Book Review: A Sharp Solitude

A Sharp Solitude, a novel of suspense by Christine Carbo
Available from Amazon for $12.99

Best Book I’ve Read All Year!

I picked up this book at random while perusing the library shelves and gave it little thought as I tossed the audio book into the front seat of my car.  It turned out to be the best book I’ve read all year.

In the Flathead region of Montana, a journalist has been murdered and FBI Agent Ali Paige is determined to find the killer. Unfortunately, the detectives with the County Sheriff’s Office have fingered Reeve Landon, the father of her child, as a person of interest, resulting in a conflict of interests that keeps her off the case. As the noose tightens, Ali must decide if she is willing to betray her partner’s trust in order to save the father of her child.  To avoid the law, Reeve escapes into the wilderness where he ultimately meets with disaster and needs to be rescued of the very agencies he’s been trying to aviod. 

What I loved most about this book was how well the author captured the feel of the Inland Northwest.  As a life-long resident of North Idaho, who has spent decades crisscrossing the landscape from Spokane, Washington to Glacier National Park I appreciated how the author wove the labyrinth of jurisdictional landscapes, political divergences, and rugged individualism into the story, capturing the rich and complex nature of rural communities in the west. The vivid imagery of the autumnal landscape drew me deeper into the book. As I read, I heard the flutter of aspen leaves, scented pine in the air, and felt the cold bite of frost. Never before have had I read a book that left me with such a deep feeling of being “home.” (Dead bodies notwithstanding.)

It was the perfect story for autumn’s dark days and I eagerly am looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

 

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