Great Addition To The Series

Monty Harris a park police officer in Glacier National Park. is introspective, stubborn and obsessive in his personal life and is faced with two problems,one professional and one personal. A wildlife researcher is found dead at the bottom of a cliff in the park and although it looks like an accident Monty is not convinced it was. When a second body is discovered in the same area a few days later he is assigned to investigate the deaths and so begins an outstanding outdoor police procedural to solve the cases in spite of pressure from superiors to call the two incidents accidents.

On a personal level he is struggling with the separation from his estranged wife and the appearance of a cruel, sadistic brother he has not seen in four years. He is also haunted by his dysfunctional past family life and how it is impacting his life creating a empty feeling that he tries to fill through obsessive behavior in his orderly life.I did not find Monty to be a very likable character but one that was very interesting to follow.

A good story to me combines a strong plot and story line, good character development and a fine sense of atmosphere. This novel has all three and is strongly recommended. This was an excellent listen for those who like outdoor mysteries.

R. C. Bray was outstanding with the delivery of the story

16 people found this helpful

The Action Moves At Glacial Speed

I loved Carbo's first book The Wild Inside and had hoped for more along those suspenseful lines. However, Mortal Fall, to me is so slow, so wordy, and so boring I'm not sure I can get past the 8 hour point. The writing lacks the beauty and poetic descriptions of wild Montana and Glacier National Park that filled book one. It leans heavily on flash backs and wooden dialogue. The character relationships are unbelievably superficial.

I find myself wondering if writers aren't pushed to produce books for a series faster than they are capable of managing. After all, well thought out mysteries take time to create, plan and ponder. This entry in the series is so loosely connected that at times I couldn't follow the vague, wandering story line. After eight hours of this I'm not sure I care enough to continue trying. This novel of "suspense" seems to be all talk and no action let alone suspense. Sadly, I can't recommend this book. In my opinion, it's just too boring and a waste of valuable time.

45 people found this helpful

Not as good as the Wild Inside

Any additional comments?

I will buy her next one, give another chance, in case she brings back the magic of Montana portrayed in Wild Inside, which was exquisite. This one seemed more like it began and ended in Montana but the rest was a lot of dialogue, driving around, and with flashbacks that didn't seem plausible. One of my main criticisms is how several characters sounded like they were reading direct quotes from Audubon or the Sierra Club magazines. People express opinions, but with less technical descriptions on environmental issues. Sure, I expect Fish and Wildlife employees to spout forth with life histories of wolverines, etc, but not guys in bars and hippies living near the park. I am an environmentalist, and did enjoy learning about wolverines, but the dialogue from too many person sounded like it was being read from sources as I mentioned above. The narrator was very good, maybe another Will Patton in the making.

10 people found this helpful

Good, CLEAN detective story!

The storyline was great, well thought out, good depth of characters, and an outstanding depiction of the area! Truly makes me yearn to see Glacier National Park!

The narrator, R.C. Bray was very good. I really appreciate the narrators who do a great job of simply narrating without trying to mimic the different characters. This guy was good!

Lastly, I so much appreciate reading a well written novel without having to dodge profanities and explicit sex scenes! That seems to be a rare commodity for books these days. I'll be looking for more of Christine Carbo's books!

3 people found this helpful

Mortal Fall Was Kinda Just That

I love Montana, the mountains, the wilderness. For that reason, I was able to stick with "Mortal Fall" until the end.

I was disappointed. This one just didn't have the suspense and didn't engage me like her first wilderness thriller. There was a prologue that was a distant connection, and I didn't feel like I was in Montana this time around.

RC Bray.. is always a good choice for narrator, and this novel was no exception.

Keep them coming Carbo. I definitely will be buying the next one.

10 people found this helpful

First book was great!

I really like this author's style and the plot is very intricate and well-woven. The reason I will not listen to anything else by this author that this second book has become a political/socialist/environmental rant. I get so tired of every bad guy being a white supremacist and every government being anti-environmental if the author is liberal. It changes a decent book into a political view, and that is not for me.

2 people found this helpful

GLACIER NAT'L PARK THRILLER YOU CAN'T STOP READING

CHRISTINE CARBO IS AN A+ WRITER, ADEPT AT THE LANDSCAPE, THE PLOTTING, BUT NOT ALWAYS SO SURE FOOTED WITH MINOR CHARACTERS. SPOILER: SHE BRINGS UP ACTION FROM PREVIOUS NOVELS SO IT WAS FAIRLY EASY FOR ME TO PICK OUT THE BAD GUY.

THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE PARK IS WEAK, EXCEPT WHEN THE MAIN CHARACER MONTY WAXES THOREAU. I CAN SMELL THE RUSSIAN OLIVES, THE PINE, THE WAY YOU DRINK DEEP WHEN STANDING NEAR THE FLAT AND LET A COOL BREEZE WASH OVER YOU.. AND THEN THE SLOW SWITCH FROM EARLY MORNING MIST TO THE DRYING EARTH AND DISGUSTING LA RUSH HOURR TRAFFIC ON THE PARK'S MACADAM ROADS.

I'VE BEEN TELLING EVERYONE ABOUT HER THRILLERS. AND, LIKE JOHN GRISHAM, THE VULGARITY IS SPARSE AND NOT MISSED. I THINK MORE PEOPLE SHOULD READ HER BOOKS IF ONLY TO LEARN WHAT IT IS LIKE TO NOT HAVE A CELL PHONE OR E-DEVICE ATTACHED AS AN APPENDAGE TO YOUR FINGERS OR EARS.

SHE IS A FINE AUTHOR BUT I RECOMMEND YOU READ HER IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER. I GOOFED ON THAT.

MY BIGGEST COMPLAINT IS WITH R.C. BRAY. WHERE DO THESE MEN GET LESSONS TO MAKE 99% OF THE FEMALE CHARACTERS SOUND DUMB, OR WHINE BUMS. AND IF THE ONE COUPLE PUSSYFOOTS AROUND TO BE OR NOT TO BE MARRIED, ONE MORE TIME, I'M GOING TO SEND THEM OUT ON THE LAKE TO SEE HOW THE LOONS DO IT. AND IF THEY ARE STILL DYSFUNCTIONAL, MAYBE CARBO COULD KNOCK ONE OFF IN A FUTURE NOVEL.

OH, IF ONLY A YOUNG SIMON PREBBLE OR GEORGE GUIDALL HAD BEEN CHOSEN AS NARRATOR.

I'LL RE-READ IT AGAIN, BUT BRAY SOUNDS LIKE HE'S SMOKED A CARTON OF CIGARETTES IN HIS LIFETIME & SOME PASSAGES WERE DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND, ESP THE PATHOLOGIST WHO IS FROM NORWAY BUT HAS A GERMAN*AUSTRIAN-CZECH ACCENT. I LIKED HER BETTER THAN MONTY.

I HAVEN'D READ ANOTHER MYSTERY SET IN MY OLD NECK OF THE WOODS THAT IS A MASTER OF THE MT LANDSCAPE AND THE JUGGLING OF SO MANY JURISDICTIONS: MUST KEEP THE BIG BOSSES HAPPY
NO TRIBAL PERSONS ENTERED THE STORY. AND SINCE SO MNY OF MY STUDENTS HIT THE TRAILS, FISHING AND CAMPING AS SOON AS SCHOOL WAS OUT, IT FELT VERY WHITE-BREAD, TO BORROW FROM WOODY ALLEN. I HOPE CARBO KEEPS WRITING FOR A LONG TIME. MAYBE I'LL TAKE A CHANCE ON BK 1 AND SEE IF BRAY ACCLIMATES TO MY EXACTING STANDARDS OF READING. AT LEAST BEFORE I GO HUNT HER NOVELS IN LARGE PRINT

2 people found this helpful

Christine Carbo: The Michael Connelly of Glacier

My comparison of Christine Carbo to Michael Connelly is meant as high praise for her abilities as an author. While Connelly vividly portrays the dark and complicated lives of L.A., Carbo does equal justice to her characters who live in and around Glacier Park.
More than ``just'' police procedurals, both authors delve into the mental processes and troubled pasts of their main characters.
In many ways I prefer Ms. Carbo's writing to that of Mr. Connelly's in that her ``novels of suspense'' take place in the grandeur of Glacier National Park, and this setting provides a counterpoint (and some relief) to all the sordid behavior that humans can be involved in (e.g., drug addiction, alcoholism, murder and just plain meanness).
I've read and listened to two of Ms. Carbo's novels (The Wild Inside and Mortal Fall) and found them both to be very engaging....Both novels have the added appeal of being placed in the same location but with different main characters.
I must also add that the reader (R.C. Bray) does excellent work in bringing the novel to life.
I look forward to reading Ms. Carbo's third novel (The Weight of Night). Hopefully there will be more in her series.

2 people found this helpful

What a great listen!

I enjoyed everything about this book; the characters, the story, and the narrator. can't wait to listen to the next in the series

2 people found this helpful

Hoping it would get better

Would you try another book from Christine Carbo and/or R. C. Bray?

Probably not

Any additional comments?

I think the premise could have made a good book, but the character hardly seemed like a hardy outdoorsman, with too much baggage to be able to focus on solving any crimes.
The narration was very monotone and I felt like I was listening to Joe Friday from Dragnet. But the one thing I dislike about any mystery is when it is solved in the last chapter by a stroke of luck. It seems more like a novel based on character development than an actual suspenseful mystery story.

2 people found this helpful