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Glacier Park Mystery #2
Mortal Fall
A wildlife biologist’s shocking death leads to chilling discoveries about a home for troubled teens in Christine Carbo’s haunting and compelling new crime novel set in the wilds of Glacier National Park.
Glacier National Park police officer Monty Harris knows that each summer at least one person—be it a reckless, arrogant climber or a distracted hiker—will meet tragedy in the park. But Paul “Wolfie” Sedgewick’s fatal fall from the sheer cliffs near Going-To-the-Sun Road is incomprehensible. Wolfie was an experienced and highly regarded wildlife biologist who knew all too well the perils that Glacier’s treacherous terrain presents—and how to avoid them.
The case, so close to home, has frayed park employee emotions. Yet calm and methodical lead investigator Monty senses in his gut that something isn’t right. So when whispers of irresponsibility or suicide emerge, tarnishing Wolfie’s reputation, Monty dedicates himself to uncovering the truth, for the sake of the man’s family and to satisfy his own persistent sense of unease.
Monty discovers that Wolfie’s zealous studies of Glacier’s mysterious, embattled wolverine population, so vital to park ecology, had met resistance, both local and federal. To muddy the waters further, a wilderness facility for rehabilitating troubled teens—one that Monty’s older brother attended—may have a disturbing connection to the case. As Monty delves further into an investigation that goes deeper than he ever imagined, he wrestles with the demons of his past, which lead back to harsh betrayals he thought he’d buried long ago.
And then a second body is found.
Glacier National Park police officer Monty Harris knows that each summer at least one person—be it a reckless, arrogant climber or a distracted hiker—will meet tragedy in the park. But Paul “Wolfie” Sedgewick’s fatal fall from the sheer cliffs near Going-To-the-Sun Road is incomprehensible. Wolfie was an experienced and highly regarded wildlife biologist who knew all too well the perils that Glacier’s treacherous terrain presents—and how to avoid them.
The case, so close to home, has frayed park employee emotions. Yet calm and methodical lead investigator Monty senses in his gut that something isn’t right. So when whispers of irresponsibility or suicide emerge, tarnishing Wolfie’s reputation, Monty dedicates himself to uncovering the truth, for the sake of the man’s family and to satisfy his own persistent sense of unease.
Monty discovers that Wolfie’s zealous studies of Glacier’s mysterious, embattled wolverine population, so vital to park ecology, had met resistance, both local and federal. To muddy the waters further, a wilderness facility for rehabilitating troubled teens—one that Monty’s older brother attended—may have a disturbing connection to the case. As Monty delves further into an investigation that goes deeper than he ever imagined, he wrestles with the demons of his past, which lead back to harsh betrayals he thought he’d buried long ago.
And then a second body is found.
399 pages, Paperback
First published May 31, 2016
About the author
Christine Carbo
7 books593 followersChristine Carbo is the author of the Glacier Mystery novels, an ensemble series set in and around Glacier National Park, and a stand-alone psychological thriller, THE CONFESSION ARTIST. She is a recipient of the Women’s National Book Association Pinckley Prize, the Silver Falchion Award, the High Plains Book Award, and was a finalist for the Barry Award. She has an MA in English and linguistics and taught college-level courses for over a decade. She lives and writes in Montana where she draws inspiration from the wild beauty surrounding her. Find out more at ChristineCarbo.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 247 reviews
March 5, 2016
I received a copy of Mortal Fall: A Novel of Suspense from NetGalley for an honest review. I wish to thank NetGalley, Atria Books, and Christine Carbo for the opportunity.
This is certainly not my first rodeo with the author, Christine Carbo. I have read her outstanding book, The Wild Inside, as well. (See my review on Goodreads.) You don't have to be the "outdoorsy" type to enjoy the eloquence of her writing skills. She has the fine-tuned talent to take you on the serrated edge of this towering cliff with precarious results.
Monty Harris is a game warden and an investigative officer in the Glacier National Park in northwest Montana. He comes across the body of Paul "Wolfie" Sedgewick, a wildlife biologist, who has been following the transmitters attached to wolverines in the area. Was this an accidental fall in the line of duty or is there more burrowing below the leafy forest floor here? When another body is found beneath the high cliff precipice in the same general area, Monty digs in deeper and makes some dangerous enemies along the way.
Now here is where Christine Carbo shines. Her uncanny ability to portray the raw-boned elements of her characters is especially noteworthy. How they shadow dance within the corridors of this storyline adds to its multi-faceted draw. There's more to just a murder investigation here. Carbo adds a dash of controversy with the impact of biological studies on land protection and how it affects the local communities.
And Monty must come face to face with his own demons....those from within and those from without. We come to know a man haunted by his past and Carbo reveals his anguish layer upon layer as only she can.
I'm a dedicated fan of this author and look forward to her next offering which can't get here fast enough.
This is certainly not my first rodeo with the author, Christine Carbo. I have read her outstanding book, The Wild Inside, as well. (See my review on Goodreads.) You don't have to be the "outdoorsy" type to enjoy the eloquence of her writing skills. She has the fine-tuned talent to take you on the serrated edge of this towering cliff with precarious results.
Monty Harris is a game warden and an investigative officer in the Glacier National Park in northwest Montana. He comes across the body of Paul "Wolfie" Sedgewick, a wildlife biologist, who has been following the transmitters attached to wolverines in the area. Was this an accidental fall in the line of duty or is there more burrowing below the leafy forest floor here? When another body is found beneath the high cliff precipice in the same general area, Monty digs in deeper and makes some dangerous enemies along the way.
Now here is where Christine Carbo shines. Her uncanny ability to portray the raw-boned elements of her characters is especially noteworthy. How they shadow dance within the corridors of this storyline adds to its multi-faceted draw. There's more to just a murder investigation here. Carbo adds a dash of controversy with the impact of biological studies on land protection and how it affects the local communities.
And Monty must come face to face with his own demons....those from within and those from without. We come to know a man haunted by his past and Carbo reveals his anguish layer upon layer as only she can.
I'm a dedicated fan of this author and look forward to her next offering which can't get here fast enough.
July 8, 2025
Update July 12, 2025: My wife has just finished reading this book and says 3.5 stars rounded down. She makes the following points:
1 Unrealistic, shoddy police procedures . Twice Monty goes to interview a suspect alone w/o a partner.
2 He handcuffs a suspect in the front, instead of behind his back. Both procedures are dangerous. I am retired law enforcement and was taught in training sessions about these dangers. A suspect can attack you with lethal force by raising his handcuffs over his/her head and bring them down against you. In one training session, they explained how a colleague was killed with his own weapon, because he was searching a vehicle alone. I overlooked the one and didn't catch the other, but my wife did.
I have revised my rating to be in line with my wife to 3.5 stars rounded down for book 2 in the Glacier Mystery series, set in US Glacier National Park. My wife and I visited this NP in 1989 and we recommend visiting it. The scenery is breathtaking, although the glaciers are rapidly disappearing due to climate change. I have read book 1 in the series, but this would work as a stand alone. There are descriptions of the gorgeous scenery. One quote: "To the side of the drive, a vibrant yellow field of blooming canola spread picture-perfect until it hit a border of deep-green trees near the Stillwater river."
This book has Glacier Park Police officer Monty Harris investigating the death of Paul "Wolfie" Sedgewick an experienced naturalist and hiker. When a second body is found, Monty suspects that they were not accidents. Monty does solve the mystery. He also some personal issues to deal with: a disintegrating marriage and an estranged brother.
This was a library book.
1 Unrealistic, shoddy police procedures . Twice Monty goes to interview a suspect alone w/o a partner.
2 He handcuffs a suspect in the front, instead of behind his back. Both procedures are dangerous. I am retired law enforcement and was taught in training sessions about these dangers. A suspect can attack you with lethal force by raising his handcuffs over his/her head and bring them down against you. In one training session, they explained how a colleague was killed with his own weapon, because he was searching a vehicle alone. I overlooked the one and didn't catch the other, but my wife did.
I have revised my rating to be in line with my wife to 3.5 stars rounded down for book 2 in the Glacier Mystery series, set in US Glacier National Park. My wife and I visited this NP in 1989 and we recommend visiting it. The scenery is breathtaking, although the glaciers are rapidly disappearing due to climate change. I have read book 1 in the series, but this would work as a stand alone. There are descriptions of the gorgeous scenery. One quote: "To the side of the drive, a vibrant yellow field of blooming canola spread picture-perfect until it hit a border of deep-green trees near the Stillwater river."
This book has Glacier Park Police officer Monty Harris investigating the death of Paul "Wolfie" Sedgewick an experienced naturalist and hiker. When a second body is found, Monty suspects that they were not accidents. Monty does solve the mystery. He also some personal issues to deal with: a disintegrating marriage and an estranged brother.
This was a library book.
May 31, 2016
On the heels of her excellent debut novel, The Wild Inside, Christine Carbo returns with another suspense-filled book, Mortal Fall, which also takes place in and around the majestic setting of northwestern Montana’s Glacier National Park. The protagonist is a park police officer named Monty Harris who somehow survived an extremely dysfunctional family life as a child to graduate college and become a productive citizen. But he’s haunted by specters from the past which continue to affect his current life, both personally and professionally. He’s now separated from his wife, Lara, due in large part to issues springing from his childhood, and his work is now basically his life. He strives to do the best he possibly can, focusing on the job almost exclusively.
As the book opens, Monty is called to a scene off the park’s main highway, Going-to-the-Sun Road, where a body has been discovered at the bottom of a deep ravine below a very popular hiking trail. The victim is a wildlife biologist named Paul “Wolfie” Sedgewick who was studying the wolverine population in and around the park. It’s possible that Sedgewick fell accidentally, as hikers sometimes do in a moment of carelessness. But Monty has trouble imagining such a thing. Sedgewick was no ill-prepared tourist from the flatlands; he was an experienced mountain hiker and the fact that he could have fallen seems incomprehensible.
It’s possible that Sedgewick might have committed suicide, but did he have a plausible reason for doing so? As for other alternatives, as one of the characters observes, the most fool-proof way to murder someone would be to push them off a mountain cliff when no one else is looking. But who might have wanted Sedgewick dead? Harris has no evidence at all to suggest that Sedgewick’s death might be either a suicide or a homicide and, if the latter, he also has no plausible suspects, at least initially. But then, when Monty discovers portions of another body near the site where Sedgewick died, it appears to be too much of a coincidence, even though it very well might be.
Hikers are anxious to have this business laid to rest so that the trail can be reopened. It’s clear that Monty’s boss would prefer that Harris rule these deaths accidental, so that things can get back to normal and so that the tourists won’t be scared away by concerns of a killer roaming the park. But Harris doggedly pursues his investigation while at the same time he deals with complicated family issues. The deeper he digs, the more sinister these deaths appear and before long, Harris may be in serious danger himself.
Monty Harris is a deeply conflicted and multi-layered protagonist, and one of the pleasures of reading the story lies in watching the way Carbo develops him and the other characters. This is almost as much a character study as it is a crime novel. As in her first book, Carbo writes beautifully about the awesome physical setting in which this story plays out. At the same time, though, she captures the dark undercurrent of the environment around the park where significant numbers of people have no use for environmentalists, for the park service, the park police, or the government generally. The suspense builds from the opening pages and pays off with a great climax that few readers will see coming. This is another sure winner.
As the book opens, Monty is called to a scene off the park’s main highway, Going-to-the-Sun Road, where a body has been discovered at the bottom of a deep ravine below a very popular hiking trail. The victim is a wildlife biologist named Paul “Wolfie” Sedgewick who was studying the wolverine population in and around the park. It’s possible that Sedgewick fell accidentally, as hikers sometimes do in a moment of carelessness. But Monty has trouble imagining such a thing. Sedgewick was no ill-prepared tourist from the flatlands; he was an experienced mountain hiker and the fact that he could have fallen seems incomprehensible.
It’s possible that Sedgewick might have committed suicide, but did he have a plausible reason for doing so? As for other alternatives, as one of the characters observes, the most fool-proof way to murder someone would be to push them off a mountain cliff when no one else is looking. But who might have wanted Sedgewick dead? Harris has no evidence at all to suggest that Sedgewick’s death might be either a suicide or a homicide and, if the latter, he also has no plausible suspects, at least initially. But then, when Monty discovers portions of another body near the site where Sedgewick died, it appears to be too much of a coincidence, even though it very well might be.
Hikers are anxious to have this business laid to rest so that the trail can be reopened. It’s clear that Monty’s boss would prefer that Harris rule these deaths accidental, so that things can get back to normal and so that the tourists won’t be scared away by concerns of a killer roaming the park. But Harris doggedly pursues his investigation while at the same time he deals with complicated family issues. The deeper he digs, the more sinister these deaths appear and before long, Harris may be in serious danger himself.
Monty Harris is a deeply conflicted and multi-layered protagonist, and one of the pleasures of reading the story lies in watching the way Carbo develops him and the other characters. This is almost as much a character study as it is a crime novel. As in her first book, Carbo writes beautifully about the awesome physical setting in which this story plays out. At the same time, though, she captures the dark undercurrent of the environment around the park where significant numbers of people have no use for environmentalists, for the park service, the park police, or the government generally. The suspense builds from the opening pages and pays off with a great climax that few readers will see coming. This is another sure winner.
March 25, 2017
' The facts are that every summer in Glacier Park, there is at least one if not several hikers or climbers who stumble on unstable rock or lose their balance on wet, slippery boulders, sliding wildly out of control and catapulting to their demise on the jagged terrain below or into a raging stream, whisking them away.'
Paul Sedgewick, a biologist and lead researcher of the Wolverine Research Team, has been found dead at the bottom of a ravine off the cliff edge of a well known hiking trail called the Loop in Glacier National Park in Montana.
Then a second man is found dead at the bottom of the same ravine, off the edge of the same trail.
Park police officer Monty Harris knows that these two men are both very experienced with the trails and terrain of the Park and both have superior climbing skills, not just in the summer, but in all weather conditions, including winter.
So what really happened here? Monty begins to wonder if these are the result of two unfortunate accidents or something else entirely.
As Monty digs deeper into investigating the two men's deaths, he comes face to face with his own personal demons and a connection between the two that he could never have imagined.
This book has plenty of suspense and family drama combined with the magnificent scenery of Glacier National Park. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Paul Sedgewick, a biologist and lead researcher of the Wolverine Research Team, has been found dead at the bottom of a ravine off the cliff edge of a well known hiking trail called the Loop in Glacier National Park in Montana.
Then a second man is found dead at the bottom of the same ravine, off the edge of the same trail.
Park police officer Monty Harris knows that these two men are both very experienced with the trails and terrain of the Park and both have superior climbing skills, not just in the summer, but in all weather conditions, including winter.
So what really happened here? Monty begins to wonder if these are the result of two unfortunate accidents or something else entirely.
As Monty digs deeper into investigating the two men's deaths, he comes face to face with his own personal demons and a connection between the two that he could never have imagined.
This book has plenty of suspense and family drama combined with the magnificent scenery of Glacier National Park. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
June 1, 2016
I read this mainly because it is set in Glacier National Park. Unfortunately, it became so painful to read that I skimmed the last third of it. Misused vocabulary -- people "mulling about," "remiss" instead of "amiss" -- tripped me up repeatedly. The narrator does impossible things: "I clenched and unclenched my fists the entire drive to his house," for instance, which I would think makes for some extremely awkward driving. And there is, seriously, a three page metaphor using seafaring to describe his marriage which ends with the hilarious simile "iceberg like beacon."
In addition, although I know this is very picky of me, no one eats or drinks anything in this book that they haven't "grabbed." And at one point it is more or less stated that it would take more than 5 minutes for a man to eat a roast beef sandwich. Most men I know could do the job in 3 while playing a video game with the other hand.
All in all, not worth the slog.
In addition, although I know this is very picky of me, no one eats or drinks anything in this book that they haven't "grabbed." And at one point it is more or less stated that it would take more than 5 minutes for a man to eat a roast beef sandwich. Most men I know could do the job in 3 while playing a video game with the other hand.
All in all, not worth the slog.
May 25, 2016
The setting of Glacier National Park and murder. Two deaths from falling and they are similar. Now Park Police Officer Monty Harris has to investigate and one of these deaths is tied into Monty’s past. Great read and great detail about Glacier National Park. I would like to thank the Publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read this ARC.
August 17, 2023
Not as good as the first one in this mystery series -- a bit repetitive in places, should have been edited to be shortened some. But setting of the story still wonderful (Glacier National Park) and the author has a real feel for the area.
June 2, 2017
Really enjoyed the wild inside, this not so much... too much inner dialog and I began to skim....
December 18, 2020
It seems I read this out of order, but I could remember enough of the first one to recall the main character, Monty Harris. This one circles around a wildlife researcher found at the bottom of a cliff. Foul play? Suicide? Bad accident? Harris is attempting to solve the crime when another body is found nearby. Two bodies in one week? Suspicious.
This becomes a family drama in some ways, but it is engaging and I like the characters well enough. The main reason I started this series is that they are set in Glacier National Park. I like the elements pulled in about the intersection of being a park ranger, conservation issues in the park and local interests.
This becomes a family drama in some ways, but it is engaging and I like the characters well enough. The main reason I started this series is that they are set in Glacier National Park. I like the elements pulled in about the intersection of being a park ranger, conservation issues in the park and local interests.
January 11, 2018
This is the first book I have read by this author. I really enjoyed the setting; Glacier National Park. In the story, Monty Harris, a park employee is given the task of trying to solve what may possibly be two murders which appeared to happen a few days apart. One of the deceased, "Wolfie" Sedgewick, was a wolverine researcher and had been live trapping wolverines (tranquilized, of course) to determine their part in the park's ecosystem. Apparently, the powers that be were considering putting the animal on the endangered species list. Paul, or Wolfie, was found dead as if he fell off a steep cliff which he had been to hundreds of times. When Monty Harris goes to investigate, a few hundred yards away, he finds the body of Mark Phillips, a cartographer, and it appeared that Phillips had died before Wolfie had (same scenario; a fall off the cliff in the same general area). Monty finds it a stretch to believe that two experienced hikers would have fallen to their deaths so close to each other and within a few days, so he starts investigating the two men's associates and friends. Monty's own brother, Adam, becomes a suspect briefly, because as a teen, he was doing drugs and committing crimes, etc. Monty had not talked to him in some time, but he remembered that the brothers' father sent Adam to a corrective Academy in the park as a last resort. (The father is an alcoholic, and the boys' mother was a depressive paranoid schizophrenic, so the had a very unstable upbringing). However, Monty finds out from the former owners of the Academy and others that the school was plagued by counselors who used very questionable actions as discipline, and that some of the students had been sexually assaulted. At the time, Mark Phillips, the cartographer, was working as a counselor at the Academy. Obviously, that is one piece of the puzzle. I thought the book well written, and I am going to make it a point to read the author's first book as well as the two she has written after "Mortal Fall."
June 23, 2016
I wanted to like this book more than i actually did. It has a terrific setting, Glacier National Park, a sympathetic park police officer as a main character & a marvellous start with the unsolved disappearance of a child 22 yrs earlier. Unfortunately this tragedy has really nothing to do with solving the current mystery, the death of a researcher in Glacier Park, other than the main character Monty never got over the loss of his childhood friend and it has been weighing on his mind ever since.
That was part of the problem with this book for me. Monty spends too much time (chapters) obsessing about his separation from his wife, often ignoring her calls but still being drawn to & distracted by thoughts of her. He is also mentally crippled by his childhood which included a drunken father, mentally unstable mother & abusive older brother. His brother lives & works close by, yet they have had little contact as adults.
I would have loved to have learned much more about Glacier National Park (other than repetitions of how beautiful it is) and wish that the focus had been more about that than Monty's personal problems. If you're the kind of reader who enjoys reading about the main character's personal life more than the mystery, then this book is for you!
For me it's just 3 stars.
That was part of the problem with this book for me. Monty spends too much time (chapters) obsessing about his separation from his wife, often ignoring her calls but still being drawn to & distracted by thoughts of her. He is also mentally crippled by his childhood which included a drunken father, mentally unstable mother & abusive older brother. His brother lives & works close by, yet they have had little contact as adults.
I would have loved to have learned much more about Glacier National Park (other than repetitions of how beautiful it is) and wish that the focus had been more about that than Monty's personal problems. If you're the kind of reader who enjoys reading about the main character's personal life more than the mystery, then this book is for you!
For me it's just 3 stars.
January 21, 2019
I really want to enjoy this series more but after finishing book two, I just don’t think I’ll carry on with it. There are two problems for me. One, the writing. Far too much tell rather than show. Every action detailed in minutiae. Great if the details are integral but overblown and overwrought when they don’t. Two, as a mystery, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of layering of the clues. Rather, you have to wait for the reveal. There’s no way that the first two thirds of the book are all red herrings. That’s not satisfying as a reader. I don’t need to be able to parse it all together but when the reveal comes I want to sit back and say “ah!” not be completely incredulous. I don’t mind being misled at all but to have no chance at working it out because it’s chance or luck that drives the reveal is no fun. I’m also wondering how much family angst can drive the cast of characters in a really defined and specific setting like one national park. I think it’s very clear that the author has an obvious knowledge of and affection for Glacier National Park and wilderness adventuring. That’s what initially attracted me to the series. Unfortunately, that’s not going to be enough to keep my interest without some solid writing to back it up.
October 4, 2023
Hello, I’ve been starting to read a few new books and realized I have a small backlog of reviews from this summer to share. I apologize that you all having to go so long without hearing from me!
This book was number 2 in a four part series of Glacier National Park murder mystery books. It was rough. From reading, I learned some things I don’t want in my mystery books: over 5 trails that go just nowhere and add up to make me forgot the important stuff, a whole bunch of mentions of boobs (and in a book written by a lady no less!! Wtf, lady!?), excessive personal marriage drama for the detective that is super distracting from the case, obsession with other miscellaneous daddy and mommy and brother and friend issues, and (as for book number one in the series) the guy ultimately figuring out the case in two seconds while drinking a beer and really with little reason to have gotten there. This was quite similar to the previous book, but had even more of the annoying and unimportant personal stuff. My dad and I both read this, and we had similar reviews and exasperation in the similarity to book number one.
And yet here I am, writing a review if book 2 while working my way through book number 3, with number 4 on deck. Reviews on those are forthcoming.
In the end, it’s 1 star to this book for being set in Montana. Another star for entertaining me for a bit, despite my near constant annoyance with the book. I have no more stars to give beyond those two.
This book was number 2 in a four part series of Glacier National Park murder mystery books. It was rough. From reading, I learned some things I don’t want in my mystery books: over 5 trails that go just nowhere and add up to make me forgot the important stuff, a whole bunch of mentions of boobs (and in a book written by a lady no less!! Wtf, lady!?), excessive personal marriage drama for the detective that is super distracting from the case, obsession with other miscellaneous daddy and mommy and brother and friend issues, and (as for book number one in the series) the guy ultimately figuring out the case in two seconds while drinking a beer and really with little reason to have gotten there. This was quite similar to the previous book, but had even more of the annoying and unimportant personal stuff. My dad and I both read this, and we had similar reviews and exasperation in the similarity to book number one.
And yet here I am, writing a review if book 2 while working my way through book number 3, with number 4 on deck. Reviews on those are forthcoming.
In the end, it’s 1 star to this book for being set in Montana. Another star for entertaining me for a bit, despite my near constant annoyance with the book. I have no more stars to give beyond those two.
January 30, 2017
This second book in Christine Carbo's series of crime solving in the Glacier National Park makes a side character of the first book the lead character. Monty, more of a bureaucrat in the first book, is now the quite boring, sometimes surprisingly quick witted investigator of two deadly falls in the park.
I was slowly fighting and skipping through it. I did like the crime story and how the investigation evolved, it just had way too much baggage in it - Monty's angst about his alcoholic dad, paranoid mom, and abusive brother, the angst if he is doing the right thing with being separated from his wife, his own insecurities about his behavior bordering on OCD. 2/3rds of the book could have been spared and it would have made a fast paced crime story. Skipping over pages of thoughts about Monty's inner problems was, at the end, not really worth the plot.
I was slowly fighting and skipping through it. I did like the crime story and how the investigation evolved, it just had way too much baggage in it - Monty's angst about his alcoholic dad, paranoid mom, and abusive brother, the angst if he is doing the right thing with being separated from his wife, his own insecurities about his behavior bordering on OCD. 2/3rds of the book could have been spared and it would have made a fast paced crime story. Skipping over pages of thoughts about Monty's inner problems was, at the end, not really worth the plot.
December 14, 2017
This was an interesting "whodoneit" due to the fact that it takes place in Glacier National Park. I did not find it to be a "novel of suspense". There was a lot more detail than say a Nevada Barr mystery, which also take place in national parks, but I found the main character sort of annoying with too much baggage and angst in his life.
January 8, 2016
Christine Carbo is an excellent writer. She draws the reader into her characters’ world, making them see what they see, putting the reader into their fictional shoes. Her descriptions and insights are wonderful. That said, for a suspense novel, her writing is a little too good. By that I mean that perhaps it’s too literary. The wonderfully crafted sentences detract from the story’s momentum.
Maybe I’m alone in this as a reader and a writer, but I feel there’s a huge distinction between sentences that leave you breathless due to beautifully crafted language and those that leave you breathless due to magnificently crafted suspense. It’s hard for the two to meet. Not impossible, but hard.
The good news is that over the course of the hundreds of pages of a novel, there’s a time and a place for both. Reading is like breathing. When the tension mounts, the sentences, like our breathes, need to become shorter – quick, simple and easy, with nothing to take the reader out of the zone. Wordiness bogs the reader down, slowing their pace, their breathing, their heartbeat. It brings them back to reality, and who wants that?
I enjoyed this book, but found it a little too slow because of the good writing. Is that a valid complaint? Carbo in a new author and I have a feeling she’s got wonderful things in store for her readers. I love reading about Montana’s wilderness and Glacier National Park. 4-4.5 stars.
Maybe I’m alone in this as a reader and a writer, but I feel there’s a huge distinction between sentences that leave you breathless due to beautifully crafted language and those that leave you breathless due to magnificently crafted suspense. It’s hard for the two to meet. Not impossible, but hard.
The good news is that over the course of the hundreds of pages of a novel, there’s a time and a place for both. Reading is like breathing. When the tension mounts, the sentences, like our breathes, need to become shorter – quick, simple and easy, with nothing to take the reader out of the zone. Wordiness bogs the reader down, slowing their pace, their breathing, their heartbeat. It brings them back to reality, and who wants that?
I enjoyed this book, but found it a little too slow because of the good writing. Is that a valid complaint? Carbo in a new author and I have a feeling she’s got wonderful things in store for her readers. I love reading about Montana’s wilderness and Glacier National Park. 4-4.5 stars.
March 21, 2016
I'm pretty certain that this is going to become one of my favorite series. After just two books, it is well on its way!
I love the Glacier National Park setting of Carbo's books. As a Montana resident, I really appreciate the familiar area and the authenticity.
I'm already a big fan of the characters. Monty is great, and I enjoyed seeing him investigate the death of a wildlife biologist.
This one had great characters, a compelling storyline, and a fantastic setting!
I love the Glacier National Park setting of Carbo's books. As a Montana resident, I really appreciate the familiar area and the authenticity.
I'm already a big fan of the characters. Monty is great, and I enjoyed seeing him investigate the death of a wildlife biologist.
This one had great characters, a compelling storyline, and a fantastic setting!
December 23, 2018
Christine Carbo writes a complicated tale in which Glacier National Park police inspector Monty Harris leads his first investigation of two bodies found in a ravine. Accident? Murder? Monty’s a meticulous guy, and his desire for order is rooted in a chaotic childhood with a mentally unbalanced mother and an alcoholic father. As the investigation begins, Monty is dealing with his crumbling marriage and living in Park housing as he and his wife explore separation. Their differences appear to have become unreconcilable, but neither seems able to make the final call. Monty is a workaholic, like a dog with a bone, convinced deaths he’s investigating are murder, but he’s not getting much support from his superiors, who want the case over and done, and he’s not doing too well at delegating to his assistant. There are a lot of bumps in his road, and things get even more complicated when he connects the dead men to his own damaged, angry brother whom he holds responsible for the disappearance of his best friend 20 years before. As personal events and emotions tangle, Monty strives to see a clear path through his investigation while juggling his relationships with his wife, brother, and work associates.
August 19, 2024
“The chopper hovered above like a parent waiting impatiently.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is a mystery book and the second in the glacier Park series.
Monty Harris is a police officer that specializes in the national park, glacier area. When Paul, “Wolfie” Sedgwick is found dead as if he’s falling off the side of a cliff, Monty works to unravel the mystery of his death. When a second body is found close by, Monty has to look for connections between the two and it looks like his brother may be connected and is now a prime suspect in their deaths.
This is a great mystery. Some of my favorite things are involved in the series: National Parks, nature, animals and outdoors are all part of the story. I enjoyed the characters the way the mystery was built, and the narration in the book was great. I’m looking forward to reading the other books that are out so far in the series.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is a mystery book and the second in the glacier Park series.
Monty Harris is a police officer that specializes in the national park, glacier area. When Paul, “Wolfie” Sedgwick is found dead as if he’s falling off the side of a cliff, Monty works to unravel the mystery of his death. When a second body is found close by, Monty has to look for connections between the two and it looks like his brother may be connected and is now a prime suspect in their deaths.
This is a great mystery. Some of my favorite things are involved in the series: National Parks, nature, animals and outdoors are all part of the story. I enjoyed the characters the way the mystery was built, and the narration in the book was great. I’m looking forward to reading the other books that are out so far in the series.
February 16, 2025
The mystery was good and the ending was unexpected, which I always appreciate. The setting continues to lure me in. Having grown up visiting Glacier National Park and making several trips a year to the area, I enjoy books that take me there when I’m unable to visit physically.
The main character bothered me a bit. He seemed self righteous and always thought everyone else was in the wrong when he’s actually hard headed and unwilling to compromise or accept other people’s perspectives. Not liking the main character made it hard to truly enjoy the book! It got to the point with him that I decided he must be an unreliable narrator and maybe in on the whole thing! 😂
The main character bothered me a bit. He seemed self righteous and always thought everyone else was in the wrong when he’s actually hard headed and unwilling to compromise or accept other people’s perspectives. Not liking the main character made it hard to truly enjoy the book! It got to the point with him that I decided he must be an unreliable narrator and maybe in on the whole thing! 😂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2018
One of the reasons I am enjoying this series is because of the evocative setting description. I haven't been to Glacier National Park (yet) but Carbo's details bring the park to life. Monty Harris is investigating the deaths of two men who appear to have fallen from a well-hiked path. His investigation triggers memories of a traumatic childhood and bring him back into the path of his troubled older brother. I found the book a bit slow in parts, with too much of Harris' interior dialog at times. Otherwise, the plot was interesting enough to keep me reading a bit longer at night than I should have!
October 22, 2021
I really enjoyed the first installment of this series and was looking forward to this next one. But it was a complete disappointment! I should have realized it going in since it had a different MC - the only person in the first book I really did not like. Monty is a bit pompous and full of himself. Another disappointment was the lack of descriptions of the national park which I enjoyed in the first book. I actually had a hard time finishing and it looks like I can cross this series off my list.
July 8, 2022
Interesting detective novel, the last 2/3 is much better than the beginning. Some of the writing was a little annoying with over the top not needed descriptions about characters that only lasted one scene. The main character is very arrogant and his self narration makes him sound like an arse at times. Different twists, and clues we're peppered in but i missed them. Favorite character was Ken who called BS on the lead investigator that was acting way outside of what I would think is protocol.
March 28, 2017
In the wilds of Glacier National Park, the body of a wildlife biologist is found at the bottom of a ravine. Monty, a park police officer, sets out to confirm if it was an accident or something more sinister. The remains of a second body are found not far away and the likelihood of two accidents is slim. I loved the setting of the park and surrounding areas. The main character is dealing with personal issues related to his marriage and his
October 1, 2018
What would be do without crappy people to write books about? (I struggled to keep Monty's correct gender in my mind.)
October 10, 2018
This is the second of Carbo's books I have read, having started with the most recent. It is true to form with its love of nature and Montana and Glacier Park in particular. The mystery and the characters are pretty good. However, I am concerned about the fact that the central characters (a male here and a female in my prior read) are both so very emotionally conflicted, with faltering relationships. Once seemed a plot device but twice seems a trope.
May 12, 2019
I was surprised that the lead character was one that only were a sidekick in the first book but it worked very well. He also has to work with his past in this mystery of two separate deaths in the same place. This series is well written and enjoyable to read.
July 18, 2022
Lengthy, twisty, and sad tale that ends as justly as it could. The narrator has the perfect voice for this read. Like most of the author’s works and this one as well.
October 25, 2022
The writing, the characters, the conflicts, the plot..AMAZING
April 22, 2026
Death investigation in Glacier Park. Brothers conflict with dad.
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