From the character building to the excellent description of glacier Park, which I found fascinating, Christine Charbo crafted an excellent novel. Thoroughly enjoyed this read!

Ted Systead .is a Special Agent for the Department of the Interior, When he was fourteen years old, he and his father were camping in Glacier National Park, when a grizzly bear attacked Ted’s father and dragged him to his death. Now, twenty years later, he has been called in to solve a murder and bear mauling. Through flashbacks, we learn the past story, but they do not hijack the present day mystery. Up against the Parks Police Board who do not want to hold the bear until the investigation is over, Ted is against the clock. Partnered up with a rookie investigator from the Parks Police named Monty, Ted is surprised at how much knowledge he has. The crime is gruesome and there are not a lot of clues. Ted is dogged in his investigation and questions everyone who knew the victim, several times in some cases, until he finally figures it all out. As we learn more about the victim, it is hard to feel sorry for him, he is a despicable person, but no one, should take a life.

Carbo lives in Whitefish, Montana and it is obvious by her writing that she knows the park and surrounding area very well. Her writing is very descriptive and I can picture the park and small communities. The setting brings us a lonely, empty feel of the wilderness of Montana in the off season. This story is an atmospheric mystery with a slower pace, making it seem very realistic. It takes painstaking detective work, false leads, interviewing and follow-up to get to the bottom of this mystery. It is not a thriller or suspenseful story, it is a mystery, that is character driven. With the main characters being an introspective detective, and his partner being a newbie in the field, there are a lot of scenes that involve interviewing. Many of the people of the area are loners, suspicious of outsiders, and are especially wary of federal authorities. The story has a meth epidemic and addictions as one storyline and suffice it to say, Christine Carbo does not mince words when she describes the toll that addiction brings to families and communities. The mystery was solved in a satisfactory way, but it is easy to see how and why crimes like this happen. Overall, I was pleased with this story and will look for others by this author.