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Twenty-five books into a series is the point where most writers start coasting. C.J. Box has apparently not received that memo. Battle Mountain, the latest instalment in his long-running Joe Pickett saga, is a ferocious, tightly wound thriller that ranks among the strongest entries the series has produced - and given the calibre of what came before, that is saying something.

The novel picks up in the aftermath of Three-Inch Teeth, which left both Pickett and his ally, outlaw falconer Nate Romanowski, battered by the campaign of violence waged against them by Axel Soledad and Dallas Cates. Nate bore the worst of it. With his wife murdered and his world gutted, he has dropped off the grid, retreating into the mountains with his falcons to rediscover the primal, lethal version of himself that civilised life had dulled. He wants Soledad dead, and he is not the sort of man who leaves that kind of business unfinished.

Meanwhile, Joe receives one of those calls from Governor Spencer Rulon that he can never refuse. Rulon's son-in-law has vanished during an elk hunt in the Sierra Madre range, and the governor wants Joe to find him quietly - no media, no local sheriff, no fuss. Joe enlists the help of Susan Kany, a capable rookie game warden, and heads into the wilderness. What neither Joe nor Nate knows is that their separate missions are converging on the same stretch of remote, unforgiving terrain - and that a third, far more dangerous element is gathering there as well.

Box juggles multiple plotlines with the confidence of a writer who knows exactly how to ratchet tension. A secretive annual gathering of America's military and defence elite at a remote Wyoming resort raises the stakes enormously, while Soledad's recruitment of a ragtag militia of disillusioned veterans and radicals adds a volatile, politically charged dimension. The threads braid together with precision, each chapter tightening the knot until the final confrontation erupts in a bloody, breathless sprint.

The landscape writing is, as always, superb. Box renders the Wyoming backcountry with a sensory richness that makes you feel the bite of high-altitude cold and smell pine on the wind. The mountains here are not backdrop - they are an active force, shaping decisions, limiting options, and punishing carelessness.

Among the new additions, Geronimo Jones - a fellow falconer who joins Nate's hunt for Soledad - makes a strong impression and feels like a character built to last. There is also a bold, slightly mystical element introduced through Nate's deepening bond with his falcons, in which he seems to perceive the landscape through their eyes. It is an unexpected departure for the series and will not work for every reader, but it adds a strange, compelling layer to Nate's arc.

If there is a caveat, it is that the novel leans heavily on the continuity of earlier books. The emotional weight of Nate's vendetta, the history between Joe and Governor Rulon, and the fallout from Three-Inch Teeth all assume a degree of familiarity. Newcomers will follow the plot without difficulty, but a fair amount of the emotional resonance will land harder for those who have been along for the ride.

That is a small reservation about an otherwise excellent thriller. Battle Mountain is violent, propulsive, and atmospheric, driven by characters whose moral complexities have only deepened over a quarter-century of storytelling. Box shows no sign of slowing down.