936 photograph,
which can be seen at the story’s end. The plot is based
on a true story regarding Hitler’s desire to bring parts
of the western United States to Berlin. The other one, “Le
Sauvage Noble (The Noble Savage)” has a French woman,
Sophie, attracted to an American Indian, Jimmy. With a powerful
storyline, Box gives an insightful look into how French women
regard American male Indians. Having as part of the setting
Disneyland and Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, the author
shows who the true “savages” are in this riveting
tale.
Box noted, “It has western elements where the West is
brought to Paris. I was there as part of a contingent of state
tourism representatives who were in France to gather clients.
At a reception at the American embassy there were some American
Indians. I found myself standing next to two fully dressed
in their native attire. I found out they were from Oklahoma
and asked why they were there. They told me with a wink that
French women liked the idea of having sex with Native Americans.
The next night we attended the Wild West Show at Disneyland
Paris and understood what the Indians told me was true.”
A must read, a really short story, “Blood Knot,”
only about 1,000 words, is very heart warming. This generational
tale captures the unbreakable bond between a grandfather and
his granddaughter.
Shots Fired is a collection of ten wonderful short
stories. Blending humor, adventure, suspense, and sometimes
showing the cruelness of man, this book is a great summer
read. Each independent story had enough twists and turns to
have the reader want to turn the page to the next storyline,
wondering what Box will come up with next. Although most people
are not exposed to short stories, readers’ only regret
with this compilation of tales is that they are over all too
soon.
Reviews
of other titles in this series
Trophy
Hunt
#4
Cold
Wind #12
Shots
Fired (Short Stories)
Stone Cold #14 [review
1] [review
2]
Endangered #15[review
1] [review
2]
Vicious
Circle #16
Off
The Grid #17
Disappeared
#18
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