Another excellent addition to the Joe Pickett series. I have to admit, halfway through I scanned the rest of the book looking for Nate Romanowski's name! He's definitely my favorite among the continuing characters.
As with other books in the series, BREAKING POINT makes a compelling case in favor of environmentalism, and a strong case against ineffective/corrupt government bureaucracy. These aren't the most subtle points of the story, but whether you agree or disagree with Box' political views, the people carry the story. The characters are distinctively written, easy to understand (though not always easy to admire), and bring the story to life in a way that seems chillingly real, or at least possible.
I had only one criticism of the storyline. Without giving spoilers: The main character chose a difficult and high-risk solution to a problem when a much simpler and almost foolproof, low-risk solution was available. I wondered why, as I read about his decision, and also wondered why none of the other characters suggested it. Soon I realized this implausible choice was necessary to get to the rest of the story.
One of the most rewarding things about following a series is that the continuing characters and locations become familiar. A one-sentence reference to a past event, or to a person not in the present story, evokes a memory of another whole book. In this way, each book gets better and richer with the accumulated history of the series.
As with other books in the series, BREAKING POINT makes a compelling case in favor of environmentalism, and a strong case against ineffective/corrupt government bureaucracy. These aren't the most subtle points of the story, but whether you agree or disagree with Box' political views, the people carry the story. The characters are distinctively written, easy to understand (though not always easy to admire), and bring the story to life in a way that seems chillingly real, or at least possible.
I had only one criticism of the storyline. Without giving spoilers: The main character chose a difficult and high-risk solution to a problem when a much simpler and almost foolproof, low-risk solution was available. I wondered why, as I read about his decision, and also wondered why none of the other characters suggested it. Soon I realized this implausible choice was necessary to get to the rest of the story.
One of the most rewarding things about following a series is that the continuing characters and locations become familiar. A one-sentence reference to a past event, or to a person not in the present story, evokes a memory of another whole book. In this way, each book gets better and richer with the accumulated history of the series.
Excellent series! Terrific writer.
