Reviews

Mortal Fall by Christine Carbo

lizaroo71's review against another edition

3.0

It seems I read this out of order, but I could remember enough of the first one to recall the main character, Monty Harris. This one circles around a wildlife researcher found at the bottom of a cliff. Foul play? Suicide? Bad accident? Harris is attempting to solve the crime when another body is found nearby. Two bodies in one week? Suspicious.

This becomes a family drama in some ways, but it is engaging and I like the characters well enough. The main reason I started this series is that they are set in Glacier National Park. I like the elements pulled in about the intersection of being a park ranger, conservation issues in the park and local interests.

abibliofob's review against another edition

3.0

I was surprised that the lead character was one that only were a sidekick in the first book but it worked very well. He also has to work with his past in this mystery of two separate deaths in the same place. This series is well written and enjoyable to read.

maryannetrengove's review

4.0

I literally downloaded this book the second I finished Carbo's first murder mystery set in Glacier NP, The Wild Inside. You do not have to read the first book in the series to read this one, though. The characters and story are independent of each other. I will say that having read the Wild Inside, I was kind of bummed that the main character in that book was not brought back to this murder mystery. Instead, Carbo expands on the character of Monty as park police in the lead role this time. In spite of feeling a bit sad that Ted Sistead, the primary investigator in the first book, would not be joining this story - I very quickly grew to like Monty. Carbo is really good at character development and by the end of this book I felt equally fond of Monty. The story is not quite as dark as the first one was, though. There is a biologist who is found at the bottom of a cliff in Glacier and the ensuing mystery of how he got there and why is interesting enough to keep you listening into the wee hours, but it's not quite as magnetic as the first novel. Of course, the sub plot in this book has to do with the endangered wolverines and not a boy/man in the woods with a grizzly, BUT it is still really good. Carbo does such an excellent job of working the demons of the main character into the murder mystery at hand. In this book, a traumatic event from Monty's youth and the devastating effect it had on his family is very deftly woven into the tragedy of the main story. Carbo did that in the first novel, too, and in both - it worked really well. This is my least favorite of the series, but I thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless. You will want to read them all - I promise.

hmonkeyreads's review against another edition

3.0

Interesting mystery story set in and around Glacier NP.

This had quite a lot of non-mystery family drama as well as the central whodunnit and as long as this series continues that is good use of space but only if the series continues.

lyndseylibros's review

3.0

The most disturbing part of this audiobook was the narrator’s incorrect pronunciation of “Willamette.”

juliabristow's review against another edition

4.0

Would probably give this a 3.5 if I could, I enjoyed it for a while but was pretty disappointed in the last quarter of the book. The conclusion felt very rushed and came out of nowhere to me - for a mystery novel it seems weird that the author would spend so much time talking about clues and having the main character follow so many dead end leads only for the answer to be something we could've never known or guessed in the first place. I would've enjoyed the book much more if some of those random leads had been cut and instead spent more time on building up the finale/giving the reader more clues that make the finale make better sense.

I also felt it was a bit slow overall; normally I don't mind this if the characters are interesting enough for me to enjoy their inner thoughts, but I didn't think the character development in this was strong enough to warrant the plot dragging out quite as long as it did. There was also the weird unfinished subplot of the main character's childhood friend, which was never resolved but instead we listened to him grovel over it in several parts of the book only to get no resolution for it.

Despite all that, I definitely did enjoy the story and loved reading the descriptions of Glacier, although I've seen in other reviews that they weren't as breathtaking as in the author's first book.

gawronma's review against another edition

3.0

Not bad. At times the story moved slowly. I liked Monty Harris. Carbo created a thoughtful protagonist.

abbzugh's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

hollyfromthebigsky's review against another edition

3.0

I read this shortly on the heels of reading Carbo's first. I liked it both more and less. I think the writing is better -- tighter, cleaner, and I didn't have to pause and re-read lines as I did some in the first book. That said, I think the story in the first was a little tighter. Having Monty as a local dealing not only with the case but his variety of personal struggles drew me in a few more directions than the first book did with Systead. I still quite enjoyed it and it's such a pleasure to read a book in such a familiar setting. A great read all around.

bookzombie's review against another edition

3.0

In the wilds of Glacier National Park, the body of a wildlife biologist is found at the bottom of a ravine. Monty, a park police officer, sets out to confirm if it was an accident or something more sinister. The remains of a second body are found not far away and the likelihood of two accidents is slim. I loved the setting of the park and surrounding areas. The main character is dealing with personal issues related to his marriage and his