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Glacier Park Mystery #3
The Weight of Night
On most days, the wilderness gave me peace. But not tonight.
In a land sculpted by glaciers, the forest is on fire. Thick smoke chokes the mountain air and casts an apocalyptic glow over the imposing peaks and vistas of Montana’s Glacier National Park. When firefighters are called in to dig firebreaks near the small town bordering the park, a crew member is shocked to unearth a shallow grave containing human remains.
Park Police Officer Monty Harris is summoned to the site to conduct an excavation. But with an incendiary monster threatening to consume the town, Monty seeks help from Gretchen Larson, the county’s lead crime scene investigator.
While the two work frantically to determine the true identity of the victim, a teenager suddenly disappears from one of the campgrounds in Glacier. Could the cases somehow be connected? As chances for recovery of the missing boy grow slimmer and the FBI finds only dead ends, Gretchen and Monty desperately race to fit all the pieces together while battling time, the elements, and their own unresolved inner conflicts.
In a land sculpted by glaciers, the forest is on fire. Thick smoke chokes the mountain air and casts an apocalyptic glow over the imposing peaks and vistas of Montana’s Glacier National Park. When firefighters are called in to dig firebreaks near the small town bordering the park, a crew member is shocked to unearth a shallow grave containing human remains.
Park Police Officer Monty Harris is summoned to the site to conduct an excavation. But with an incendiary monster threatening to consume the town, Monty seeks help from Gretchen Larson, the county’s lead crime scene investigator.
While the two work frantically to determine the true identity of the victim, a teenager suddenly disappears from one of the campgrounds in Glacier. Could the cases somehow be connected? As chances for recovery of the missing boy grow slimmer and the FBI finds only dead ends, Gretchen and Monty desperately race to fit all the pieces together while battling time, the elements, and their own unresolved inner conflicts.
397 pages, Paperback
First published June 6, 2017
147 people are currently reading
1634 people want to read
About the author
Christine Carbo
7 books545 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 195 reviews
September 11, 2017
"Afterward, in the great shifting of the ice -- in the exquisite sorrowful moan of it -- I came to believe that I was being warned."
Those tiny hairs, elevated by nerves, stand at attention. The heaviness of your feet prevent you from treading where even the angels fear......
But when it is your job and your dedicated commitment, you simply go. Park Police Officer Monty Harris finds himself in the midst of an out-of-control forest fire in the Glacier National Park of Montana. Firefighters are digging trenches to divert the flames. A sharp clinking sound is heard as the shovel hits something hard. That ain't no rock, Sugar.
Hands dig deeper and reveal a skull and human remains. Monty calls in Gretchen Larson, the county's lead crime scene investigator. With only moments to spare as the smoke and flames almost engulf them, Gretchen is only able to retrieve the skull and some of the bones. But a once shiny belt buckle embedded in the dirt seems to beckon to the reality that murder may have been at hand here.
With a raging fire and an impending murder investigation staring straight up at them, Monty and Gretchen work the crime scene and the aged evidence trying to identity those bones. Suddenly, a phone call alerts them that a young teenage boy has gone missing from his family's campsite that very afternoon. Monty hits the trail before any clues have gone cold. To his dismay, it seems like the boy has disappeared into thin air.
Christine Carbo presents the third book in her Glacier Mystery series. Each book can be read as a standalone. Carbo maintains an uncanny talent for bringing the natural park atmosphere alive while delivering a top-notch storyline rich with mystery and intrigue. What I especially liked about this latest offering is her indepth highlighting of the character of Gretchen Larson. Right from the get-go, we come to find that Gretchen is a vessel of secrets. Those heavy-ladened secrets raise the atmospheric temperature both for their originality within the plot and also for the shaking fear of discovery. And it's huge, Sugar.
You don't have to be a nature lover or a tree hugger to embrace this one. The writing skill of Carbo is remarkable. Just follow the savoring words right into this dark, dark forest with secrets of its own.
Those tiny hairs, elevated by nerves, stand at attention. The heaviness of your feet prevent you from treading where even the angels fear......
But when it is your job and your dedicated commitment, you simply go. Park Police Officer Monty Harris finds himself in the midst of an out-of-control forest fire in the Glacier National Park of Montana. Firefighters are digging trenches to divert the flames. A sharp clinking sound is heard as the shovel hits something hard. That ain't no rock, Sugar.
Hands dig deeper and reveal a skull and human remains. Monty calls in Gretchen Larson, the county's lead crime scene investigator. With only moments to spare as the smoke and flames almost engulf them, Gretchen is only able to retrieve the skull and some of the bones. But a once shiny belt buckle embedded in the dirt seems to beckon to the reality that murder may have been at hand here.
With a raging fire and an impending murder investigation staring straight up at them, Monty and Gretchen work the crime scene and the aged evidence trying to identity those bones. Suddenly, a phone call alerts them that a young teenage boy has gone missing from his family's campsite that very afternoon. Monty hits the trail before any clues have gone cold. To his dismay, it seems like the boy has disappeared into thin air.
Christine Carbo presents the third book in her Glacier Mystery series. Each book can be read as a standalone. Carbo maintains an uncanny talent for bringing the natural park atmosphere alive while delivering a top-notch storyline rich with mystery and intrigue. What I especially liked about this latest offering is her indepth highlighting of the character of Gretchen Larson. Right from the get-go, we come to find that Gretchen is a vessel of secrets. Those heavy-ladened secrets raise the atmospheric temperature both for their originality within the plot and also for the shaking fear of discovery. And it's huge, Sugar.
You don't have to be a nature lover or a tree hugger to embrace this one. The writing skill of Carbo is remarkable. Just follow the savoring words right into this dark, dark forest with secrets of its own.
July 30, 2023
Following her first two Glacier Park novels, Mortal Fall and The Wild Inside, Christine Carbo returns with The Weight of Night. This book finds the national park under siege from wildfires that are burning largely out of control in several sections of the park. Dense smoke hangs heavily over the park and the surrounding countryside, making it difficult to breathe. The sun has largely disappeared from view, and the fires themselves are ravaging the forests, which are tinder-dry as the result of a prolonged drought. People are being evacuated, and firefighters are trying desperately to save their homes and livestock.
As firefighters dig a break in front of an oncoming fire, one of the fire crew members uncovers the bones of a body which had been buried in a shallow grave. Park police officer Monty Harris arrives to investigate, but with the fire bearing down on the gravesite, there's simply no time to wait for a forensics team to arrive and properly unearth the body. Harris thus turns to Gretchen Larson, a crime scene investigator for the Flathead County Sheriff's office. Larson insists that she is not properly trained for such a situation, but with no other alternative, she unearths as much of the skeleton as time and the raging fire will allow.
Monty and Gretchen must now attempt to identify the body, but at virtually the same time the body is discovered, a child goes missing from a park campground. It's possible that the young boy simply wandered away and got lost in the woods, in which case he's not only in danger from exposure, starvation, drowning, falling and breaking a limb, getting eaten by a bear, and all of the other hazards that might befall a child in such a situation, but in this case, there's also the fire danger to consider. In the alternative, of course, it's possible that someone may have abducted the boy, in which case he could be facing an entirely different set of dangers. In either event, though, it's imperative that the child be found ASAP.
Ultimately, it will be Monty's responsibility to try to find the missing child, while Gretchen attempts to identify the body that's been unearthed. The story is then told in alternating chapters from the viewpoint of each of the two protagonists. Monty and Gretchen both have demons of their own to contend with, which will impinge on their investigations and so, as in the case of her first two books, Carbo has combined a compelling psychological story with a tense criminal investigation that will keep readers turning the pages at a brisk pace.
As in the first two books, Carbo also excels at describing the setting. Glacier National Park is one of the most scenic places in the entire country, if not the world, and she describes it beautifully. She also captures very well the fires that threaten both the park itself and the characters in the novel. A couple of summers ago, there was a horrible fire season in the park and in the surrounding area, and Carbo captures the effects of the fires perfectly. Reading the book immediately took me back to that summer, standing out on the deck in the thick smoke, with the fire ash falling out of the sky, wondering if there would be any real relief before the snow began falling in September. As I'm packing to return to the Flathead for the summer, I'm very much hoping that I won't ever have to experience a scene like that again outside the pages of this very fine book.
As firefighters dig a break in front of an oncoming fire, one of the fire crew members uncovers the bones of a body which had been buried in a shallow grave. Park police officer Monty Harris arrives to investigate, but with the fire bearing down on the gravesite, there's simply no time to wait for a forensics team to arrive and properly unearth the body. Harris thus turns to Gretchen Larson, a crime scene investigator for the Flathead County Sheriff's office. Larson insists that she is not properly trained for such a situation, but with no other alternative, she unearths as much of the skeleton as time and the raging fire will allow.
Monty and Gretchen must now attempt to identify the body, but at virtually the same time the body is discovered, a child goes missing from a park campground. It's possible that the young boy simply wandered away and got lost in the woods, in which case he's not only in danger from exposure, starvation, drowning, falling and breaking a limb, getting eaten by a bear, and all of the other hazards that might befall a child in such a situation, but in this case, there's also the fire danger to consider. In the alternative, of course, it's possible that someone may have abducted the boy, in which case he could be facing an entirely different set of dangers. In either event, though, it's imperative that the child be found ASAP.
Ultimately, it will be Monty's responsibility to try to find the missing child, while Gretchen attempts to identify the body that's been unearthed. The story is then told in alternating chapters from the viewpoint of each of the two protagonists. Monty and Gretchen both have demons of their own to contend with, which will impinge on their investigations and so, as in the case of her first two books, Carbo has combined a compelling psychological story with a tense criminal investigation that will keep readers turning the pages at a brisk pace.
As in the first two books, Carbo also excels at describing the setting. Glacier National Park is one of the most scenic places in the entire country, if not the world, and she describes it beautifully. She also captures very well the fires that threaten both the park itself and the characters in the novel. A couple of summers ago, there was a horrible fire season in the park and in the surrounding area, and Carbo captures the effects of the fires perfectly. Reading the book immediately took me back to that summer, standing out on the deck in the thick smoke, with the fire ash falling out of the sky, wondering if there would be any real relief before the snow began falling in September. As I'm packing to return to the Flathead for the summer, I'm very much hoping that I won't ever have to experience a scene like that again outside the pages of this very fine book.
Read
August 2, 2017Digital galley graciously provided by Netgalley, Atria Books and Author, Christine Carbo. Published June 6, 2017.
I took a chance and read this, the third Glacier Mystery without having read the first two. I shouldn’t have worried as The Weight of Night worked quite well as a standalone. That’s not to say I won’t be going back to read the first two in this series as I am curious as to its beginnings.
The Weight of Night has everything I like, a raging fire, a cold case, a missing teen, a spirit of adventure, all taking place within the backdrop of Glacier National Park and the grand outdoors. Great characters too, ones sporting lots of baggage but with an abundance of passion for their work. In the case of Gretchen Larsen, the lead county crime scene investigator there’s also a fascinating affliction, sleepwalking, which manifests itself into the plot in unexpected ways. Gretchen and Park Police Monty Harris make a fine team in their work, but their personal relationship is complicated by secrets they hold and guilt from their past.
I can recommend this book without hesitation for its depiction of the splendor of Glacier alone. Add its first hand look at fire containment, the quest to identify human remains, the hunt to find a boy before dire harm comes to him all combine for a solid psychological procedural, not fast paced but no slouch in its delivery of a good story.
I took a chance and read this, the third Glacier Mystery without having read the first two. I shouldn’t have worried as The Weight of Night worked quite well as a standalone. That’s not to say I won’t be going back to read the first two in this series as I am curious as to its beginnings.
The Weight of Night has everything I like, a raging fire, a cold case, a missing teen, a spirit of adventure, all taking place within the backdrop of Glacier National Park and the grand outdoors. Great characters too, ones sporting lots of baggage but with an abundance of passion for their work. In the case of Gretchen Larsen, the lead county crime scene investigator there’s also a fascinating affliction, sleepwalking, which manifests itself into the plot in unexpected ways. Gretchen and Park Police Monty Harris make a fine team in their work, but their personal relationship is complicated by secrets they hold and guilt from their past.
I can recommend this book without hesitation for its depiction of the splendor of Glacier alone. Add its first hand look at fire containment, the quest to identify human remains, the hunt to find a boy before dire harm comes to him all combine for a solid psychological procedural, not fast paced but no slouch in its delivery of a good story.
August 13, 2018
Christine Carbo has quickly become a must read author for me. I loved her first two books, and this one was even better! She writes wonderful characters, engrossing storylines, and stunning settings.
Her books really come alive for me, and I can't get through them fast enough.
In this one, the Glacier National Park area is experiencing devastating fires, and Monty Harris is called upon when human bones are discovered. With help from crime scene investigator Gretchen Larson, the bones are excavated. Soon they have another emergency to deal with - the disappearance of a teenager. As new information surfaces, Monty and Gretchen work to piece together what is happening in the area.
Monty is still dealing with the disappearance of his best friend at age twelve in this one, and we also learn of Gretchen's heartbreaking past. These two characters who carry so much baggage are very sympathetic, and I wanted the best outcomes for them.
Living in Montana, it is wonderful to me that Carbo gives such an accurate feel to the area. Her settings almost seem like another character.
I am already eagerly awaiting the next installment featuring Monty Harris.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in return for an honest review.
Her books really come alive for me, and I can't get through them fast enough.
In this one, the Glacier National Park area is experiencing devastating fires, and Monty Harris is called upon when human bones are discovered. With help from crime scene investigator Gretchen Larson, the bones are excavated. Soon they have another emergency to deal with - the disappearance of a teenager. As new information surfaces, Monty and Gretchen work to piece together what is happening in the area.
Monty is still dealing with the disappearance of his best friend at age twelve in this one, and we also learn of Gretchen's heartbreaking past. These two characters who carry so much baggage are very sympathetic, and I wanted the best outcomes for them.
Living in Montana, it is wonderful to me that Carbo gives such an accurate feel to the area. Her settings almost seem like another character.
I am already eagerly awaiting the next installment featuring Monty Harris.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in return for an honest review.
January 10, 2018
Come for the scenery, stay for the characters.
Christine Carbo’s setting for her three books to date—The Wild Inside, Mortal Fall, and the new one, The Weight of the Night—is Montana’s Glacier National Park. Against the rocky-snowy backdrop, she has conjured an ensemble cast of characters who drive rich, complex, and character-driven stories.
In The Weight of the Night, Carbo’s tag-team co-protagonists are forensic expert Gretchen Larson and park police officer Monty Harris. Both are wracked by guilt from nightmarish incidents from their youth.
Gretchen suffers from parasomnia, a severe form of intense sleepwalking. During one of her unconscious sojourns when she was growing up in Norway, she committed a brutal act of violence. She was fifteen years old. All her other sleepwalking incidents had been “fairly innocuous.” Except for this one horror. In fact, she earns the media nickname, “Nightmare Girl.”
For Monty, it was the disappearance of a childhood friend. Monty may have been the last person to see his friend Nathan disappear into the dark forest. Monty was twelve.
Gretchen showed up as a minor character in both The Wild Inside and Mortal Fall. Monty played a side role in The Wild Inside and was featured heavily in Mortal Fall. In her third fictional trek, Gretchen and Monty are front and center. (Sure, read the earlier two but The Weight of Night is easily read as a standalone.)
Carbo alternates Monty and Gretchen in each chapter as they circle two troubling cases—and each other. The first case is a disappearance of a teenage boy. The second is prompted by the discovery of a shallow grave, and human remains, uncovered as firefighters battled a wildfire that is causing alarm and prompting evacuations. Gretchen examines the details at the informal grave: “I could see the skull, slightly tilted to the left as if it was keeping an eye on the ridge, waiting to see if the fire could be controlled.” A metal detector turns up a belt buckle. That’s all.
Carbo gives honest narrative. Both Gretchen and Monty are told in first-person and Carbo dives equally deep into each point of view. Gretchen is aware of the incidents that haunt Monty. Monty is clueless to what weight Gretchen is dragging around. He only knows she doesn’t want to get too close. “Not that she ever said it directly—I could just tell by the precise and utilitarian way she treated me, treated everyone around her, for that matter. She had a lot of boundaries for reasons I didn’t understand but ultimately accepted.”
Monty knows about “emotional burial.” But “damn if I wasn’t curious,” he thinks.
So are we.
Gretchen’s deep, troubled world view is palpable. Once we know her inner landscape, we know how her past imbues every exchange and thought as she moves forward on the case. There is no short-changing here. The parasomnia bit is no gimmick. Gretchen’s dread is 24-7. She wears the incident like a “cloak of guilt.” Except, of course, when she sleeps—and does everything to protect herself, including sleeping inside a sleeping bag with mittens and various tricks to prevent her from finding an easy way out to civilization should an episode occur.
Monty is haunted, too. Yes, there are things he could have done to perhaps prevent Nathan from vanishing. Such as, follow Nathan. But Monty’s woes are more generalized. All he must do is avoid doing the same thing again, including being a 12-year-old. Monty is plenty aware of his emotional baggage, but it’s Gretchen’s sleep cycle (and the condition she does not want publicized) that makes us nervous. Still, both are keenly self-aware of their emotional DNA.
As the case moves forward, Gretchen approaches clues via the elemental details. In a land of tracking and wide-open vistas, it’s a man-made bit of fiber that puts her on the right trail. Threads. Monty has more of the standard police work to do—interviews and theorizing, trying to come up with scenarios. Both Monty and Gretchen encounter the rugged, raw citizens of Montana that Carbo has portrayed before. Government distrust runs deep.
As the fire roars, Gretchen and Monty find themselves in increasingly close orbit and Gretchen, laying down to rest in an unfamiliar spot after an arduous day, unwittingly gives Monty a harrowing glimpse of the power of parasomnia. When you think Carbo might take a trip down romance road, you breathe easy knowing the writer isn’t looking for a cheap thrill or a cliché entanglement. And then Gretchen finds herself in a dire spot and the only way out is to do precisely the thing that both her unconscious and fully-awake self would never contemplate again—that is, injecting fear in another human being. (I know that’s not a spoiler, you’ll be too carried along by the story and depth of character to feel cheated by that little give-away.)
Will these cases help Monty and Gretchen better understand? Or cope? Or see a future? A way forward? Is it enough to merely survive?
Carbo leaves us with the characters—two very real human beings finding their way in the world and still struggling with the weight of life and their pasts—and some crackling good questions that resonate down deep in our bones.
++
Final note: I listened on audio and the reading by Sarah Mollo-Christensen (Gretchen) and R.C. Bray (Monty) were knockout. Sarah in particular used a breathy, thoughtful cadence inflected with a Norwegian accent that brought the brooding to life in terrific fashion.
Christine Carbo’s setting for her three books to date—The Wild Inside, Mortal Fall, and the new one, The Weight of the Night—is Montana’s Glacier National Park. Against the rocky-snowy backdrop, she has conjured an ensemble cast of characters who drive rich, complex, and character-driven stories.
In The Weight of the Night, Carbo’s tag-team co-protagonists are forensic expert Gretchen Larson and park police officer Monty Harris. Both are wracked by guilt from nightmarish incidents from their youth.
Gretchen suffers from parasomnia, a severe form of intense sleepwalking. During one of her unconscious sojourns when she was growing up in Norway, she committed a brutal act of violence. She was fifteen years old. All her other sleepwalking incidents had been “fairly innocuous.” Except for this one horror. In fact, she earns the media nickname, “Nightmare Girl.”
For Monty, it was the disappearance of a childhood friend. Monty may have been the last person to see his friend Nathan disappear into the dark forest. Monty was twelve.
Gretchen showed up as a minor character in both The Wild Inside and Mortal Fall. Monty played a side role in The Wild Inside and was featured heavily in Mortal Fall. In her third fictional trek, Gretchen and Monty are front and center. (Sure, read the earlier two but The Weight of Night is easily read as a standalone.)
Carbo alternates Monty and Gretchen in each chapter as they circle two troubling cases—and each other. The first case is a disappearance of a teenage boy. The second is prompted by the discovery of a shallow grave, and human remains, uncovered as firefighters battled a wildfire that is causing alarm and prompting evacuations. Gretchen examines the details at the informal grave: “I could see the skull, slightly tilted to the left as if it was keeping an eye on the ridge, waiting to see if the fire could be controlled.” A metal detector turns up a belt buckle. That’s all.
Carbo gives honest narrative. Both Gretchen and Monty are told in first-person and Carbo dives equally deep into each point of view. Gretchen is aware of the incidents that haunt Monty. Monty is clueless to what weight Gretchen is dragging around. He only knows she doesn’t want to get too close. “Not that she ever said it directly—I could just tell by the precise and utilitarian way she treated me, treated everyone around her, for that matter. She had a lot of boundaries for reasons I didn’t understand but ultimately accepted.”
Monty knows about “emotional burial.” But “damn if I wasn’t curious,” he thinks.
So are we.
Gretchen’s deep, troubled world view is palpable. Once we know her inner landscape, we know how her past imbues every exchange and thought as she moves forward on the case. There is no short-changing here. The parasomnia bit is no gimmick. Gretchen’s dread is 24-7. She wears the incident like a “cloak of guilt.” Except, of course, when she sleeps—and does everything to protect herself, including sleeping inside a sleeping bag with mittens and various tricks to prevent her from finding an easy way out to civilization should an episode occur.
Monty is haunted, too. Yes, there are things he could have done to perhaps prevent Nathan from vanishing. Such as, follow Nathan. But Monty’s woes are more generalized. All he must do is avoid doing the same thing again, including being a 12-year-old. Monty is plenty aware of his emotional baggage, but it’s Gretchen’s sleep cycle (and the condition she does not want publicized) that makes us nervous. Still, both are keenly self-aware of their emotional DNA.
As the case moves forward, Gretchen approaches clues via the elemental details. In a land of tracking and wide-open vistas, it’s a man-made bit of fiber that puts her on the right trail. Threads. Monty has more of the standard police work to do—interviews and theorizing, trying to come up with scenarios. Both Monty and Gretchen encounter the rugged, raw citizens of Montana that Carbo has portrayed before. Government distrust runs deep.
As the fire roars, Gretchen and Monty find themselves in increasingly close orbit and Gretchen, laying down to rest in an unfamiliar spot after an arduous day, unwittingly gives Monty a harrowing glimpse of the power of parasomnia. When you think Carbo might take a trip down romance road, you breathe easy knowing the writer isn’t looking for a cheap thrill or a cliché entanglement. And then Gretchen finds herself in a dire spot and the only way out is to do precisely the thing that both her unconscious and fully-awake self would never contemplate again—that is, injecting fear in another human being. (I know that’s not a spoiler, you’ll be too carried along by the story and depth of character to feel cheated by that little give-away.)
Will these cases help Monty and Gretchen better understand? Or cope? Or see a future? A way forward? Is it enough to merely survive?
Carbo leaves us with the characters—two very real human beings finding their way in the world and still struggling with the weight of life and their pasts—and some crackling good questions that resonate down deep in our bones.
++
Final note: I listened on audio and the reading by Sarah Mollo-Christensen (Gretchen) and R.C. Bray (Monty) were knockout. Sarah in particular used a breathy, thoughtful cadence inflected with a Norwegian accent that brought the brooding to life in terrific fashion.
December 14, 2017
I rounded this book up to 4 stars, but I am actually giving it 3.5. I am a fan of Christine Carbo, and her first book, The Wild Inside, is my favorite of the three that she has written. I thought this book was a bit too long, and might have benefitted from some editing, especially at the end.
This book brings back Monty, the Glacier National Park police officer, and Gretchen, a forensics specialist. They both have their own demons to contend with, and the chapters are told in alternating first person narratives. We especially learn quite a bit about Gretchen's background as the chapters go on.
The story is set against the background of fierce, out-of control fires in the park. Carbo writes especially well about nature, and there is a visceral feel to her prose in these parts. A young boy goes missing from the campground, while he is vacationing with his family. Monty and Gretchen try to find the boy and piece together a possibility of a link to other missing boys. This is another well-written mystery set agains a glorious backdrop by Christine Carbo.
This book brings back Monty, the Glacier National Park police officer, and Gretchen, a forensics specialist. They both have their own demons to contend with, and the chapters are told in alternating first person narratives. We especially learn quite a bit about Gretchen's background as the chapters go on.
The story is set against the background of fierce, out-of control fires in the park. Carbo writes especially well about nature, and there is a visceral feel to her prose in these parts. A young boy goes missing from the campground, while he is vacationing with his family. Monty and Gretchen try to find the boy and piece together a possibility of a link to other missing boys. This is another well-written mystery set agains a glorious backdrop by Christine Carbo.
October 12, 2023
Friends, this one from the Montana mystery series I could actually almost recommend. Straight up.
A couple things I liked better about this one, which had our familiar characters in investigating another glacier park crime. Number one it wasn’t just that a random dead body showed up immediately from a person who I had no connection to because they’re already dead by the time the book started. This time we had a more high energy situation because we were looking for a missing person, not just a dead person’s murderer. Like there was also a dead person situation going on, but that was not the main plot element this time. Also shoutout to this book for actually making me feel some things. I felt a little scared reading about some of these murders and abductions and what not. I did not feel that in the previous books, partly because we were solving crimes that were already done, partly because we didn’t care about the victims, and partly because the victims were kind of the worst - like some of them kinda deserved it. Anyway, this was maybe not the best choice of books for me and my first week living in my apartment alone because I was a little scared to sleep at night because it was all a little creepy and gruesome here and there!
This book was also better because all of the leads the detectives follow aren’t just a whole bunch of crap. They actually seem legit, and one thing led to the other for the most part to be able to figure out the case. Like yes, we still had to deal with one dumb lead into an anti-government guy so the author could further beat that dead horse and make people think we’re a bunch of anarchists in MT. Yes, we had this detective still being obsessed with his missing friend from 20 some years ago. Yes, the detective did just have a moment where he figured things out based on one tiny thing of like seeing someone in a photo one. But overall, we kept it on task on this time. Love.
I’ll say four stars for overall entertainment factor and giving me the creeps a little. Subtracting a half star each for the book repeating the plot lines of both a relative of one of the investigators being the criminal and the one detective still not being over his friend going missing during childhood. Also minus a half star for constantly talking about the main girl character, who was a forensics person, having killed her brother while sleepwalking as a child. What the actual f? Like was the author trying to hit a certain word count so she had to make up this whole other story line to talk about all the time? Literally, no reason for that to have been a part of this. The author tried to make it relevant at the end but it was baloney. Just too ridiculous. However, the book saves itself with a Great Falls reference, even if it ended up being related to the murderer guy, to earn back another star. This all totals out to 3.5!
A couple things I liked better about this one, which had our familiar characters in investigating another glacier park crime. Number one it wasn’t just that a random dead body showed up immediately from a person who I had no connection to because they’re already dead by the time the book started. This time we had a more high energy situation because we were looking for a missing person, not just a dead person’s murderer. Like there was also a dead person situation going on, but that was not the main plot element this time. Also shoutout to this book for actually making me feel some things. I felt a little scared reading about some of these murders and abductions and what not. I did not feel that in the previous books, partly because we were solving crimes that were already done, partly because we didn’t care about the victims, and partly because the victims were kind of the worst - like some of them kinda deserved it. Anyway, this was maybe not the best choice of books for me and my first week living in my apartment alone because I was a little scared to sleep at night because it was all a little creepy and gruesome here and there!
This book was also better because all of the leads the detectives follow aren’t just a whole bunch of crap. They actually seem legit, and one thing led to the other for the most part to be able to figure out the case. Like yes, we still had to deal with one dumb lead into an anti-government guy so the author could further beat that dead horse and make people think we’re a bunch of anarchists in MT. Yes, we had this detective still being obsessed with his missing friend from 20 some years ago. Yes, the detective did just have a moment where he figured things out based on one tiny thing of like seeing someone in a photo one. But overall, we kept it on task on this time. Love.
I’ll say four stars for overall entertainment factor and giving me the creeps a little. Subtracting a half star each for the book repeating the plot lines of both a relative of one of the investigators being the criminal and the one detective still not being over his friend going missing during childhood. Also minus a half star for constantly talking about the main girl character, who was a forensics person, having killed her brother while sleepwalking as a child. What the actual f? Like was the author trying to hit a certain word count so she had to make up this whole other story line to talk about all the time? Literally, no reason for that to have been a part of this. The author tried to make it relevant at the end but it was baloney. Just too ridiculous. However, the book saves itself with a Great Falls reference, even if it ended up being related to the murderer guy, to earn back another star. This all totals out to 3.5!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2017
This is my first book by this author.
The Weight of Night is also book #3 in the Glacier series. It has a good suspense thread into the storyline with a couple of interesting subplots too. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I knew the characters from prior books.
The story develops in Montana. Specifically, in the Glacier National Park. At the beginning of the novel, firefighters are fighting a wildfire affecting the park. During the process, they uncover the bones of a young male but due to the fire, they have to move fast and get the local CSI involved ASAP before the fire destroys the evidence.
Monty Harris is a park police officer. He's divorced and still dealing with the loss of his best friend Nathan when they were younger after Monty's brother's prank ended badly. Nathan's body has never been recovered. Finding the skeleton of a young male makes Monty wonder if this could be Nathan.
Gretchen Larson is originally from Norway. She left her home when she couldn't deal with her past any longer. She's part of the CSI team and she's called to unearthed the remains. Little by little, we learn of the tragedy surrounding her life.
I like both main characters. I like their interactions and I'm hoping a romance will develop in the next book. The suspense was good enough and learning more about Gretchen's difficulties made her more likable too. Even though, the story was slow at times it still kept my interest. These two damaged characters were both well written.
Cliffhanger: No
3/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Atria in exchange for an honest review.
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
The Weight of Night is also book #3 in the Glacier series. It has a good suspense thread into the storyline with a couple of interesting subplots too. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I knew the characters from prior books.
The story develops in Montana. Specifically, in the Glacier National Park. At the beginning of the novel, firefighters are fighting a wildfire affecting the park. During the process, they uncover the bones of a young male but due to the fire, they have to move fast and get the local CSI involved ASAP before the fire destroys the evidence.
Monty Harris is a park police officer. He's divorced and still dealing with the loss of his best friend Nathan when they were younger after Monty's brother's prank ended badly. Nathan's body has never been recovered. Finding the skeleton of a young male makes Monty wonder if this could be Nathan.
Gretchen Larson is originally from Norway. She left her home when she couldn't deal with her past any longer. She's part of the CSI team and she's called to unearthed the remains. Little by little, we learn of the tragedy surrounding her life.
I like both main characters. I like their interactions and I'm hoping a romance will develop in the next book. The suspense was good enough and learning more about Gretchen's difficulties made her more likable too. Even though, the story was slow at times it still kept my interest. These two damaged characters were both well written.
Cliffhanger: No
3/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Atria in exchange for an honest review.
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
June 6, 2017
"After the vanishing of a child, the web that family members build to sustain themselves is so fragile."
This is the third book in the Glacier National Park mystery series. I've read the other two - THE WILD INSIDE and MORTAL FALL - and, while both of the prior books were good, this one is my favorite by far.
There's a lot going on in this story and it is action-packed. First of all, a number of out-of-control wildfires threaten the park and its inhabitants, both human and animal. Then buried human bones are discovered - of course in the path of one of the fires. And THEN a young boy disappears. Whew...
Glacier Park Police Officer Monty Harris is working on getting fire and evacuation news out to people when he's called in to investigate a shallow grave and the bones that were accidentally discovered by one of the firefighters. He calls in Gretchen Larson, the county’s lead crime scene investigator, to help with the recovery of the skeleton.
And things haven't settled down from that when a young camper goes missing.
The story is told in alternating chapters by Monty and by Gretchen so we really get to know these two interesting characters in more depth. Both have back stories that really add to the story.
I like this series a bunch. It reminds me, as I've written before, of the Anna Pigeon series by Nevada Barr that takes place at different national parks across the U.S. and also the Joe Pickett series by C.J. Box about a Wyoming game warden. All three of these series are strongly written, with in-depth character development and authors that have the ability to describe beautiful country so it's easy to visualize.
I received this book from Atria Books through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.
This is the third book in the Glacier National Park mystery series. I've read the other two - THE WILD INSIDE and MORTAL FALL - and, while both of the prior books were good, this one is my favorite by far.
There's a lot going on in this story and it is action-packed. First of all, a number of out-of-control wildfires threaten the park and its inhabitants, both human and animal. Then buried human bones are discovered - of course in the path of one of the fires. And THEN a young boy disappears. Whew...
Glacier Park Police Officer Monty Harris is working on getting fire and evacuation news out to people when he's called in to investigate a shallow grave and the bones that were accidentally discovered by one of the firefighters. He calls in Gretchen Larson, the county’s lead crime scene investigator, to help with the recovery of the skeleton.
And things haven't settled down from that when a young camper goes missing.
The story is told in alternating chapters by Monty and by Gretchen so we really get to know these two interesting characters in more depth. Both have back stories that really add to the story.
I like this series a bunch. It reminds me, as I've written before, of the Anna Pigeon series by Nevada Barr that takes place at different national parks across the U.S. and also the Joe Pickett series by C.J. Box about a Wyoming game warden. All three of these series are strongly written, with in-depth character development and authors that have the ability to describe beautiful country so it's easy to visualize.
I received this book from Atria Books through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.
August 28, 2022
I finally finished this series. This is set in Glacier National Park. There is a boy that is missing. Park Police Officer Monty is on a team of people trying to solve the crime. CSI Gretchen is also key in determining the boy’s whereabouts. To make matters worse, there are multiple fires burning in the park which impedes progress.
This unfolds nicely and never feels forced. As always, I love the setting as much as the characters.
This unfolds nicely and never feels forced. As always, I love the setting as much as the characters.
February 7, 2017
I've read all three of Carbo's novels set in Glacier National Park and each one has been better than the last.
The Weight of Night combines a gripping plot, compelling characters, and beautiful, descriptive prose.
Both Monty Harris, a Park Police officer, and Gretchen Larson, crime scene investigator, were featured in Mortal Fall, Carbo's second novel. The narrative In The Weight of Night switches back and forth--from Gretchen's point of view to Monty's.
The book begins with Gretchen's memories of Norway--evocative descriptions of her hometown and the fjord make visualization easy. She also, as early as the second paragraph, mentions her problems with sleepwalking, a REM behavior disorder that "takes sleepwalking to absurd levels." She awakes that morning to find that all the books on her bookshelves have been removed and stacked in rows. Although this is the first evidence of an episode in five years, Gretchen begins reviewing her strategies for dealing with her problem.
Chapter 2 is from Monty's pov and his overview of the fire situation. He meets with the head of one of the fire crews and is present when the firefighters digging a fire break uncover buried skeletal remains. Gretchen Larson is called in for the excavation and preservation of the remains, but is forced to do a hurried job when the wind changes direction and an evacuation of the area is required.
Before leaving, Gretchen's examination of the remains leads her to suspect the victim is a young male. Her remark stirs up memories of the disappearance of Monty's best friend when they were fourteen.
In the midst of the evacuations necessitated by the separate fires that threaten large areas of the 1,583 square mile park, a boy is reported missing from his parents' camp site. Gretchen continues the investigation of the bones, and Monty works with the search for the missing boy.
Tightly plotted, the narrative moves from Gretchen to Monty as they work on the two investigations, but there are also underlying stories being revealed. Although Gretchen was a secondary character in Mortal Fall, this novel largely belongs to her. Her REM behavior disorder is a fascinating element in the novel, her descriptions of her beloved Norway are evocative. That there is a tragedy in her life is revealed in the first chapter, and her gradual revelations are riveting.
Highly Recommended.
Read in Jan.; blog post scheduled for May 17, 2017.
NetGalley/Atria Books
Crime/Suspense. June 6, 2017. Print length: 304 pages.
The Weight of Night combines a gripping plot, compelling characters, and beautiful, descriptive prose.
Both Monty Harris, a Park Police officer, and Gretchen Larson, crime scene investigator, were featured in Mortal Fall, Carbo's second novel. The narrative In The Weight of Night switches back and forth--from Gretchen's point of view to Monty's.
The book begins with Gretchen's memories of Norway--evocative descriptions of her hometown and the fjord make visualization easy. She also, as early as the second paragraph, mentions her problems with sleepwalking, a REM behavior disorder that "takes sleepwalking to absurd levels." She awakes that morning to find that all the books on her bookshelves have been removed and stacked in rows. Although this is the first evidence of an episode in five years, Gretchen begins reviewing her strategies for dealing with her problem.
Chapter 2 is from Monty's pov and his overview of the fire situation. He meets with the head of one of the fire crews and is present when the firefighters digging a fire break uncover buried skeletal remains. Gretchen Larson is called in for the excavation and preservation of the remains, but is forced to do a hurried job when the wind changes direction and an evacuation of the area is required.
Before leaving, Gretchen's examination of the remains leads her to suspect the victim is a young male. Her remark stirs up memories of the disappearance of Monty's best friend when they were fourteen.
In the midst of the evacuations necessitated by the separate fires that threaten large areas of the 1,583 square mile park, a boy is reported missing from his parents' camp site. Gretchen continues the investigation of the bones, and Monty works with the search for the missing boy.
Tightly plotted, the narrative moves from Gretchen to Monty as they work on the two investigations, but there are also underlying stories being revealed. Although Gretchen was a secondary character in Mortal Fall, this novel largely belongs to her. Her REM behavior disorder is a fascinating element in the novel, her descriptions of her beloved Norway are evocative. That there is a tragedy in her life is revealed in the first chapter, and her gradual revelations are riveting.
Highly Recommended.
Read in Jan.; blog post scheduled for May 17, 2017.
NetGalley/Atria Books
Crime/Suspense. June 6, 2017. Print length: 304 pages.
August 23, 2019
This is Christine Carbo's best yet! Glacier National Park setting, fire season, disappearance of a young boy from the campgrounds and a shockingly severe case of sleep walking all make for unbearable suspense.
November 27, 2018
Great who-dunnit! I stayed up well past my bedtime to finish because it was so gripping! The story is told by two narrators, Park policeman Monty Harris, and local forensics investigator Gretchen Larson. who both carry some serious baggage. As Glacier NP battles two major fires, a set of bones is discovered buried near the fire line. At the same time, a park visitor's son goes missing. And of course, there is a connection. I am enjoying Monty's development as a character, and I liked the way he and Gretchen worked together. I'm looking forward to the next installment.
June 13, 2017
I love the way Carbo does "place" in this series. This time she used wild fire as "the weather element."
January 9, 2018
I found this boring, predictable, and repetitive. It also was not very carefully written: sometimes ATF would become AFT, for instance, and verb tenses or pronouns would shift mid-sentence. The name of one of the characters, Tara Reed, annoyed me disproportionately--because Tara Reid is a pretty famous actress and it seemed like it would have been incredibly easy to tweak this character's name slightly. Lots of eye-rolling for me in this one, and the voices of the two POV characters were not distinctive, despite their very different backgrounds, genders, etc. Oh well. Not to my taste.
April 18, 2017
4 1/2 stars TOP PICK
August 17, 2018
Loved this 3rd novel in Christine Carbo's "Glacier Mystery" series!
June 12, 2017
A buried skeleton is found just as a boy disappears. Glacier National Park is experiencing devastating forest fires, making the excavation of the burial site rushed and incomplete and the search for the missing boy both intensely pressured and difficult. The story of both boys, one dead and one whose fate is unknown until the end of the book, is told from two points of view. Monty, a Park officer, and Gretchen, a forensic scientist, team up in the race to find the missing boy and understand what happened to the boy whose skeleton they found. Chapters alternate between the two investigators, and each chapter is full not only of action but also of introspection. This helps the reader understand the characters and their motivation, but it can distract from the plot at times. Carbo's writing about the natural world is beautiful, but perhaps the best descriptive writing occurs when she explains the feeling of entering a huge abandoned industrial plant. This is a compelling plot, bolstered by deep characterization and beautiful writing about the location.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
September 12, 2017
I've been enjoying this mystery series set in and around Glacier National Park. This story was a little different as it alternated between the POV of a park police officer and a forensic investigator who both deal with some tragic personal history. I enjoy books with multiple POV and I like both of these characters so this totally worked for me.
Core mystery here was good and had added tension because of the wildfires threatening the crime scenes and in the ways it hit close to home for the two main characters.
Looking forward to the next book in this series.
Core mystery here was good and had added tension because of the wildfires threatening the crime scenes and in the ways it hit close to home for the two main characters.
Looking forward to the next book in this series.
August 20, 2018
Very topical, given the wildfires presently raging through California. The book became a (good) mystery more than dwelling on the fires, but i found those scenes and descriptions the most compelling.
May 14, 2017
The Weight of Night is just as the title says, a novel of suspense! In the midst of crazy wildfires in Montana’s Glacier National Park, a new firefighter discovers human skeletal remains. Monty, who is a Park Police Officer, calls in reinforcements from Gretchen, a top crime scene investigator as they race to collect the remains and surrounding crime scene evidence. In the meantime, a young boy vacationing in the area with his family goes missing. Suddenly, Monty and Gretchen are searching previous missing person and abduction cases trying to find a connection to the missing boy, while waiting for word about the remains that have been unearthed. All the while, they are each fighting their own demons and guilt from the past.
I’m torn on my opinion of the two main characters, Monty and Gretchen. On one hand, they were well-developed and the author revealed a great deal about their lives and especially about their pasts. But on the other hand, after finishing this novel I still felt as if I really didn’t know who they were. This was so action-packed and fast-paced that many of the characters only caught a few hours of sleep here and there, and were otherwise consumed with the fire, the missing boy, and the previous abduction cases. It was all woven in with flashbacks about tragedies from their pasts, but I still felt a little disconnected from them.
As far as the plot and subplots of the story, it was literally non-stop action trying to figure out “whodunnit.” The author slowly but wonderfully introduced additional conflicts and variables and I was truly shocked when I discovered the criminal behind the abductions. And I LOVE being completely surprised in this way 🙂 Throughout the novel, it was as if every time they thought they found a clue to help solve the case, it led to so many different people and events that it just became more challenging to solve.
For readers that enjoy straight-up suspense and crime fiction, then this is absolutely the novel for you. There is no romance mixed in with the story, but instead, just a roller coaster ride of mystery and the demons that haunt us in our lives. There were a few times during flashbacks that I found myself skimming, but otherwise, this was a fantastic read. Note that I have not read the first two novels in this series, but I don’t think that it impacted the enjoyment of reading.
*Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I’m torn on my opinion of the two main characters, Monty and Gretchen. On one hand, they were well-developed and the author revealed a great deal about their lives and especially about their pasts. But on the other hand, after finishing this novel I still felt as if I really didn’t know who they were. This was so action-packed and fast-paced that many of the characters only caught a few hours of sleep here and there, and were otherwise consumed with the fire, the missing boy, and the previous abduction cases. It was all woven in with flashbacks about tragedies from their pasts, but I still felt a little disconnected from them.
As far as the plot and subplots of the story, it was literally non-stop action trying to figure out “whodunnit.” The author slowly but wonderfully introduced additional conflicts and variables and I was truly shocked when I discovered the criminal behind the abductions. And I LOVE being completely surprised in this way 🙂 Throughout the novel, it was as if every time they thought they found a clue to help solve the case, it led to so many different people and events that it just became more challenging to solve.
For readers that enjoy straight-up suspense and crime fiction, then this is absolutely the novel for you. There is no romance mixed in with the story, but instead, just a roller coaster ride of mystery and the demons that haunt us in our lives. There were a few times during flashbacks that I found myself skimming, but otherwise, this was a fantastic read. Note that I have not read the first two novels in this series, but I don’t think that it impacted the enjoyment of reading.
*Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 29, 2017
Gretchen Larson, crime scene investigator, and Monty Harris, a Park Police Officer, work against time
to find a missing boy in Glacier Park. Around them forest fires rage out of control, and a shallow grave is unearthed while digging a break in the fires path. Gretchens Sleep Walking disorder, the tragedy early on in her life and the attraction between her and Monty, make this is a very rich plot. The story, told with each of them narrating alternating chapters, was filled with action and easy to follow.
It was well written, full of suspense, compelling characters and a great ending.
I enjoyed the read and highly recommend it to others.
to find a missing boy in Glacier Park. Around them forest fires rage out of control, and a shallow grave is unearthed while digging a break in the fires path. Gretchens Sleep Walking disorder, the tragedy early on in her life and the attraction between her and Monty, make this is a very rich plot. The story, told with each of them narrating alternating chapters, was filled with action and easy to follow.
It was well written, full of suspense, compelling characters and a great ending.
I enjoyed the read and highly recommend it to others.
February 2, 2020
This is the third book I've read in Christine Carbo's mystery series set in Glacier National Park in Montana. She's quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.
Amid fire season in the park, a young boy vacationing with his parents disappears. Park investigaor, Monty Harris, and a secondary character from both The Wild Inside and Mortal Fall, Gretchen Larson, who is a crime scene investigator, work to find the boy. Along the way, we learn a lot more about Gretchen and her past. The story is told in alternating chapters by Monty and Gretchen so we really get to know these two characters in more depth. Both have pasts that really add to the story.
Gretchen has a sleep disorder. She believes she has it under control, but it erupts as the fires begin to consume areas surrounding her home in Whitefish, Montana. She desperately would like to keep her disorder private, and goes to great lengths to do so at the expense of relationships and personal happiness.
One of the most interesting things about this series is that Glacier Park is the main character. In book one, The Wild Inside, the main investigator is Ted Systead, who lost his father to a bear attack years earlier. Monty Harris assists and then becomes the main character of book two, Mortal Fall. In this book, Gretchen becomes a major character. I can't wait to see who becomes the focus in book 4, Sharp Solitude.
Carbo creates a vivid setting and is wonderful at weaving the world of nature into a stunning mystery. If you enjoy books by Nevada Barr and C. J. Pickett, I recommend you try Christine Carbo who is an expert at telling a story set against one of America’s most majestic and unforgiving landscapes.
WTR 1095
Amid fire season in the park, a young boy vacationing with his parents disappears. Park investigaor, Monty Harris, and a secondary character from both The Wild Inside and Mortal Fall, Gretchen Larson, who is a crime scene investigator, work to find the boy. Along the way, we learn a lot more about Gretchen and her past. The story is told in alternating chapters by Monty and Gretchen so we really get to know these two characters in more depth. Both have pasts that really add to the story.
Gretchen has a sleep disorder. She believes she has it under control, but it erupts as the fires begin to consume areas surrounding her home in Whitefish, Montana. She desperately would like to keep her disorder private, and goes to great lengths to do so at the expense of relationships and personal happiness.
One of the most interesting things about this series is that Glacier Park is the main character. In book one, The Wild Inside, the main investigator is Ted Systead, who lost his father to a bear attack years earlier. Monty Harris assists and then becomes the main character of book two, Mortal Fall. In this book, Gretchen becomes a major character. I can't wait to see who becomes the focus in book 4, Sharp Solitude.
Carbo creates a vivid setting and is wonderful at weaving the world of nature into a stunning mystery. If you enjoy books by Nevada Barr and C. J. Pickett, I recommend you try Christine Carbo who is an expert at telling a story set against one of America’s most majestic and unforgiving landscapes.
WTR 1095
February 5, 2017
If you are a fan of C. J. Box's, Joe Pickett, I urge you to try this wonderful series by Christine Carbo.
This book has it all, wildfires in Glacier National Park, unearthed bones with signs of a possible homicide, and a little boy who has wandered away from his family's campsite. Join Park Police Officer Monty Harris and CSI Gretchen Larson as they race against the clock and Mother Nature to find a missing child and find out what evil lurks in this beautiful place while fighting their own demons and feelings for each other.
This book is set to be published in June, 2017 so please grab each of the others in this series and see how much you too will enjoy.
Highly recommended!
This book has it all, wildfires in Glacier National Park, unearthed bones with signs of a possible homicide, and a little boy who has wandered away from his family's campsite. Join Park Police Officer Monty Harris and CSI Gretchen Larson as they race against the clock and Mother Nature to find a missing child and find out what evil lurks in this beautiful place while fighting their own demons and feelings for each other.
This book is set to be published in June, 2017 so please grab each of the others in this series and see how much you too will enjoy.
Highly recommended!
July 16, 2018
I enjoyed this book and would read more by this author.
While this is apparently the third book in a series, the author changes viewpoint characters with each book. Ranger Monty Harris remains a main character, and we're introduced to Gretchen Larson as our other POV. Gretchen is a forensic anthropologist. She is brought into the story because as a fire line is being dug in Glacier National Park, human remains are found and foul play is suspected.
Gretchen also has a very interesting past- she suffers from parasomnia and does not trust herself because of a past tragedy that happened while she slept. She is one of many characters in the book who are wounded and who seek solace and healing in a solitary lifestyle in the western wilderness. Monty has ghosts of his own. While there's a spark between these two, it's a slow burn indeed compared to the forest fire that rages throughout the book.
I work with students who want careers in natural resources, and several of them are firefighters. I worry about them all summer, and this book did not exactly allay my fears. The environment is getting drier and hotter, and I'm afraid that forest fires like the ones burning in southern Colorado (I live in northern Colorado) are going to become the norm rather than the exception. California is a tinderbox, Glacier is losing its moisture and snowpack, and some amazing wilderness is going to be lost to us. To say nothing of property, human and wildlife lives.
Weirdly, the fire itself didn't really generate much tension for me in this book. It was there, but I never worried about the characters being trapped by it. It was more of an inconvenience that meant a ticking clock- they had to leave crime scenes before the fire arrived or they couldn't go where they wanted because of the fire. Nevada Barr's "Firestorm" terrified me with its account of rangers trapped by fire and I suggest reading that book if you want a man-vs-nature conflict. This was still very much about man-vs-man.
There are several plot threads. First, the human remains that were unearthed. They have a possible connection to a loss in Monty's past, but he is stymied when he tries gathering evidence that might identify the body. I found this frustrating and look forward to discussing motives for not wanting to help provide positive ID with my book club tonight. Next, a thirteen year old boy goes missing from his family's campsite. This was the case with the most tension- the investigators doggedly chase down evidence of where he might have gone, and Gretchen has a lot of work in processing multiple possible kidnapping sites for hair, fibers, tire prints and more. Or did the boy simply get dragged off by a bear or a cougar? The author does a good job in portraying the unbearable tension that his parents felt. They were on a family vacation to try to introduce their children to nature, and now they are living a parents' worst nightmare.
Between the cases themselves, the multiple strands of the investigation, Monty and Gretchen's history and how it still affects them and their work, there was a lot going on. The characters had psychological complexity and the work that the author put into that complexity was a strength of the book.
However, there were also some weaknesses. Toward the end of the book, Monty just has a "gut feeling" that they are on the wrong track and should put their attention elsewhere. He's right, but it felt like he was right because he was the main character, not because logically he had anything to back up his feeling. The ultimate motivation of the killer fell short for me and devolved into a melodramatic final scene that I found unbelievable.
It felt like the wrap-up of the book was not as good as the build-up. This is not enough to keep me from wanting to read more by this author. I like her characterizations. Gretchen's description of sipping coffee on her property while watching the horses in the pasture next door prick up their ears to watch the sunrise went a long way to making me forgive the stereotypical villain. This author loves where she lives and she writes what she knows. I'd like to make another foray into the beautiful country around Glacier with her.
While this is apparently the third book in a series, the author changes viewpoint characters with each book. Ranger Monty Harris remains a main character, and we're introduced to Gretchen Larson as our other POV. Gretchen is a forensic anthropologist. She is brought into the story because as a fire line is being dug in Glacier National Park, human remains are found and foul play is suspected.
Gretchen also has a very interesting past- she suffers from parasomnia and does not trust herself because of a past tragedy that happened while she slept. She is one of many characters in the book who are wounded and who seek solace and healing in a solitary lifestyle in the western wilderness. Monty has ghosts of his own. While there's a spark between these two, it's a slow burn indeed compared to the forest fire that rages throughout the book.
I work with students who want careers in natural resources, and several of them are firefighters. I worry about them all summer, and this book did not exactly allay my fears. The environment is getting drier and hotter, and I'm afraid that forest fires like the ones burning in southern Colorado (I live in northern Colorado) are going to become the norm rather than the exception. California is a tinderbox, Glacier is losing its moisture and snowpack, and some amazing wilderness is going to be lost to us. To say nothing of property, human and wildlife lives.
Weirdly, the fire itself didn't really generate much tension for me in this book. It was there, but I never worried about the characters being trapped by it. It was more of an inconvenience that meant a ticking clock- they had to leave crime scenes before the fire arrived or they couldn't go where they wanted because of the fire. Nevada Barr's "Firestorm" terrified me with its account of rangers trapped by fire and I suggest reading that book if you want a man-vs-nature conflict. This was still very much about man-vs-man.
There are several plot threads. First, the human remains that were unearthed. They have a possible connection to a loss in Monty's past, but he is stymied when he tries gathering evidence that might identify the body. I found this frustrating and look forward to discussing motives for not wanting to help provide positive ID with my book club tonight. Next, a thirteen year old boy goes missing from his family's campsite. This was the case with the most tension- the investigators doggedly chase down evidence of where he might have gone, and Gretchen has a lot of work in processing multiple possible kidnapping sites for hair, fibers, tire prints and more. Or did the boy simply get dragged off by a bear or a cougar? The author does a good job in portraying the unbearable tension that his parents felt. They were on a family vacation to try to introduce their children to nature, and now they are living a parents' worst nightmare.
Between the cases themselves, the multiple strands of the investigation, Monty and Gretchen's history and how it still affects them and their work, there was a lot going on. The characters had psychological complexity and the work that the author put into that complexity was a strength of the book.
However, there were also some weaknesses. Toward the end of the book, Monty just has a "gut feeling" that they are on the wrong track and should put their attention elsewhere. He's right, but it felt like he was right because he was the main character, not because logically he had anything to back up his feeling. The ultimate motivation of the killer fell short for me and devolved into a melodramatic final scene that I found unbelievable.
It felt like the wrap-up of the book was not as good as the build-up. This is not enough to keep me from wanting to read more by this author. I like her characterizations. Gretchen's description of sipping coffee on her property while watching the horses in the pasture next door prick up their ears to watch the sunrise went a long way to making me forgive the stereotypical villain. This author loves where she lives and she writes what she knows. I'd like to make another foray into the beautiful country around Glacier with her.
July 28, 2019
3.5 stars. The other book I picked up before leaving Glacier National Park was this suspense novel by a local author. I looked at all three of her novels, telling myself I would only buy one but did not realize that this was the third in a series. However, although there were references to interactions some of the characters had in the previous books, this book worked as a stand-alone. I love a good suspense novel when I can read it uninterrupted, which was not quite the case here, as we were enjoying exploring the area too much. I do believe that there are only so many ways you can weave a tale of suspense and you know the horror movie when the heroine is about to open a door that you, the viewer knows will lead to doom and you shout, “DON’T OPEN THAT DOOR!!”? Well, I found myself shouting at this book that the missing boy was hidden right under their noses – why could they not figure this out until it was (almost) too late?? Perhaps the smoke from the fires clouded their vision. Although this sounds like a criticism, Carbo does weave a good story that is fast-paced and interesting. The characters are believable with personal demons they struggle with while trying to do their jobs and solve both a cold case and the case of a missing boy, all while multiple fires are raging in and around the national park. I made the mistake of looking ahead to see how much more I had to read and happened to see one line that let me know the direction the book was going to go in. Shame on me but it didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the book too much. I liked this book enough that I might read Carbo’s earlier ones at some point.
April 23, 2018
Although it is a cliche for protagonists in mystery/ detective fiction to suffer demons and angst, and although this book had that in spades, it is a gripping story. The background of Glacier National Park and of the anti-government locals made the story seem even more urgent and even creepy. This is the third in a series but stands alone well. I will definitely be reading the first two.
But, let's hope that some of the angst will have cleared by book 4.
But, let's hope that some of the angst will have cleared by book 4.
June 12, 2017
I read Christine Carbo's first two novels, The Wild Inside and Mortal Fall, and loved them so I looked forward to a third with great anticipation. I have not been disappointed. Carbo seems to get better with each book and The Weight of Night is my favorite of the series so far.
Like the previous two books, The Weight of Night takes place in and around Glacier National Park in Montana. It's fire season and the forest fires are raging out of control. Amidst the conflagration, firefighters unearth a shallow grave containing human remains. Monty Harris, a Park Police Officer, and Gretchen Larson, a crime scene investigator, are called in to excavate the remains and discover who they belong to and how they got there. In the midst of all this a boy vacationing in Glacier Park with his family goes missing and Monty and Gretchen have to work fast to find him.
Monty and Gretchen are characters from the previous two books, and in this third one we learn a lot more about Gretchen and her interesting and tragic past.
I loved this book. The plotting is exciting and the action never lets up. Gretchen was one of my favorite characters from the previous books and here she really takes center stage. Monty is a wonderful character too and this book continues to explore aspects of his history and character that were touched on in earlier books. The story is told very effectively from both characters points of view in alternating chapters.
Carbo is a wonderful writer. Her descriptive prose is just beautiful and gets better with every book. I've seen her compared to C.J.Box and Nevada Barr, but those comparisons are flawed. Yes, she sets her novels in a National Park in the West, but that's where the similarities end. Carbo is a much more talented writer than either of them. Her prose is disciplined and beautiful. Her development of and insights into her characters is more profound and illuminating. While I love her skill at crafting mystery plots and maintaining suspense, I would read her work even if she didn't write thrillers.
February 3, 2020
I'm not up to date on this series but this was the latest I had and it is a great little series about violence in and around Glacier national park. I only had one problem with it. There is not many people in Norway named Gretchen. Greta perhaps but Gretchen is from German speaking countries and since germany occupied Norway during WW2 it's not popular to use German names. Still it's a great thriller.
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