The Wild Inside: A Novel of Suspense

Recently I had my first taste of Montana author Christine Carbo's crime storytelling, and I enjoyed it so much I immediately ordered the first other books in her series. Starting back at the beginning with this, her debut, it's clear Carbo hit the ground running with her Montana mysteries. This is a really terrific read, with a unique and engaging protagonist - a federal agent specialising in crimes within the national parks who's never fully recovered from an horrific childhood camping experience.Carbo brings an incredibly strong sense of the rural and small-town Montana environment to her tale, infusing an exciting crime storyline with plenty of local colour and flavour. She has a keen eye not just for the natural environment but also the people who populate it. Wild magnificence and not-so-scenic communities. There's a palpable sense of the harshness and danger that lurks among the beauty and space. The dark corners and broken lives among those who live on the old frontier.The murder victim, a man left duct-taped to a tree in Glacier National Park, shot but left alive and then mauled to death by a grizzly bear, is local meth addict Victor Lance. His habit is not unique in the area, and Special Agent Ted Systead has to look into the burgeoning rural drug scene as well as many other avenues of inquiry to try and work out who could have left Vance to his horrific end.The buddy cop relationship between Systead and Glacier Park police officer Monty Harris has an interesting dynamic that feels fresh. Systead may be the central figure in the book, but all the characters, big and small, have a good sense of depth. Each has a past that comes to bear, each feels like a real person, none are just pieces merely being moved around the storyboard by Carbo.This is a texture, layered mystery novel that is about much more than just finding a killer. Carbo shows some serious writing chops, particularly given this is her debut. She brings the Montana setting to strong life, and digs into the internal and external worlds of her characters. THE WILD INSIDE is character-centric crime writing from a terrific new talent, set against a spectacular backdrop.

In many ways I enjoyed and I am glad I read this book. The setting in Glacier National Park and the surrounding cities was awesome. The author included many details about this beautiful park and its animals and recreational opportunities. The characters were well developed and presented as the story line (who-done-it) and (how did the unusual event occur) played out. I do think the plot bogged down just a bit in places. For me as a reader, I try to avoid books with detailed sexual scenes and profanity. For me, this book contained some use of profanity in a limited and an expected way for the character. However, the "f" word was used pretty abundantly, especially nearer the end. I wanted to know how and why the death of Victor really happened and who did it, so I read the ending.

If you like Nevada Barr, you'll like Christine Carbo. She takes you out in the wild and you experience her books as if you're one of the characters. Her knowledge of the natural world is huge and I learned a lot. The plot was twisty-turny and I never figured out the killer until it was revealed. A great read, and I just bought 2 more of her books.

Great read. Can’t put it down!

I enjoyed the book, but like others I found the character details a bit over the top. Most of the time is spent talking about every little feeling the main character has. You certainly won’t guess the “bad guy” because it comes completely out of nowhere and kinda seemed like an afterthought. It was a good read but I’m not sold on purchasing the remaining three books in the series