Look, I'll be honest with you. I started this audiobook on a Tuesday morning jog through Cambridge, and by the time I hit the bridge near MIT, I was so absorbed I almost ran into a cyclist. (He was fine. I was embarrassed. My therapist would have thoughts about my inability to multitask.)
So here's the thing about Open Season - it's a fascinating case study in what happens when you take a genuinely decent person and drop them into a situation where decency might get them killed. Joe Pickett is a game warden in Wyoming, which sounds like a quiet gig until you realize he's basically a cop with a wildlife badge, a government-issued truck, and a salary that makes adjunct professors look wealthy. The man can barely afford to fix his own house. And then he stumbles onto a murder and an endangered species conspiracy involving an oil pipeline, and suddenly his family is in danger and nobody in power wants him asking questions.
What makes this character compelling is that Box doesn't turn him into some action hero. Joe makes mistakes. He's stubborn in ways that are both admirable and frustrating. I saw a similar character arc in Nowhere to Run, also narrated by Chandler - same understated delivery, same kind of flawed protagonist trying to do right. He loves his wife and daughters in that quiet, practical way that feels real rather than performative. The protagonist exhibits classic moral rigidity - he genuinely believes in doing the right thing even when the right thing is going to cost him everything. Psychologically, this tracks. I've read enough about moral identity to know that people like Joe exist, and they're both inspiring and exhausting to be around.
Now, David Chandler's narration. This is where things get complicated.
I found myself asking: why does this performance work for some listeners and completely miss for others? Because the reviews are split right down the middle. Chandler gives Joe a clear, steady voice that captures his fundamental decency. The emotional delivery during the tense family scenes? Solid. He handles the children's voices surprisingly well - and let me tell you, narrators who can do kids without making them sound like cartoon characters deserve some kind of award. (Don't tell my students I said that, but it's true.)
But here's where I have to be honest. The women's voices? They kind of blend together. Joe's wife Marybeth is supposed to be this sharp, intelligent woman who's dealing with her own complicated family history, and sometimes Chandler's delivery flattens her out. The lack of regional accents bothered some listeners, and I get it - we're in Wyoming, there should be some texture there. Some grit. Instead, everyone sounds vaguely... educated coastal? It's not a dealbreaker, but it's noticeable.
The pacing is interesting. The first hour or so moves slowly - Box is building the world, establishing Joe's financial struggles, his relationship with his family, the politics of small-town Wyoming. If you're expecting immediate action, you'll be checking your phone. But stick with it. Once the conspiracy starts unfolding, the book picks up considerably. I finished the last two hours while cooking a complicated dal that I definitely overcooked because I couldn't pause at the right moments.
What I appreciate about Box's writing is that he understands human nature. The villains aren't cartoonish. They're people who've made choices that seemed reasonable at the time and are now in too deep to back out. The research actually shows that this is how most people become complicit in terrible things - not through dramatic evil decisions, but through a series of small compromises. Box gets this. Dark Hours explores that same psychological territory - ordinary people making compromises until they're unrecognizable. The antagonists are scary precisely because they're recognizable.
I will say - there's violence here. Some language. Nothing gratuitous, but if you're sensitive to threats against children (even implied ones), this might be a tough listen. The stakes feel real because Box makes you care about Joe's family before putting them in danger. Classic thriller mechanics, executed well.
The audio quality is clean. No weird background noise, no volume issues. Production-wise, no complaints.
Who Should Listen (And Who Should Skip)
If you love character-driven crime fiction with a strong sense of place, this is your book. Commuters looking for something that'll make your drive disappear? Perfect. If you're interested in the intersection of environmental politics and small-town corruption - and honestly, who isn't these days - Box delivers. But if you need theatrical narration with distinct accents and high energy from the first chapter, sample first. Chandler's style is understated. Some people find that refreshing; others find it flat. Know yourself.
I'm probably going to continue this series. Joe Pickett is the kind of protagonist I want to study - a good man in an impossible situation, making imperfect choices. The research actually shows that moral exemplars in fiction can influence real-world ethical behavior. Whether that's true or just something I tell myself to justify my book budget, who knows.
My mother would definitely ask why I need another mystery series when I already have so many. Maa, that's not how this works.
