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    [Joe Pickett 18] • The Disappeared

    by C.J., Box,
    In “The Disappeared,” the 18th installment of C.J. Box’s Joe Pickett series, the Wyoming game warden is drawn into a high-stakes investigation when a British tourist vanishes near a luxury ranch. As Pickett delves deeper, he uncovers a web of corporate intrigue, environmental conflict, and local secrets. The novel explores themes of justice, loyalty, and the clash between progress and tradition in the American West. Box’s signature blend of suspense and vivid wilderness storytelling drives this tightly plotted mystery, showcasing Pickett’s unwavering moral compass amid escalating dangers. The book reinforces the series’ reputation for authentic settings and complex, action-driven narratives.
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    [Joe Pickett 18] • The Disappeared

    Chapter 22

    by C.J., Box,

    Joe Pick­ett and Nate Romanows­ki dri­ve through snowy ter­rain toward a vast wind ener­gy project, their jour­ney marked by Nate’s delib­er­ate law-break­ing as he dis­man­tles a fence to access the area. Joe, still reel­ing from being fired by Han­lon, is pas­sive and con­fused, while Nate remains cryp­tic about their des­ti­na­tion. The ten­sion between them is pal­pa­ble, with Nate hint­ing at Joe’s obliv­i­ous­ness to the polit­i­cal machi­na­tions sur­round­ing his dis­missal. Their con­ver­sa­tion reveals Nate’s skep­ti­cism about Joe’s naivety in gov­ern­ment mat­ters, set­ting the stage for a deep­er rev­e­la­tion.

    Upon reach­ing the sum­mit, they wit­ness the sprawl­ing Buck­brush Wind Ener­gy Project, its blink­ing red lights dom­i­nat­ing the land­scape. Nate cri­tiques the project as a waste­ful, tax­pay­er-fund­ed endeav­or designed to appease dis­tant urban con­sumers while mask­ing its envi­ron­men­tal impact. His dis­dain for the project is clear, but his real pur­pose for bring­ing Joe there remains unex­plained. Joe, though amused by Nate’s blunt­ness, is over­whelmed by the scale of the con­struc­tion and puz­zled by Nate’s focus on a dis­tant truck below.

    Nate’s the­o­ry begins to unfold as he shifts the con­ver­sa­tion to Gov­er­nor Allen’s polit­i­cal back­ers, sug­gest­ing Allen’s finan­cial trou­bles forced him to seek shad­owy sup­port­ers who now con­trol him. He implies Joe’s assign­ment to Sarato­ga was a set­up to ensure his fail­ure, orches­trat­ed to remove him as a holdover from the pre­vi­ous admin­is­tra­tion. Joe starts con­nect­ing the dots, recall­ing the sus­pi­cious dis­ap­pear­ance of Pol­lock, the stolen case files, and the rushed press conference—all point­ing to a delib­er­ate effort to under­mine him.

    The chap­ter ends with Joe grap­pling with the impli­ca­tions of Nate’s rev­e­la­tions, real­iz­ing his fir­ing was part of a larg­er polit­i­cal game. Nate’s cryp­tic behav­ior and the omi­nous wind ener­gy project sym­bol­ize the hid­den forces at play, leav­ing Joe to con­front the unset­tling truth about his role in the governor’s agen­da. The scene sets up a deep­er inves­ti­ga­tion into the cor­rup­tion and pow­er dynam­ics shap­ing Joe’s fate.

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    FAQs

    • 1. What is the significance of the Buckbrush Wind Energy Project in this chapter, and how does Nate characterize its purpose?

      Answer:
      The Buckbrush Wind Energy Project serves as a massive symbol of government-subsidized energy development and its disconnect from local realities. Nate describes it as “the largest wind energy construction site in the world,” funded by $5 billion in tax breaks and subsidies to meet distant green energy mandates. He critiques its purpose as enabling affluent Californians to maintain energy-intensive lifestyles while outsourcing the environmental impact to rural Wyoming (“Out of sight, out of mind”). The project’s scale—with hundreds of 250-foot turbines—visually overwhelms Joe, emphasizing Nate’s argument about the disproportionate consequences of politically driven energy policies.

      2. How does Nate explain Governor Allen’s motivations for firing Joe, and what does this reveal about Allen’s political strategy?

      Answer:
      Nate posits that Governor Allen deliberately set Joe up to fail as part of a broader effort to distance himself from former Governor Rulon’s administration. He reveals that Allen, financially compromised after failed investments, relied on shadow backers to fund his campaign and now owes them favors. By sending Joe to Saratoga with inadequate support (e.g., Pollock’s disappeared records, the stolen case file), Allen created conditions for Joe’s inevitable failure, allowing him to fire a Rulon loyalist without appearing vindictive. This reflects Allen’s insecurity and calculated political maneuvering to control narratives while avoiding accountability.

      3. Analyze the symbolic contrast between the “blinking red lights” of the wind turbines and the natural environment in the chapter.

      Answer:
      The turbines’ artificial lights dominate the landscape, outshining the stars and staining the snow pink—a visual metaphor for industrialization’s intrusion into wilderness. This contrasts with the untrammeled snowfields and sagebrush Nate’s Yukon plows through earlier. The “low subsonic hum” of the turbines further underscores this invasion, replacing natural silence with mechanized noise. The imagery critiques how large-scale energy projects, while framed as environmentally progressive, fundamentally alter and commodify wild spaces, aligning with Nate’s cynical view of “green” hypocrisy.

      4. What does Nate’s observation about Joe’s “bull-headed” focus reveal about their dynamic and Joe’s professional weaknesses?

      Answer:
      Nate acknowledges Joe’s tenacity as both an asset (for thorough investigations) and a liability (blinding him to political machinations). His remark—”you get so close to the case… you can’t see what’s going on around you”—highlights Joe’s tendency to prioritize immediate tasks over broader contexts, making him vulnerable to manipulation. This dynamic reinforces Nate’s role as the perceptive outsider who connects systemic dots, while Joe’s idealism (“you aren’t cynical”) leaves him unprepared for institutional betrayal. The critique underscores the tension between principled work and political realism.

      5. Speculate on Nate’s unrevealed “theory” about the mysterious truck at the wind farm. What clues suggest its potential significance?

      Answer:
      Nate’s focus on a specific truck’s route (and his disappointment when it doesn’t stop at turbines) implies he suspects illicit activity tied to the project—possibly smuggling, sabotage, or covert meetings. The secrecy (“You’ll know it when you see it”) and his prior knowledge of Allen’s backers suggest the theory involves corruption linking the wind farm to Allen’s donors. Given Nate’s disdain for the project, the truck may represent hidden exploitation (e.g., labor abuses, environmental violations) that would expose the hypocrisy of its “green” facade, setting up a future confrontation.

    Quotes

    • 1. “Sometimes you get so close to the case you’re working on, you can’t see what’s going on around you. I don’t say this to insult you, but it’s something I’ve observed over the years.”

      Nate critiques Joe’s tunnel vision, highlighting a key character flaw that has led to his professional downfall. This insight reveals the political naivete that made Joe vulnerable to being manipulated.

      2. “It’s being built so the beautiful people in California can keep their houses cool and their swimming pools heated. Plus, they won’t have to get all stressed out about creating their own electrical power and impacting the planet—that they can see, anyway.”

      Nate’s scathing commentary on the Buckbrush Wind Energy Project exposes the hypocrisy of “green energy” solutions that displace environmental impacts to remote areas while catering to wealthy urban consumers.

      3. “Allen wants to get as far away from Rulon as he can. He doesn’t want anyone comparing him to the last governor, because deep down Allen is insecure. He wants to get rid of anyone who might be loyal to the ex-governor—but he has to do it in a way that doesn’t get his hands dirty.”

      This revelation explains Joe’s firing as part of Governor Allen’s political strategy to distance himself from his predecessor. The quote exposes the ruthless political calculus behind what Joe initially perceived as a professional failure.

      4. “When you find out who one of them is, you’ll know why you were sent down here to Saratoga to fail. It isn’t easy firing state employees. There has to be a good reason.”

      Nate hints at a deeper conspiracy involving the governor’s mysterious backers, suggesting Joe’s entire assignment was designed to create grounds for termination. This shifts the narrative from professional failure to political sabotage.

    Quotes

    1. “Sometimes you get so close to the case you’re working on, you can’t see what’s going on around you. I don’t say this to insult you, but it’s something I’ve observed over the years.”

    Nate critiques Joe’s tunnel vision, highlighting a key character flaw that has led to his professional downfall. This insight reveals the political naivete that made Joe vulnerable to being manipulated.

    2. “It’s being built so the beautiful people in California can keep their houses cool and their swimming pools heated. Plus, they won’t have to get all stressed out about creating their own electrical power and impacting the planet—that they can see, anyway.”

    Nate’s scathing commentary on the Buckbrush Wind Energy Project exposes the hypocrisy of “green energy” solutions that displace environmental impacts to remote areas while catering to wealthy urban consumers.

    3. “Allen wants to get as far away from Rulon as he can. He doesn’t want anyone comparing him to the last governor, because deep down Allen is insecure. He wants to get rid of anyone who might be loyal to the ex-governor—but he has to do it in a way that doesn’t get his hands dirty.”

    This revelation explains Joe’s firing as part of Governor Allen’s political strategy to distance himself from his predecessor. The quote exposes the ruthless political calculus behind what Joe initially perceived as a professional failure.

    4. “When you find out who one of them is, you’ll know why you were sent down here to Saratoga to fail. It isn’t easy firing state employees. There has to be a good reason.”

    Nate hints at a deeper conspiracy involving the governor’s mysterious backers, suggesting Joe’s entire assignment was designed to create grounds for termination. This shifts the narrative from professional failure to political sabotage.

    FAQs

    1. What is the significance of the Buckbrush Wind Energy Project in this chapter, and how does Nate characterize its purpose?

    Answer:
    The Buckbrush Wind Energy Project serves as a massive symbol of government-subsidized energy development and its disconnect from local realities. Nate describes it as “the largest wind energy construction site in the world,” funded by $5 billion in tax breaks and subsidies to meet distant green energy mandates. He critiques its purpose as enabling affluent Californians to maintain energy-intensive lifestyles while outsourcing the environmental impact to rural Wyoming (“Out of sight, out of mind”). The project’s scale—with hundreds of 250-foot turbines—visually overwhelms Joe, emphasizing Nate’s argument about the disproportionate consequences of politically driven energy policies.

    2. How does Nate explain Governor Allen’s motivations for firing Joe, and what does this reveal about Allen’s political strategy?

    Answer:
    Nate posits that Governor Allen deliberately set Joe up to fail as part of a broader effort to distance himself from former Governor Rulon’s administration. He reveals that Allen, financially compromised after failed investments, relied on shadow backers to fund his campaign and now owes them favors. By sending Joe to Saratoga with inadequate support (e.g., Pollock’s disappeared records, the stolen case file), Allen created conditions for Joe’s inevitable failure, allowing him to fire a Rulon loyalist without appearing vindictive. This reflects Allen’s insecurity and calculated political maneuvering to control narratives while avoiding accountability.

    3. Analyze the symbolic contrast between the “blinking red lights” of the wind turbines and the natural environment in the chapter.

    Answer:
    The turbines’ artificial lights dominate the landscape, outshining the stars and staining the snow pink—a visual metaphor for industrialization’s intrusion into wilderness. This contrasts with the untrammeled snowfields and sagebrush Nate’s Yukon plows through earlier. The “low subsonic hum” of the turbines further underscores this invasion, replacing natural silence with mechanized noise. The imagery critiques how large-scale energy projects, while framed as environmentally progressive, fundamentally alter and commodify wild spaces, aligning with Nate’s cynical view of “green” hypocrisy.

    4. What does Nate’s observation about Joe’s “bull-headed” focus reveal about their dynamic and Joe’s professional weaknesses?

    Answer:
    Nate acknowledges Joe’s tenacity as both an asset (for thorough investigations) and a liability (blinding him to political machinations). His remark—”you get so close to the case… you can’t see what’s going on around you”—highlights Joe’s tendency to prioritize immediate tasks over broader contexts, making him vulnerable to manipulation. This dynamic reinforces Nate’s role as the perceptive outsider who connects systemic dots, while Joe’s idealism (“you aren’t cynical”) leaves him unprepared for institutional betrayal. The critique underscores the tension between principled work and political realism.

    5. Speculate on Nate’s unrevealed “theory” about the mysterious truck at the wind farm. What clues suggest its potential significance?

    Answer:
    Nate’s focus on a specific truck’s route (and his disappointment when it doesn’t stop at turbines) implies he suspects illicit activity tied to the project—possibly smuggling, sabotage, or covert meetings. The secrecy (“You’ll know it when you see it”) and his prior knowledge of Allen’s backers suggest the theory involves corruption linking the wind farm to Allen’s donors. Given Nate’s disdain for the project, the truck may represent hidden exploitation (e.g., labor abuses, environmental violations) that would expose the hypocrisy of its “green” facade, setting up a future confrontation.

    Note