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Glacier Park Mystery #4
A Sharp Solitude
A gripping new mystery from the “fresh new voice in the thriller genre” (Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author) and author of The Wild Inside , set in the magnificent and brutal terrain of Glacier National Park—for fans of C.J. Box and Nevada Barr.
In the darkening days of autumn, in a remote region near the Canadian border, a journalist has been murdered. Anne Marie Johnson was last seen with Reeve Landon, whose chocolate Labrador was part of an article she had been writing about a scientific canine research program. Now Landon is the prime suspect. Intensely private and paranoid, in a panic that he'll be wrongfully arrested, he ventures deep into in the woods. Even as he evades the detective, Landon secretly feels the whole thing is somehow deserved, a karmic punishment for a horrifying crime he committed as a young boy.
While Montana FBI investigator Ali Paige is not officially assigned to the case, Landon—an ex-boyfriend and the father of her child—needs help. Ali has only one objective for snooping around the edges of an investigation she’s not authorized to pursue: to save her daughter the shame of having a father in jail and the pain of abandonment she endured as a child. As the clock ticks and the noose tightens around Landon's neck, Ali isn’t sure how far she will go to find out the truth. And what if the truth is not something she wants to know?
A Sharp Solitude is a study of two flawed characters, bonded by a child, trying to make their way in an extraordinary place where escape seems possible. But no one can ever really outrun their demons, even in the vast terrain of Glacier, the ultimate backdrop for a journey of the soul.
In the darkening days of autumn, in a remote region near the Canadian border, a journalist has been murdered. Anne Marie Johnson was last seen with Reeve Landon, whose chocolate Labrador was part of an article she had been writing about a scientific canine research program. Now Landon is the prime suspect. Intensely private and paranoid, in a panic that he'll be wrongfully arrested, he ventures deep into in the woods. Even as he evades the detective, Landon secretly feels the whole thing is somehow deserved, a karmic punishment for a horrifying crime he committed as a young boy.
While Montana FBI investigator Ali Paige is not officially assigned to the case, Landon—an ex-boyfriend and the father of her child—needs help. Ali has only one objective for snooping around the edges of an investigation she’s not authorized to pursue: to save her daughter the shame of having a father in jail and the pain of abandonment she endured as a child. As the clock ticks and the noose tightens around Landon's neck, Ali isn’t sure how far she will go to find out the truth. And what if the truth is not something she wants to know?
A Sharp Solitude is a study of two flawed characters, bonded by a child, trying to make their way in an extraordinary place where escape seems possible. But no one can ever really outrun their demons, even in the vast terrain of Glacier, the ultimate backdrop for a journey of the soul.
356 pages, Paperback
First published May 29, 2018
184 people are currently reading
2416 people want to read
About the author
Christine Carbo
8 books531 followersChristine Carbo is the author of The Wild Inside, Mortal Fall, The Weight of Night, and A Sharp Solitude (all from Atria Books/Simon and Schuster) and a recipient of the Womens' National Book Association Pinckley Prize, the Silver Falchion Award and the High Plains Book Award. After earning a pilot’s license, pursuing various adventures in Norway, and working a brief stint as a flight attendant, she got an MA in English and linguistics and taught college-level courses. She still teaches, in a vastly different realm, as the owner of a Pilates studio. A Florida native, she and her family live in Whitefish, Montana. Find out more at ChristineCarbo.com.
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July 30, 2023
A Sharp Solitude is Christine Carbo’s fourth novel. All of the books have been set in and around Glacier National Park in the northwest corner of Montana, and to my mind, this one is her best yet.
The book opens in Florida with a tragedy that would forever scar the life of Reeve Landon, who is one of the two main protagonists in the novel. Reeve ultimately winds up in Montana, working in the wilderness with his chocolate lab, McKay, for the University of Montana’s detection-canine research program. Essentially, McKay sniffs out the scat of bears and other wild creatures. Reeve then bags it up, labels it, and sends it to be analyzed by researchers who will extract the animals’ DNA and thus expand their knowledge of the wildlife living in the area.
Reeve lives alone with McKay in an isolated cabin and prefers the company of his dog to most people. The exception is his young daughter, Emily, who lives most of the time with her mother in Kalispell, a few miles away. Reeve and Emily’s mother were together only briefly, but they both love the little girl and share custody.
Out in the woods, Reeve and McKay almost always work alone, which is exactly what Reeve prefers. But late one fall, Reeve’s boss persuades him to allow a journalist named Anne Marie Johnson to accompany him and McKay. Anne Marie is writing an article for a magazine on the university’s detection-canine research program, and Reeve’s boss convinces him that the publicity would be good for the program.
Anne Marie spends a long day with Reeve and McKay, working through very difficult, mountainous terrain. Hours later, she turns up shot to death. Reeve was the last person to be seen with her and the local police bring him in for questioning. It’s apparent early on that they have convinced themselves that Reeve is guilty of Anne Marie’s murder.
Enter FBI agent Ali Paige, who claims an interest in the case because the murder happened close to Glacier National Park, which would have put the case in the FBI’s jurisdiction. More to the point, although most people don’t know it, she is Reeve Landon’s former girlfriend and the mother of his daughter. Like Reeve, Ali had a troubled past. She believes that Reeve could not be guilty of murder and, naturally, she does not want Emily to lose her father and to be branded as the daughter of a killer. In consequence, Ali begins working the case, even though she has no real jurisdiction and no authorization, and even though doing so could have grave consequences for her career.
Carbo excels at creating a sense of place. As these characters make their way along, the reader feels as though he or she is moving side by side along with them in this rugged, beautiful, and often treacherous environment. The scenes with Reeve out in the wilderness are alone worth the price of the book and will resonate especially with anyone who has been lucky enough to visit this part of the country.
The author is also very good at writing damaged characters, and both Reeve and Ali are expertly drawn. The story is told in alternating chapters first from one point of view and then the other, and by the time the book is over the reader knows these characters intimately. The story moves briskly and becomes increasingly gripping, so that by the end of the novel, the tension has built to a fever pitch and it’s virtually impossible to put it down. Readers who haven’t yet discovered this author are in for a treat, and A Sharp Solitude would be an excellent place to start.
The book opens in Florida with a tragedy that would forever scar the life of Reeve Landon, who is one of the two main protagonists in the novel. Reeve ultimately winds up in Montana, working in the wilderness with his chocolate lab, McKay, for the University of Montana’s detection-canine research program. Essentially, McKay sniffs out the scat of bears and other wild creatures. Reeve then bags it up, labels it, and sends it to be analyzed by researchers who will extract the animals’ DNA and thus expand their knowledge of the wildlife living in the area.
Reeve lives alone with McKay in an isolated cabin and prefers the company of his dog to most people. The exception is his young daughter, Emily, who lives most of the time with her mother in Kalispell, a few miles away. Reeve and Emily’s mother were together only briefly, but they both love the little girl and share custody.
Out in the woods, Reeve and McKay almost always work alone, which is exactly what Reeve prefers. But late one fall, Reeve’s boss persuades him to allow a journalist named Anne Marie Johnson to accompany him and McKay. Anne Marie is writing an article for a magazine on the university’s detection-canine research program, and Reeve’s boss convinces him that the publicity would be good for the program.
Anne Marie spends a long day with Reeve and McKay, working through very difficult, mountainous terrain. Hours later, she turns up shot to death. Reeve was the last person to be seen with her and the local police bring him in for questioning. It’s apparent early on that they have convinced themselves that Reeve is guilty of Anne Marie’s murder.
Enter FBI agent Ali Paige, who claims an interest in the case because the murder happened close to Glacier National Park, which would have put the case in the FBI’s jurisdiction. More to the point, although most people don’t know it, she is Reeve Landon’s former girlfriend and the mother of his daughter. Like Reeve, Ali had a troubled past. She believes that Reeve could not be guilty of murder and, naturally, she does not want Emily to lose her father and to be branded as the daughter of a killer. In consequence, Ali begins working the case, even though she has no real jurisdiction and no authorization, and even though doing so could have grave consequences for her career.
Carbo excels at creating a sense of place. As these characters make their way along, the reader feels as though he or she is moving side by side along with them in this rugged, beautiful, and often treacherous environment. The scenes with Reeve out in the wilderness are alone worth the price of the book and will resonate especially with anyone who has been lucky enough to visit this part of the country.
The author is also very good at writing damaged characters, and both Reeve and Ali are expertly drawn. The story is told in alternating chapters first from one point of view and then the other, and by the time the book is over the reader knows these characters intimately. The story moves briskly and becomes increasingly gripping, so that by the end of the novel, the tension has built to a fever pitch and it’s virtually impossible to put it down. Readers who haven’t yet discovered this author are in for a treat, and A Sharp Solitude would be an excellent place to start.
June 27, 2018
I absolutely love suspense novels that have an outdoors theme. This is the first book by Christine Carbo that I have read....and OMG....I have to read this entire series! I loved this book!
Reeve Landon works in Glacier National Park with his dog, McKay, as part of a canine research program. McKay sniffs out wildlife scat...Reeve bags it up....and researchers analyze it to gain insight about the wildlife in the park. Landon works alone most of the time, and likes it that way. Then his boss requires him to let a journalist tag along. Anne is writing a story about the canine detection program. Landon reluctantly agrees to the interview, and Anne accompanies him out into the difficult terrain of the park. The journalist is mysteriously shot to death, and Reeve Landon finds himself the main murder suspect. His ex-girlfriend and mother of his daughter is an FBI agent. Ali knows that Landon is not a murderer and although she has no jurisdiction in the case, she begins to investigate to clear his name. The chapters alternate point of view, adding dimension to the plot and developing the characters expertly.
I enjoyed this book because both main characters are strong, but deeply flawed. As the story develops, a true picture of their lives, former relationship and characters form alongside the murder investigation. The plot moves at a perfect pace clear up to the twist at the end. And the backdrop of Glacier National Park is superb!
This book kept my attention from beginning to end. It is well-written and maintained suspense until the very end. Very enjoyable read!!
I have already backtracked and bought a copy of the first book in this series, The Wild Inside. There are now four books in the series. I will be caught up and ready by the time the next book comes out!
**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Atria Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
Reeve Landon works in Glacier National Park with his dog, McKay, as part of a canine research program. McKay sniffs out wildlife scat...Reeve bags it up....and researchers analyze it to gain insight about the wildlife in the park. Landon works alone most of the time, and likes it that way. Then his boss requires him to let a journalist tag along. Anne is writing a story about the canine detection program. Landon reluctantly agrees to the interview, and Anne accompanies him out into the difficult terrain of the park. The journalist is mysteriously shot to death, and Reeve Landon finds himself the main murder suspect. His ex-girlfriend and mother of his daughter is an FBI agent. Ali knows that Landon is not a murderer and although she has no jurisdiction in the case, she begins to investigate to clear his name. The chapters alternate point of view, adding dimension to the plot and developing the characters expertly.
I enjoyed this book because both main characters are strong, but deeply flawed. As the story develops, a true picture of their lives, former relationship and characters form alongside the murder investigation. The plot moves at a perfect pace clear up to the twist at the end. And the backdrop of Glacier National Park is superb!
This book kept my attention from beginning to end. It is well-written and maintained suspense until the very end. Very enjoyable read!!
I have already backtracked and bought a copy of the first book in this series, The Wild Inside. There are now four books in the series. I will be caught up and ready by the time the next book comes out!
**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Atria Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
May 28, 2018
This is the first book that I have read in this series, and I enjoyed it. The book appealed to me because we frequent national parks when we vacation. The plot was interesting, and the resolution a bit of a pleasant surprise. I was not a huge fan of Ali’s old boyfriend (and father of her child), but that did not ruin the book for me.
I love CJ Box’s Joe Pickett series in which Box incorporates issues related to Joe’s job as a game warden. I was hoping this series was going to be similar; however, Carbo’s book focuses more on the characters and their lives and less on Glacier National Park and issues arising there. Previous books may incorporate the setting more; that certainly would be a big selling point for me in future installments. I received this book to read and review; all opinions are my own.
October 14, 2023
This novel opens with a tragedy. Nine-year-old Reeve Landon and his best friend Sam find Reeve's father's rifle under his parent's bed. Ali Paige imagines that moment of horror, second by second, because she has had a serious relationship with the shooter, a relationship that resulted in the unplanned pregnancy of their daughter Emily, now five.
Reeve has found his niche. After an adolescence wrestling with his demons which included petty crimes, alcohol abuse and juvenile detention, he now earns a modest living in the secluded Montana wilderness. Reeve is a scatologist. He and his dog McKay adhere to a rigid schedule locating wildlife scat which he documents and gathers samples. McKay has a unique ability honed by scrupulous training to pick up the scent of these biological traces. The solitude and narrow focus without distractions are the core of a lifestyle that's more of a necessity than a choice.
Ali too has found her niche. She's an FBI agent rotated to the Kalispell regional jurisdiction. The two-person office relieves her of the sexism and competition she tried to ignore in her previous posting, Newark. The combination of natural beauty and a small-town vibe seem ideal for raising Emily. Ali and Reeve share custody of her and provide her with the unconditional love and stability both of them missed in their own childhoods.
Most of these two stories are related in flashbacks. In the present timeline, Reeve has been arrested for the murder of a young reporter, Anne Marie Johnson, who was writing a conservation piece and accompanied Reeve on a trek into the back country to observe him at work. Reeve is apparently the last one to have seen her alive and the two detectives from the county sheriff's office have focused on him as their prime suspect. The circumstantial evidence they uncover accumulates with alarming speed.
Involvement with this novel requires a sense of connection with the two protagonists, a difficult task given their reclusive natures and Reeve's growing paranoia and equivocation during his interrogation. Ali's violation of the trust she has built up with the Kalispell authorities and even her co-worker Herman, is unsettling. She begins by observing the interrogation while failing to divulge her relationship with Reeve. Fearful that the detectives are failing to pursue other leads, she insinuates herself into the inquiry, flashing her FBI badge as if she were part of the investigation. She begins to uncover some tantalizing facts but is forced to pursue these leads alone. One of these important leads is that Anne Marie had ulterior motives for pursuing this particular assignment. This is the point at which the novel's suspense picks up momentum.
Author Christine Carbo employs the unusual technique of alternating Ali and Reeve's first person narratives. This makes this novel as much of a psychological probing as it does a suspenseful mystery. Ali is acutely aware of Reeve's emotional distancing and paranoia but neglects to examine her own repressed emotions. She frequently distances herself from these emotions by adopting an analytical stance based on textbook psychology. We also gain contrasting perspectives on how their relationship broke down.
Reeve finally reaches an epiphany. Disregarding the police directive to “stay in touch,” he and McKay trek deep into the most remote corners of his territory. Here, he finally has an epiphany. “Being solitary isn't all it's cracked up to be. Some people say there's a difference between solitude and loneliness – that solitude implies health and inner peace, a worthy aspiration. But now I realize that kind of solitude is possible only if you're connected to others in the first place. If you've already cut yourself off from everyone around you, then solitude will be your destruction.” (p.295) The question is, does this realization come too late for both him and Ali?
This is an unusual suspense story that delves into a labyrinth of relationships. I have to admit, though, that for about a third of the book I cared much more about McKay the dog than I did about either Ali or Reeve.
Reeve has found his niche. After an adolescence wrestling with his demons which included petty crimes, alcohol abuse and juvenile detention, he now earns a modest living in the secluded Montana wilderness. Reeve is a scatologist. He and his dog McKay adhere to a rigid schedule locating wildlife scat which he documents and gathers samples. McKay has a unique ability honed by scrupulous training to pick up the scent of these biological traces. The solitude and narrow focus without distractions are the core of a lifestyle that's more of a necessity than a choice.
Ali too has found her niche. She's an FBI agent rotated to the Kalispell regional jurisdiction. The two-person office relieves her of the sexism and competition she tried to ignore in her previous posting, Newark. The combination of natural beauty and a small-town vibe seem ideal for raising Emily. Ali and Reeve share custody of her and provide her with the unconditional love and stability both of them missed in their own childhoods.
Most of these two stories are related in flashbacks. In the present timeline, Reeve has been arrested for the murder of a young reporter, Anne Marie Johnson, who was writing a conservation piece and accompanied Reeve on a trek into the back country to observe him at work. Reeve is apparently the last one to have seen her alive and the two detectives from the county sheriff's office have focused on him as their prime suspect. The circumstantial evidence they uncover accumulates with alarming speed.
Involvement with this novel requires a sense of connection with the two protagonists, a difficult task given their reclusive natures and Reeve's growing paranoia and equivocation during his interrogation. Ali's violation of the trust she has built up with the Kalispell authorities and even her co-worker Herman, is unsettling. She begins by observing the interrogation while failing to divulge her relationship with Reeve. Fearful that the detectives are failing to pursue other leads, she insinuates herself into the inquiry, flashing her FBI badge as if she were part of the investigation. She begins to uncover some tantalizing facts but is forced to pursue these leads alone. One of these important leads is that Anne Marie had ulterior motives for pursuing this particular assignment. This is the point at which the novel's suspense picks up momentum.
Author Christine Carbo employs the unusual technique of alternating Ali and Reeve's first person narratives. This makes this novel as much of a psychological probing as it does a suspenseful mystery. Ali is acutely aware of Reeve's emotional distancing and paranoia but neglects to examine her own repressed emotions. She frequently distances herself from these emotions by adopting an analytical stance based on textbook psychology. We also gain contrasting perspectives on how their relationship broke down.
Reeve finally reaches an epiphany. Disregarding the police directive to “stay in touch,” he and McKay trek deep into the most remote corners of his territory. Here, he finally has an epiphany. “Being solitary isn't all it's cracked up to be. Some people say there's a difference between solitude and loneliness – that solitude implies health and inner peace, a worthy aspiration. But now I realize that kind of solitude is possible only if you're connected to others in the first place. If you've already cut yourself off from everyone around you, then solitude will be your destruction.” (p.295) The question is, does this realization come too late for both him and Ali?
This is an unusual suspense story that delves into a labyrinth of relationships. I have to admit, though, that for about a third of the book I cared much more about McKay the dog than I did about either Ali or Reeve.
June 21, 2018
3 1/2 stars. The plot was sufficiently complex, complete with an unexpected twist. However, the two main protagonists were so neurotic that they became unsympathetic. It’s difficult to accept Ali Page, an FBI agent, permitting her own deep-seated psychological issues to so cloud her judgment that she continually interferes with an ongoing investigation, despite her recognition of said interference. Of course, her activities will ultimately help solve the case.
Likewise, the other main character, Reeve Landon, is a man running from his past, and is so flawed that he permits himself to become the primary suspect when simply telling the truth would have likely exonerated him. It just feels wrong.
That these two are meant for each other is clearly the author’s intention, as they both are loners that would rather push others away than risk a close relationship. Nevertheless, the outcome and ending seem rather inevitable and predictable. The plotline is an interesting one, and the connection between Reeve and his dog is touching. Unfortunately, the relationship that Ali has with her young daughter is basically annoying and really somewhat superfluous to the story.
This is a well written book and the Carbo has certainly captured some of the wilderness and solitude of the countryside in which she sets her characters. It could’ve been a four-star book but for the constant stretching of credulity as Ali and Reeve continually do things that just defy common sense. I enjoyed the story and the book is well written. I simply wish Carbo had permitted her lead characters to be somewhat less flawed, but I understand that these characteristics were central to her plot. All in all, an enjoyable read, but just shy of being outstanding.
Likewise, the other main character, Reeve Landon, is a man running from his past, and is so flawed that he permits himself to become the primary suspect when simply telling the truth would have likely exonerated him. It just feels wrong.
That these two are meant for each other is clearly the author’s intention, as they both are loners that would rather push others away than risk a close relationship. Nevertheless, the outcome and ending seem rather inevitable and predictable. The plotline is an interesting one, and the connection between Reeve and his dog is touching. Unfortunately, the relationship that Ali has with her young daughter is basically annoying and really somewhat superfluous to the story.
This is a well written book and the Carbo has certainly captured some of the wilderness and solitude of the countryside in which she sets her characters. It could’ve been a four-star book but for the constant stretching of credulity as Ali and Reeve continually do things that just defy common sense. I enjoyed the story and the book is well written. I simply wish Carbo had permitted her lead characters to be somewhat less flawed, but I understand that these characteristics were central to her plot. All in all, an enjoyable read, but just shy of being outstanding.
May 30, 2018
Ali Paige and Reeve Landon have one key thing in common.
“We both seemed to be followed by a certain darkness like a stray dog you can’t convince to go away. It was as if we were always reminding each other that people never completely rid themselves of lonesomeness even in the company of a partner,” Ali tells us in A Sharp Solitude, the fourth entry in Christine Carbo’s Glacier Mystery Series.
Both Ali and Reeve, in fact, are haunted by that “certain darkness” and that is among the reasons they are no longer together.
Ali is an FBI investigator. Reeve, father of Ali’s child, works for the University of Montana’s detection-canine program. He’s most comfortable in the woods, alone, doing conservation and biological research. Reeve, we learn immediately, accidentally shot a friend when he was nine years old. Ali’s “certain darkness” is less tied to a specific moment in time and more from being witness to general family dysfunction and a violent father when she was young.
Reeve and Ali’s relationship is amicable, but no longer romantic. They are alone together. Their orbits rarely cross except to manage logistics around visits with the daughter, Emily.
But after reporter Anne Marie Johnson turns up dead outside a cabin she’s borrowing and since her murder follows a day that she spent with Reeve, watching him work with his energetic dog McKay, Reeve is quickly arrested. His only alibi is a furry chocolate lab. So who is he going to call?
Ali is keenly aware of the nature of Reeve’s “certain darkness” but she also knows he’s no killer—no matter the circumstantial evidence that points one big finger of guilt at her ex. As a seasoned FBI investigator, Ali also knows that her previous entanglement with Reeve means an obvious conflict of interest and she knows she needs to keep her mitts off the case. Very few people in Ali’s circles are even aware that Reeve is Emily’s father.
But Ali also knows the power of false accusations and, well, she can’t help herself. And if she just helps out a little, tries to steer things the right way and ask a few gentle questions, what’s the harm? This tension between Ali’s natural investigative instincts and her yearning need to “help” lend this novel a special flavor, especially after her status is exposed.
A Sharp Solitude is the latest in Carbo’s character-driven series and, as with the previous three, she has a new character on center stage. Ali Paige was a minor character in No. 3, The Weight of Night, while Gretchen Larson and Monty Harris (the stars of No. 3) are relegated to brief cameos here (and readers of the full series enjoy a smile when they appear).
Yes, character-driven. But do not for a second take that as code for “slow.” Thoughtful? Yes. Rich? Yes. Slow? Hardly.
Carbo flashes through quick, punchy chapters with a neat structure—alternating first-person points of view that stagger back and forth in time. We start in the present, a Thursday, with Ali and then go to “The Day Before” with Reeve. Back and forth we go until Reeve catches up to Thursday and then we get another glimpse of Wednesday and Ali lurches ahead to Friday and finally Reeve catches up as well. Carbo plays absolutely fair with the reader—you never feel cheated and over-manipulated (in fact, not at all). It’s quite the plotting feat and gives A Sharp Solitude a feeling of looming dread. The whole book takes place in a week.
Like the others before it, A Sharp Solitude is always about much more than the surface issues. The surface is a starting point. The investigation is nifty, the clues are fresh, and the final solution plays right to key themes of solitude, loneliness, and self-awareness (a common denominator for all of Carbo’s troubled characters).
Reeve and Ali are distinct humans with their own, specific woes. But each draws strength from the great outdoors. “I can feel the timelessness out here,” thinks Reeve, “the sense of eternity mocking me, pointing out my futile efforts to move through it each day, all day, to gather DNA, to survive myself. It’s a terrible feeling, as if the massive, unforgiving wild is snickering at my uselessness.” Even in the wild, when you can climb up to a high peak and see for hundreds of miles, it’s possible to overlook something right at your feet.
A Sharp Solitude is another stellar entry in a series rich with layers and an ever-expanding ensemble of memorable characters. Given the vast landscape and the endless variety of troubled individuals to write about, we can only hope that Christine Carbo has a long, long way to go with this compelling series.
++
By the way, an interview with Christine on my blog:
https://markhstevens.wordpress.com/20...
“We both seemed to be followed by a certain darkness like a stray dog you can’t convince to go away. It was as if we were always reminding each other that people never completely rid themselves of lonesomeness even in the company of a partner,” Ali tells us in A Sharp Solitude, the fourth entry in Christine Carbo’s Glacier Mystery Series.
Both Ali and Reeve, in fact, are haunted by that “certain darkness” and that is among the reasons they are no longer together.
Ali is an FBI investigator. Reeve, father of Ali’s child, works for the University of Montana’s detection-canine program. He’s most comfortable in the woods, alone, doing conservation and biological research. Reeve, we learn immediately, accidentally shot a friend when he was nine years old. Ali’s “certain darkness” is less tied to a specific moment in time and more from being witness to general family dysfunction and a violent father when she was young.
Reeve and Ali’s relationship is amicable, but no longer romantic. They are alone together. Their orbits rarely cross except to manage logistics around visits with the daughter, Emily.
But after reporter Anne Marie Johnson turns up dead outside a cabin she’s borrowing and since her murder follows a day that she spent with Reeve, watching him work with his energetic dog McKay, Reeve is quickly arrested. His only alibi is a furry chocolate lab. So who is he going to call?
Ali is keenly aware of the nature of Reeve’s “certain darkness” but she also knows he’s no killer—no matter the circumstantial evidence that points one big finger of guilt at her ex. As a seasoned FBI investigator, Ali also knows that her previous entanglement with Reeve means an obvious conflict of interest and she knows she needs to keep her mitts off the case. Very few people in Ali’s circles are even aware that Reeve is Emily’s father.
But Ali also knows the power of false accusations and, well, she can’t help herself. And if she just helps out a little, tries to steer things the right way and ask a few gentle questions, what’s the harm? This tension between Ali’s natural investigative instincts and her yearning need to “help” lend this novel a special flavor, especially after her status is exposed.
A Sharp Solitude is the latest in Carbo’s character-driven series and, as with the previous three, she has a new character on center stage. Ali Paige was a minor character in No. 3, The Weight of Night, while Gretchen Larson and Monty Harris (the stars of No. 3) are relegated to brief cameos here (and readers of the full series enjoy a smile when they appear).
Yes, character-driven. But do not for a second take that as code for “slow.” Thoughtful? Yes. Rich? Yes. Slow? Hardly.
Carbo flashes through quick, punchy chapters with a neat structure—alternating first-person points of view that stagger back and forth in time. We start in the present, a Thursday, with Ali and then go to “The Day Before” with Reeve. Back and forth we go until Reeve catches up to Thursday and then we get another glimpse of Wednesday and Ali lurches ahead to Friday and finally Reeve catches up as well. Carbo plays absolutely fair with the reader—you never feel cheated and over-manipulated (in fact, not at all). It’s quite the plotting feat and gives A Sharp Solitude a feeling of looming dread. The whole book takes place in a week.
Like the others before it, A Sharp Solitude is always about much more than the surface issues. The surface is a starting point. The investigation is nifty, the clues are fresh, and the final solution plays right to key themes of solitude, loneliness, and self-awareness (a common denominator for all of Carbo’s troubled characters).
Reeve and Ali are distinct humans with their own, specific woes. But each draws strength from the great outdoors. “I can feel the timelessness out here,” thinks Reeve, “the sense of eternity mocking me, pointing out my futile efforts to move through it each day, all day, to gather DNA, to survive myself. It’s a terrible feeling, as if the massive, unforgiving wild is snickering at my uselessness.” Even in the wild, when you can climb up to a high peak and see for hundreds of miles, it’s possible to overlook something right at your feet.
A Sharp Solitude is another stellar entry in a series rich with layers and an ever-expanding ensemble of memorable characters. Given the vast landscape and the endless variety of troubled individuals to write about, we can only hope that Christine Carbo has a long, long way to go with this compelling series.
++
By the way, an interview with Christine on my blog:
https://markhstevens.wordpress.com/20...
February 8, 2022
First encountered this book as a review by one of my Goodreads friends. Characters sounded interesting and I enjoy Montana so when he praised the author's descriptive powers I ordered it for my lunchtime "mental health" break reading. OK, so it made me a few minutes late now and then getting back to work but the book does pull one in. Told in alternating chapters between a local FBI agent and a local "scat chaser" (don't ask, you'll find out soon enough). He happens to be the father of the FBI agents daughter and no, they never bothered to tie the knot and they only interact with regard to the child. Interesting complications arise when he is accused of murdering a writer found dead near an isolated cabin. Lots of twists and turns make for an interesting tale and the descriptions of this glorious area are spot on. Having a hero dog also raises the interest level in this worthy read.
May 24, 2018
The dangers of the wilderness play a role in this novel, but they don't take center stage. Instead, the book focuses on two damaged transplants to Montana, FBI agent Ali Page and the father of her child, Reeve Landon. Both are reclusive, sharing their personal lives with no one and having found their solitude impossible to share even with each other. Thus, when Reeve ends up as a suspect in a murder case, he is less than forthcoming with the police, eventually disappearing into the vast unpopulated forest. For her part, Ali, believing in Reeve's innocence, becomes a rogue investigator including no one in her inquiries until it's almost too late.
This book is something of a departure for Carbo’s series, in that it strays away from Glacier National Park and from a focus on the outdoors that has the wilderness almost playing the role of a character in her previous books. Here, the focus is on the psychology of the characters. Ali grew up in a dysfunctional family, and Reeve accidentally shot his best friend when he was nine years old. Both of them deal with resultant doubts in their professional and personal lives, and their interactions with others are colored by these early experiences. The book progresses through alternating chapters told from Ali’s and Reeve’s perspectives, and from the past and present, and this keeps the reader engaged and anxious to follow the plot lines as they converge.
In keeping with the nature of a psychological mystery, even the secondary characters are well developed. In the end, Carbo provides the reader with a twist while not letting either Ali nor Reeve escape the consequences of their actions. The last quarter of the book is un-put-downable.
Thank you to netgalley for providing this book for review.
This book is something of a departure for Carbo’s series, in that it strays away from Glacier National Park and from a focus on the outdoors that has the wilderness almost playing the role of a character in her previous books. Here, the focus is on the psychology of the characters. Ali grew up in a dysfunctional family, and Reeve accidentally shot his best friend when he was nine years old. Both of them deal with resultant doubts in their professional and personal lives, and their interactions with others are colored by these early experiences. The book progresses through alternating chapters told from Ali’s and Reeve’s perspectives, and from the past and present, and this keeps the reader engaged and anxious to follow the plot lines as they converge.
In keeping with the nature of a psychological mystery, even the secondary characters are well developed. In the end, Carbo provides the reader with a twist while not letting either Ali nor Reeve escape the consequences of their actions. The last quarter of the book is un-put-downable.
Thank you to netgalley for providing this book for review.
November 23, 2018
Part of the allure of this mystery is the setting, in Montana near and in Glacier National Park. There’s wildlife, wilderness, mountains, and some very independent minded characters. They are flawed, damaged, and more than a little defensive and protective of their own. Ali, an FBI field agent and mother of a kindergartner and Reeve, a biologist who searches for grizzly bear scat with his energetic scat sniffing dog, have made a life parenting their daughter and satisfying their need to remain apart, uncommitted to each other beyond that. But things get complicated when a journalist who is doing a story on the scat project ends up dead and Reeve looks damned guilty by the local cops. Ali steps across some lines to find answers, Reeve treks off into the mountains, and witnesses’ statements don’t add up. Big stew of trouble!
December 7, 2021
As some other reviews have noted, this is the very best in this series, set in Montana just outside Glacier National Park. A great mystery, and a great story. I hope this author adds more volumes to this series.
October 19, 2023
Final book of the series! 3/4 mostly boring, and just people constantly lying for no reason. Then in the last quarter, suddenly a gun goes off, a bear attacks, and a lady confesses everything. Don’t know why we couldn’t have just started there and skipped the boring stuff.
Oh, and in this book series, we’ve seen, respectively: a cop’s daughter done it, a detective’s brother surprisingly didn’t done it, and a forensics lady’s dad done it. What do we get this time? The FBI agent’s baby daddy didn’t done it, but her baby sitter did. I guess the overall theme of this series is family drama and childhood trauma meets murders meets Montana politics and wild animals attacking.
Oh, and probably the worst part of this book was when the FBI lady bought a fish taco for her takeout lunch. In Montana. Unheard of, extremely risky. Made the whole plot just completely unbelievable.
Oh, and in this book series, we’ve seen, respectively: a cop’s daughter done it, a detective’s brother surprisingly didn’t done it, and a forensics lady’s dad done it. What do we get this time? The FBI agent’s baby daddy didn’t done it, but her baby sitter did. I guess the overall theme of this series is family drama and childhood trauma meets murders meets Montana politics and wild animals attacking.
Oh, and probably the worst part of this book was when the FBI lady bought a fish taco for her takeout lunch. In Montana. Unheard of, extremely risky. Made the whole plot just completely unbelievable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2018
Two stoic individuals who share traumatic childhoods and fiercely independent streaks, as well as a daughter from their brief relationship, rally the narrative duties back and forth in Carbo's fourth mystery set against the spectacular backdrop of the Glacier National Parks and rural Montana.
Reeve Landon became an unwanted poster boy for changes to gun laws in Florida after a childhood accident with his best friend. He went off the rails as a teenager, before finding some degree of salvation in the Montana wilderness. He spends most of his time with his dog, searching for signs of wildlife, and living in a cabin. It's a quiet, mainly solitary life. The way he likes it.
But then a journalist is found dead. Anne Marie Johnson said she came to Glacier to interview Reeve about the canine research programme he and McKay, his chocolate lab, were part of. But she was asking an awful lot of questions about gun laws and gun deaths, tempering Reeve's attraction.
Tabbed by authorities as the last to see Anne Marie, Reeve quickly becomes the prime suspect. Which is a huge problem for FBI investigator Ali Paige. Like Reeve she left a troubled past behind on the East Coast, and enjoys the space and solitude offered in Montana. She's a mother to Emily, but keeps her private life private. Can she keep doing that when her daughter's father is a murder suspect?
Carbo delivers a fascinating tale that blends a tight mystery storyline with a great sense of the Montana setting - the place and the people. A SHARP SOLITUDE is character-centric crime fiction, seasoned with plenty of interesting psychological and societal issues. Challenges for individuals and the broader community. There's a really nice balance - the story feels 'well-rounded' for want of a better phrase: strong mystery, good characters that are interesting and have depth, great setting.
The narrative switches between Reeve and Ali's perspectives, building tension and deepening characterisation along the way. Carbo brings rural Montana to vivid life (I've visited for a few days on my travels, and things rang very true for me, as well as deepening my perspective on the region).
There are a few 'what the?' moments along the way, where characters make some poor choices, but rather than feeling like dropped notes or 'author hand' clunkiness to force a story, these end up fitting with their characters and the world Carbo has crafted. There's a messy humanity to it all. An authenticity that deepens our understanding of angst-ridden characters scrabbling through life.
This is the kind of book you can just sit back and enjoy as the tale unfolds, but will have you thinking too. And caring. There's some nice texture and depth as well as plenty of intrigue in the storyline.
It was a couple of sittings read for me, a book I kept wanting to get back to. And when I closed the back cover, I immediately wanted to read more of Carbo's Glacier Mysteries.
So I went and bought books one to three.
Reeve Landon became an unwanted poster boy for changes to gun laws in Florida after a childhood accident with his best friend. He went off the rails as a teenager, before finding some degree of salvation in the Montana wilderness. He spends most of his time with his dog, searching for signs of wildlife, and living in a cabin. It's a quiet, mainly solitary life. The way he likes it.
But then a journalist is found dead. Anne Marie Johnson said she came to Glacier to interview Reeve about the canine research programme he and McKay, his chocolate lab, were part of. But she was asking an awful lot of questions about gun laws and gun deaths, tempering Reeve's attraction.
Tabbed by authorities as the last to see Anne Marie, Reeve quickly becomes the prime suspect. Which is a huge problem for FBI investigator Ali Paige. Like Reeve she left a troubled past behind on the East Coast, and enjoys the space and solitude offered in Montana. She's a mother to Emily, but keeps her private life private. Can she keep doing that when her daughter's father is a murder suspect?
Carbo delivers a fascinating tale that blends a tight mystery storyline with a great sense of the Montana setting - the place and the people. A SHARP SOLITUDE is character-centric crime fiction, seasoned with plenty of interesting psychological and societal issues. Challenges for individuals and the broader community. There's a really nice balance - the story feels 'well-rounded' for want of a better phrase: strong mystery, good characters that are interesting and have depth, great setting.
The narrative switches between Reeve and Ali's perspectives, building tension and deepening characterisation along the way. Carbo brings rural Montana to vivid life (I've visited for a few days on my travels, and things rang very true for me, as well as deepening my perspective on the region).
There are a few 'what the?' moments along the way, where characters make some poor choices, but rather than feeling like dropped notes or 'author hand' clunkiness to force a story, these end up fitting with their characters and the world Carbo has crafted. There's a messy humanity to it all. An authenticity that deepens our understanding of angst-ridden characters scrabbling through life.
This is the kind of book you can just sit back and enjoy as the tale unfolds, but will have you thinking too. And caring. There's some nice texture and depth as well as plenty of intrigue in the storyline.
It was a couple of sittings read for me, a book I kept wanting to get back to. And when I closed the back cover, I immediately wanted to read more of Carbo's Glacier Mysteries.
So I went and bought books one to three.
May 31, 2018
FBI investigator Ali Paige knows better than to investigate a case not assigned to her–especially, since the suspect is Landon, her daughter’s father. And yet, she can’t stop herself. She’s quickly lying to her partner and doing seriously questionable things in order to prove the investigation is focusing on the wrong person. Told in alternating POV between Ali and Landon, you get to watch Ali try to prove his innocence while slowly watching Landon’s life up until the photographer he was accused of murdering is killed. I really love procedurals like this that give you a good look into a case but also the personal lives of the characters–especially when there is an interesting job involved like Landon’s, who uses a dog for finding animal scat in the woods for scientific research. (The series is linked only by setting so it reads as a standalone.)
--from Book Riot's Unusual Suspects newsletter: http://link.bookriot.com/view/56a8200...
--from Book Riot's Unusual Suspects newsletter: http://link.bookriot.com/view/56a8200...
August 15, 2018
I would give it 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. This is my 4th novel by Christine Carbo, and she always delivers, with a wondrous setting (Glacier National Park in Montana), very good writing, and fully fleshed characters. I did not give it a full 4 stars as I found the behavior of the two main characters, Reeve and Ali, somewhat incomprehensible at times. I believe that Carbo tries to explain the reasoning for their behavior by going in-depth into their backgrounds...both of them are damaged. But I still was frustrated with their choices of action.
Reclusive researcher Reeve is a main suspect in the murder of a journalist. He seeks help from his ex-girlfriend, Ali, who is also the mother of his child. Ali is an FBI investigator and determined to investigate his case, at peril of her job. Reeve refuses to retain a lawyer, and he goes off into the woods with his dog, continuing his work, and faces his own peril.
Reclusive researcher Reeve is a main suspect in the murder of a journalist. He seeks help from his ex-girlfriend, Ali, who is also the mother of his child. Ali is an FBI investigator and determined to investigate his case, at peril of her job. Reeve refuses to retain a lawyer, and he goes off into the woods with his dog, continuing his work, and faces his own peril.
August 31, 2019
Christine Carbo gets better with each Glacier Park mystery she writes. Now she has set the bar very high. Her two protagonists both carry baggage from their childhoods which affects choices they make when challenged by extreme circumstances? Have either of them acquired enough self knowledge to escape life-threatening situations. A book that is so filled with suspense you will get nothing done until you have finished reading!!
August 17, 2019
Christine Carbo is a fine mystery writer. Her characters are deep and generally are trying to overcome troubled childhoods. The books are set around Glacier National Park in Montana, a place I love, so I buy every book she writes.
In this book, an FBI agent whose life is focused on her young daughter, whom she keeps secret, learns that the man who is her child's father (but not her lover) and helps take care of her is a murder suspect. He works with his dog to find scat for animal studies.
The book deals with the complexities of love and conflict of interest. It shifts back and forth in time. I found it gripping and worthwhile as a novel as well as a mystery.
In this book, an FBI agent whose life is focused on her young daughter, whom she keeps secret, learns that the man who is her child's father (but not her lover) and helps take care of her is a murder suspect. He works with his dog to find scat for animal studies.
The book deals with the complexities of love and conflict of interest. It shifts back and forth in time. I found it gripping and worthwhile as a novel as well as a mystery.
May 22, 2018
Read this review and more at www.TheRealBookSpy.com
Ever since he was nine years old, Reeve Landon has been haunted by an accident that resulted in the death of his best friend. Struggling to form relationships, Reeve wasn’t even able to stay committed to FBI agent Ali Paige, with whom he shares a daughter named Emily.
When readers meet Reeve, he’s wandering around Montana’s Glacier National Park, taking in the beautiful autumn scenery alongside his beloved Labrador, McKay, who helps him track animal scat. It’s not necessarily his dream job, but it’s a job nonetheless, and, all things considered, Reeve has come a long way from his troubled youth. When Anne Marie Johnson, an investigative reporter, shows up to shadow Reeve and McKay for a piece she’s working on, Landon is initially apprehensive. Things worsen when the attractive Anne Marie begins asking questions that have little to do with Reeve’s current job and more to do with the incident from when he was nine — a subject he has no desire to talk about.
The story takes a turn when. . .
Continue reading: https://therealbookspy.com/2018/05/15...
Ever since he was nine years old, Reeve Landon has been haunted by an accident that resulted in the death of his best friend. Struggling to form relationships, Reeve wasn’t even able to stay committed to FBI agent Ali Paige, with whom he shares a daughter named Emily.
When readers meet Reeve, he’s wandering around Montana’s Glacier National Park, taking in the beautiful autumn scenery alongside his beloved Labrador, McKay, who helps him track animal scat. It’s not necessarily his dream job, but it’s a job nonetheless, and, all things considered, Reeve has come a long way from his troubled youth. When Anne Marie Johnson, an investigative reporter, shows up to shadow Reeve and McKay for a piece she’s working on, Landon is initially apprehensive. Things worsen when the attractive Anne Marie begins asking questions that have little to do with Reeve’s current job and more to do with the incident from when he was nine — a subject he has no desire to talk about.
The story takes a turn when. . .
Continue reading: https://therealbookspy.com/2018/05/15...
April 4, 2018
Set against the breathtaking beauty of Montana with Glacier National Park as a fitting background, Christine Carbo does it again with this gripping, surprising mystery with flawed characters dealing with their own demons and past transgressions. This one will keep you guessing until the very end with a twist that you won’t see coming..
Highly recommended!
Highly recommended!
September 13, 2018
I met Christine Carbo at Left Coast Crime, in Reno earlier this year, when she sat at my banquet table and gave us all some chocolate caramel bear claw candies, which were delicious and prophetic. When I returned home, I read a starred review for A Sharp Solitude in Publishers Weekly and decided to buy the book.
At first I wasn't sure about the book and its pace and alternating character chapters; but I soon got into it. Ali, the FBI investigator, and Reeve, the nature researcher, lead very closed-off lives and don't share their emotions or information with anyone besides the reader. Slowly, but surely, we come to understand and root for them both. In addition, I was surprised by the resolution.
All-in-all a pretty good book and mystery.
At first I wasn't sure about the book and its pace and alternating character chapters; but I soon got into it. Ali, the FBI investigator, and Reeve, the nature researcher, lead very closed-off lives and don't share their emotions or information with anyone besides the reader. Slowly, but surely, we come to understand and root for them both. In addition, I was surprised by the resolution.
All-in-all a pretty good book and mystery.
May 16, 2018
A Sharp Solitude is a very introspective thriller, following the inner life and reasoning of its two main characters. When a journalist is found murdered near Glacier Park, detectives naturally look at all the people she spent time with there. When FBI agent Ali Paige discovers the father of her daughter is being questioned as the possible last person to see the journalist alive, she "checks out" the investigation to see if he or someone else will be charged without telling anyone of her connection. When Reeve Landon, her daughter's father, is brought in for questioning, he gets angry with the detectives attitude towards him, and does not give the whole story. The bulk of the book is of the two of them digging their holes deeper and deeper (and why) which I found extremely annoying. Both knew better but once they headed down that road, there was no turning back. Will Ali find the real killer before she loses her career, and Reeve his freedom? Will Reeve head into the wilderness for Canada or face the music? Who did kill the journalist and why. A good mystery viewed from the minds of the two main characters. What I found as annoying will just add to the suspense for other readers. So much exposition of the characters' mindset, even though it added depth to the characters and events, still slowed the story down in places. A good read, recommended.
My copy was an arc from NetGalley
My copy was an arc from NetGalley
August 16, 2021
Nicely written, good mystery with a surprise. I wasn't keen on one of the protagonists - FBI agent who kept interfering with the investigation for personal reasons. I had some sympathy for her, but it wore thin.
Nice to have it set in/around Glacier National Park. I always love those settings....
Nice to have it set in/around Glacier National Park. I always love those settings....
March 31, 2018
Rating: 3.5/5
I was attracted to this book by the title and cover and the setting in the wilds of northwest Montana, not far from Glacier National Park. FBI investigator Ali Paige becomes involved in a murder case, interesting to her because the suspect is her former boyfriend Reeve, who is also the father of her five-year-old daughter. With all these complications, Ali has to tread lightly while she investigates on her own, thinking all the while of her daughter, who is close to her father.
I had thought that the plot was predictable, since the themes of gun control and journalism came up early in the book. But flipping through and reaching the end, I saw that the mystery is not what I had expected and there was a twist to the plot!
I was attracted to this book by the title and cover and the setting in the wilds of northwest Montana, not far from Glacier National Park. FBI investigator Ali Paige becomes involved in a murder case, interesting to her because the suspect is her former boyfriend Reeve, who is also the father of her five-year-old daughter. With all these complications, Ali has to tread lightly while she investigates on her own, thinking all the while of her daughter, who is close to her father.
I had thought that the plot was predictable, since the themes of gun control and journalism came up early in the book. But flipping through and reaching the end, I saw that the mystery is not what I had expected and there was a twist to the plot!
March 25, 2018
Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Ali and Reeve are both equally interesting lead characters. The format of telling the story from both of their alternating perspectives, before and during the crime, made it a page-turning suspense. Their emotional insecurities were believably linked to their childhoods without spending too much time describing them. The details of the crime were discovered at a good pace and keep you changing your mind about the guilty party until the very end.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Ali and Reeve are both equally interesting lead characters. The format of telling the story from both of their alternating perspectives, before and during the crime, made it a page-turning suspense. Their emotional insecurities were believably linked to their childhoods without spending too much time describing them. The details of the crime were discovered at a good pace and keep you changing your mind about the guilty party until the very end.
May 29, 2018
Commanding and exquisitely rugged, Christine Carbo’s A SHARP SOLITUDE delivers a compelling portrait of two damaged souls running from the past. An intensely private FBI agent meddles in a sticky murder investigation where she doesn’t belong. And the chief suspect is her ex, the father of her child. Brilliantly written in confident, flowing prose, A SHARP SOLITUDE is a paean to the unforgiving landscape of the Montana wilderness, lovingly painted in all its beautiful and savage glory. Carbo’s finest novel yet.
Highest recommendation.
Highest recommendation.
June 28, 2018
(3). I normally get pretty turned off by these books that preface every chapter with the name of the person they are working from, but this one was solid enough to keep me going. A good plot, a couple of good characters, the most wonderful setting in Glacier National Park and a very cool canine keep you going. The way the layers of the story unfold make for an easy read and the twists and turns at the end are well done. There is a tiny bit of sap at the very finish but it was not unexpected. Good fun.
August 9, 2020
I loved the first book in this series and found book two confusing before I got that the main charater shifts with every story. Book three was probably the wors and this fourth one was really good. The setting is the same in all four books, some characters are involved in all the stories but as mentioned the main charater is different in all books. It's actually a refreshing way to write and I like it.
January 18, 2020
I gave up on this one halfway through. It feels like a gun control protest dressed up as a novel. And stupidest investigator ever. Hides the fact the main suspect is the father of her child (somehow), tampers with the crime scene. Just ridiculous.
May 5, 2019
As always, the Rocky Mountains of Glacier Park are the witness and central character in the story. Of the humans, the main characters are drawn together through extreme trauma of gun violence and the so-called accidents of children finding and firing their parents' unlocked but loaded guns.
What Carbo does particularly well in this book is to bridge between the extraordinary horrors of childhood shootings, and the very ordinary terrors probably felt by every human being. For example, she explores the delicate edge between times where we have courage and where we crumble and how our pasts do and don't define our behaviour and limits.
How does anybody understand what enables some people to break through the barriers that would make them small, and others with the same genes and environment simply fall apart?
This is such a central theme for me as I look back on the first sixty years of my life. I was blessed with so much energy - and over the decades have learned to partially guide that energy. I was also cursed with a lot of self doubt and loneliness - and again, over the decades, have partially come to terms with that. Is this a personal achievement, or a blessing? I suspect a bit of both - and this is what Carbo explores so well in the book.
And the wild is, like I said earlier, the real hero of the book and the series. It is where her characters find their strength and wisdom:
For Carbo and her characters, nature is both a witness and an inspiration.
I am inspired by the author and her characters - human and wilderness.
And it is not all transcendant - for example she also explores how "one malignant move could make her veer into an entirely different lane for the rest of her life" - the brutal truth that anybody who stays more or less in the lane of honour and truth is partly brave and disciplined, and partly simply lucky.
What runs deep through the story is the struggle of human beings to survive their scarring and deep hurt. In particular, our two main characters have both had the kind of childhood trauma that makes it hard for them to survive (one a childhood shooting, the other an addicted and abusive parent) - yet somehow, day by day, they find ways to put together a life that shifts course from what their ancestry would dictate.
I have enjoyed all her books for the sharp, deep connection with brutal sensual wild nature. As they have unfolded I've also been drawn into her examination of extremely wounded human beings. This fourth novel in the series is probably my favourite so far.
What Carbo does particularly well in this book is to bridge between the extraordinary horrors of childhood shootings, and the very ordinary terrors probably felt by every human being. For example, she explores the delicate edge between times where we have courage and where we crumble and how our pasts do and don't define our behaviour and limits.
I’m not going to make excuses for my own strong will. Somehow, against the torn backdrop of my own upbringing, my anger and bullheadedness fueled me to keep my grades up and enabled me to push myself to go to college even though I never felt like I belonged there. It was the fire that drove me to overcome the temptations that my sister fell prey to so easily.
How does anybody understand what enables some people to break through the barriers that would make them small, and others with the same genes and environment simply fall apart?
This is such a central theme for me as I look back on the first sixty years of my life. I was blessed with so much energy - and over the decades have learned to partially guide that energy. I was also cursed with a lot of self doubt and loneliness - and again, over the decades, have partially come to terms with that. Is this a personal achievement, or a blessing? I suspect a bit of both - and this is what Carbo explores so well in the book.
And the wild is, like I said earlier, the real hero of the book and the series. It is where her characters find their strength and wisdom:
The wild doesn’t solve or even erase your problems, it simply helps you balance them. Helps you find a fulcrum between your inner and outer focus.
For Carbo and her characters, nature is both a witness and an inspiration.
the will to endure is not just in the nature I traipse through each day; it’s inside of me too
I am inspired by the author and her characters - human and wilderness.
And it is not all transcendant - for example she also explores how "one malignant move could make her veer into an entirely different lane for the rest of her life" - the brutal truth that anybody who stays more or less in the lane of honour and truth is partly brave and disciplined, and partly simply lucky.
What runs deep through the story is the struggle of human beings to survive their scarring and deep hurt. In particular, our two main characters have both had the kind of childhood trauma that makes it hard for them to survive (one a childhood shooting, the other an addicted and abusive parent) - yet somehow, day by day, they find ways to put together a life that shifts course from what their ancestry would dictate.
I have enjoyed all her books for the sharp, deep connection with brutal sensual wild nature. As they have unfolded I've also been drawn into her examination of extremely wounded human beings. This fourth novel in the series is probably my favourite so far.
April 28, 2018
I've been reading Christine Carbo's suspenseful novels set in Glacier National Park since NetGalley offered the first one (The Wild Inside) in 2015. The natural beauty of the park and the often terrifying threats of the wilderness are always crucial elements in the novels. The park itself is more than setting; it is character as well.
Carbo's tendency to take a minor character from one novel and give him or her a lead in the next novel is much the same as in Tana French's novels. This penchant of developing secondary characters contributes a freshness and energy to each succeeding plot.
A Sharp Solitude features FBI investigator Ali Paige and Reeve Landon. Landon is Ali's former boyfriend and the father of her daughter. When Anne Marie Johnson (a journalist who was last seen accompanying Reeve Landon and his service dog for an article she was writing) is murdered, Landon becomes the chief suspect. Intensely private and with a secret past he is desperate to keep hidden, Landon is arrested after not admitting that Anne Marie visited his cabin.
Ali Paige refuses to believe Landon is guilty and gets involved in the investigation using her FBI position to get information. But Ali is not authorized to do so and is jeopardizing her own career. She is also afraid she may discover something she doesn't want to know.
I thought I knew where the novel was going because issues concerning gun control appear early, but while that is an interesting aspect, the truth is something different.
Shifting between Reeve Landon and Ali's perspectives, the reader learns of the events in their pasts that contribute to the situation in which they find themselves.
Monte Harris and Gretchen Larsen have only cameo appearances.
A fine addition to this series, but I wonder who will take the lead in the next installment.
Read in March; blog review scheduled for May 17.
NetGalley/Attria Books
Suspense. May 29, 2018. Print length: 368 pages
Carbo's tendency to take a minor character from one novel and give him or her a lead in the next novel is much the same as in Tana French's novels. This penchant of developing secondary characters contributes a freshness and energy to each succeeding plot.
A Sharp Solitude features FBI investigator Ali Paige and Reeve Landon. Landon is Ali's former boyfriend and the father of her daughter. When Anne Marie Johnson (a journalist who was last seen accompanying Reeve Landon and his service dog for an article she was writing) is murdered, Landon becomes the chief suspect. Intensely private and with a secret past he is desperate to keep hidden, Landon is arrested after not admitting that Anne Marie visited his cabin.
Ali Paige refuses to believe Landon is guilty and gets involved in the investigation using her FBI position to get information. But Ali is not authorized to do so and is jeopardizing her own career. She is also afraid she may discover something she doesn't want to know.
I thought I knew where the novel was going because issues concerning gun control appear early, but while that is an interesting aspect, the truth is something different.
Shifting between Reeve Landon and Ali's perspectives, the reader learns of the events in their pasts that contribute to the situation in which they find themselves.
Monte Harris and Gretchen Larsen have only cameo appearances.
A fine addition to this series, but I wonder who will take the lead in the next installment.
Read in March; blog review scheduled for May 17.
NetGalley/Attria Books
Suspense. May 29, 2018. Print length: 368 pages
April 17, 2022
We travel to the mountains in Montana. 🏞
The author does an excellent job in describing the wilderness. In this story you will read about guns and laws. Lots to think about in having guns, kinda of pros and cons.
Anywho…..
Two protagonists that you want to love and hate. I didn’t hate but they made me angry at their hang ups. I loved McKay, a chocolate lab!
Reeve and Ali. Two ex-lovers with demons and nightmares. They have a child, Emily, bless her little 💜 heart.
Reeve…poor, poor Reeve. A childhood accident has messed him up really bad. Lived a life of drugs, alcohol and juvie. Parents divorced because of the overbearing, unforgiving and unsympathetic father after the accident.
Reeve leaves his home town as an adult and moves to Montana to get his shit together. He finds an ideal job working with an adopted and loyal dog, McKay, with a conservation and biological research company. The dog sniffs out scat from wildlife and Reeve bags it and sends it off. As a reward the dog gets to play fetch which he loves 💯%‼️
I loved the bond between a dog and his master. In the story this dog will do more than fetch for Reeve that will have you chewing your nails. 😦
Ali…an FBI ex girlfriend and has commitment issues. When she becomes pregnant, Reeve proposes but she backs off. Yep, you guessed bad home and family issues.
But Ali becomes involved in the investigation for murder that supposedly Reeve is the primary suspect, though it is not in her jurisdiction. She secretly digs, investigates and gets into trouble with the police and her own partner.
Can she solve this crime before she ruins her relationship with her partner and her own daughter??
This is a great read and I may have to go find the other three books this author has written where they all take place in the beautiful Glacier National Park.
The author does an excellent job in describing the wilderness. In this story you will read about guns and laws. Lots to think about in having guns, kinda of pros and cons.
Anywho…..
Two protagonists that you want to love and hate. I didn’t hate but they made me angry at their hang ups. I loved McKay, a chocolate lab!
Reeve and Ali. Two ex-lovers with demons and nightmares. They have a child, Emily, bless her little 💜 heart.
Reeve…poor, poor Reeve. A childhood accident has messed him up really bad. Lived a life of drugs, alcohol and juvie. Parents divorced because of the overbearing, unforgiving and unsympathetic father after the accident.
Reeve leaves his home town as an adult and moves to Montana to get his shit together. He finds an ideal job working with an adopted and loyal dog, McKay, with a conservation and biological research company. The dog sniffs out scat from wildlife and Reeve bags it and sends it off. As a reward the dog gets to play fetch which he loves 💯%‼️
I loved the bond between a dog and his master. In the story this dog will do more than fetch for Reeve that will have you chewing your nails. 😦
Ali…an FBI ex girlfriend and has commitment issues. When she becomes pregnant, Reeve proposes but she backs off. Yep, you guessed bad home and family issues.
But Ali becomes involved in the investigation for murder that supposedly Reeve is the primary suspect, though it is not in her jurisdiction. She secretly digs, investigates and gets into trouble with the police and her own partner.
Can she solve this crime before she ruins her relationship with her partner and her own daughter??
This is a great read and I may have to go find the other three books this author has written where they all take place in the beautiful Glacier National Park.
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