C.J. Box Biography
C.J. Box (Charles James Box Jr.) was born on November 9th, 1958 and is currently 64 years old. C.J. Box was born in Casper, Wyoming, USA. Box attended University of Denver where he received a B.A. Mass Communications.
C.J. Box is the author of the Joe Pickett series which currently consists of 24 novels. The Joe Pickett series started in 2001 with the novel Open Season. The most recently released novel in the Joe Pickett series was Storm Watch which was released in 2023. There is an upcoming novel for the Joe Pickett series entitled Three-Inch Teeth which is being released on February 27th, 2024.
C.J. Box (Charles James Box Jr.) has also written the The Hoyt/Dewell series which has 6 books including Back of Beyond and The Highway.
C.J. Box is the winner of the Prix Calibre 38 Award, a prestigious award from France. Each year, the Wyoming Hospitality and Travel Coalition have a Big WYO award, which is presented to someone who they feel has did a very impressive job in regards to tourism for Wyoming. C.J. Box was the Big WYO winner in 2008.
The origins of the Joe Pickett series is an interesting one. It was initially planned as a serious novel on the Endangered Species Act, however gravitated into a mystery / thriller novel. It was initially intended to be a standalone novel and there were no actual plans to turn it into a series, however readers loved Joe Pickett and that convinced C.J. to write it as a series.
Several of Box's novels have been listed on The Real Book Spy website: They called Vicious Circle one of the Best Mystery/Crime Novels of 2017. For the following year in 2018, they called The Disappeared one of the best Mystery/Crime Thrillers. For 2019 it was Wolf Pack among the top 10 Mystery & Crime Thrillers. Dark Sky would be named one of the Best Thrillers of 2021 adding that it's riveting and impossible to put down.. In 2022 Shadows Reels was named one of the Best Thrillers of 2022 listing it among the Top 15 Best Mysteries, Crime, & Thrillers of Psychological Suspense novels of the year.
C.J. Box Awards & Accolades
C.J. Box has won many awards including:
- Open Season won the Barry Award, Best First Novel, in 2001 as well as the Anthony Award - Best First Mystery in 2002, Macavity Award - Best First Mystery in 2002, Gumshoe Award - Best First Novel in 2002.
- Blue Heaven won the Edgar Award, Best Mystery Novel, in 2009.
- Endangered won the Western Heritage Award, Best Western Novel, in 2016.
- Badlands won the Barry Award, Best Novel, in 2016.
- Off the Grid won the Spur Awards, Best Contemporary Western Novel, in 2017.
- Breaking Point won the Maltese Falcon Society, Falcon Award, in 2021.
- Dark Sky won the Spur Awards, Best Contemporary Western Novel, in 2022.
C.J. Box books have also been nominated for multiple awards, Open Season was nominated for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Best Mystery/Thriller, in 2001 as well as the Edgar Award - Best First Novel in 2002. Free Fire was nominated for the Lefty Award, Best LCC Regional Mystery, in 2008. Nowhere to Run was nominated for the Barry Award, Best Novel, in 2011.
C.J. Box Lists & Other Mentions
- The Disappeared was a New York Times: #1 Fiction Best Seller in 2018.
- Storm Watch was a New York Times: #1 Fiction Best Seller in 2023.
C.J. Box: TV/Movies Based on Books
The TV show Big Sky, which started airing on ABC in 2020, is based on the Cody Hoyt / Cassie Dewell series of novels, particularly The Highway. The show has aired for multiple years now, and has been nominated for many awards such as Best Action/Thriller TV Series in the Saturn awards. It won the 2021 and 2022 ReFrame Stamp award.
In 2021, a TV series based on the Joe Pickett novels was released on Spectrum Originals. It was called Joe Pickett. The actor Michael Dorman plays Joe Pickett, and it also stars Sharon Lawrence, Paul Sparks and Julianna Guill.
It is set in Saddlestring, Wyoming, and the first season of Joe Pickett was the highest watched TV series on Spectrum Originals.
C.J. Box F.A.Q
When was C.J. Box Born? How old is C.J. Box?
C.J. Box was born on November 9th, 1958. C.J. Box is currently 64 years old.
Where was C.J. Box Born?
C.J. Box was born in Casper, Wyoming, USA and is American.
What book awards has C.J. Box won?
Open Season: Barry Award Best First Novel (2001), Anthony Award Best First Mystery (2002), Macavity Award Best First Mystery (2002), Gumshoe Award Best First Novel (2002).
Blue Heaven: Edgar Award Best Mystery Novel (2009).
Endangered: Western Heritage Award Best Western Novel (2016).
Badlands: Barry Award Best Novel (2016).
Off the Grid: Spur Awards Best Contemporary Western Novel (2017).
Breaking Point: Maltese Falcon Society Falcon Award (2021).
Dark Sky: Spur Awards Best Contemporary Western Novel (2022).
What was the first book C.J. Box wrote?
The first novel written by C.J. Box was Travel Smart: Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho, published in 1998.
What was the most recent book C.J. Box wrote?
His most recently released work was Storm Watch on February 28th, 2023.
Will there be any more books by C.J. Box?
C.J. Box has a new book coming out on February 27th, 2024 called Three-Inch Teeth.
How many books has C.J. Box written?
C.J. Box has written 39 books across 12 series.
- 24 books in the Joe Pickett Series
- 4 Joe Pickett Short Stories/Novellas
- 1 Joe Pickett Collections
- 6 books in the The Hoyt/Dewell Series
- 3 Standalone Novels
- 1 Non-Fiction Books
- 1 book in the Bibliomysteries Series
- 1 book in the Lee Coburn Series
- 1 book in the The MatchUp Collection Series
Why did the Joe Pickett TV show get canceled?
Prior to the 2021 Joe Pickett show on Spectrum Originals, there was a TV show in the works in 2016. However C.J. Box withdrew the project. He made a Facebook post around that time, stating they weren't happy with the direction that the series was moving in.
What does the C.J. stand for in C.J. Box?
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