Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/299259
S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S 1 5 2 is Wyoming wildlife officer Joe Pickett, a man of impeccable honesty and tenacious devotion to duty who manages to get into job- related trouble at every turn. Pickett's life is rife with endearing woes and constant struggles: balancing family duties, making do on his meager salary and trying to overcome his uncanny knack for damaging state-issued vehicles. Yet his dogged competence as a woodsman makes him an appealing, believable character. Finally, I am compelled to mention one other writer who really doesn't fit the traditional outdoor mystery mold but who offers splendid reading. This is book critic turned bestselling author Stephen Hunter. Anyone who is a gun nut, enjoys shooting, collects firearms or has been intrigued by the lives of snipers will assuredly enjoy both his Bob Lee Swagger and Earl Swagger series. In particular, if you are conversant with the grand gun- writers of yesteryear, put Pale Horse Coming on your "must read" list. It will provide you a nice little challenge to link the cast of characters Earl Swagger gathers as a sort of unofficial posse to their real-life counterparts. In other words, you can test your own detective abilities and literary knowledge. I'll offer a hint: You'll find characters representing the likes of Elmer Keith, Warren Page and Jack O'Connor in the book. Space precludes mention of other writers who have produced mysteries in which one aspect or another of hunting, fishing, shooting and the like figures prominently, but the authors mentioned here collectively provide well over a hundred books suitable for whiling away some joyous hours. For my part, it's escapism at its finest in that such reading combines personal passions with considerable literary pleasure.