REVIEW: Christine Carbo’s ‘The Wild Inside’ builds suspense around grizzly case
Christine Carbo is a welcome literary addition to the ever-crowded world of suspense writers. Her debut novel, The Wild Inside, follows a group of investigators brought into Glacier National Park in northwest Montana to unearth the truth behind a strange case involving a dead man, a large grizzly bear and the unnerving power of nature. The book is a solid debut novel that relies on deep characterization, thoughtful backstory and well-detailed descriptions to spin a tale that pulsates with energy.
The main character is Ted Systead, who works as a special agent for the Department of Interior, the governmental agency with oversight of the National Park Service. He’s called into national parks when a suspected homicide has taken place, and this time he heads to the Flathead Valley of Montana and Glacier National Park. He knows the area well; he actually grew up nearby and has vivid memories of the wilderness. Not all of these memories are sepia-toned and smile-inducing images of years gone by. When Ted was only 14 years old, he and his father encountered a grizzly bear while camping in the national park. The incident turned violent, with the grizzly killing Ted’s father and leaving the teenager with a lifetime of regret, confusion and guilt.
The fact that Ted needs to head back to Glacier to investigate a strange homicide case that involves a grizzly bear that feeds on the carcass is metaphorically quite important. As he tracks the killer, he’s also working through his past, almost like the murder investigation is a means of therapy, a release from the pent-up feelings over the years.
The case at hand is a doozy: A young man is found mauled by the bear, but the truly peculiar nature of the body is that the victim was tied up before the attack. This young man was left for dead in the national park, and the bear added a headline-worthy element.
Ted’s number two on the case is Monty, a park officer in Glacier. Together they make for a modern-day Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Monty is calmer and more by the books, while Ted, still dealing with those demons of his youth, is unconventional and knows how to push the top brass’s buttons.
Carbo, as a writer, is skilled in the art of detail. She dissects the crime and gives a clear picture of the many thoughts that flood Ted’s mind. She never overdoes his tragic backstory; instead, she lets that linger for several chapters, and then eventually she has him face his past head on.
Her descriptions of Glacier are marvelously rendered, and the book serves as excellent reading material before a visit to the park in this centennial year of the National Park Service. She’s able to capture the beauty of Montana, including the ferocity, power and beauty of the grizzly bear in question. She is also able to offer a simultaneous appreciation for the all-encompassing mightiness of nature and how humans can fall prey to its everyday routines. No one wins in their battle against Glacier National Park, so it’s pointless to take on the natural surroundings, trying to tame it, trying to outlast it, trying to figure it out. It’s best, as Ted and Monty realize, to wait patiently for nature’s answers.
This suspense novel is not like many others in the market. The case is important, for sure, but Carbo uses the murder as an entry point to offer details on several local families in the area. It’s her way of describing the unique aspect of a community living on the doorstep of heavenly wilderness.
The Wild Inside is an effective and powerful debut from a writer who deserves to have a long career of making readers turn those pages until the unexpected and satisfying end.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Click here for more information on Christine Carbo. Her second novel, Mortal Fall, was recently released.
- The Wild Inside
- By Christine Carbo
- Trade Paperback
- $16
- 416 pages
- Atria Books
- Rating:
