I've been reading the Anna Pigeon series for a long time now. This is the 19th book in the series and I haven't got bored with it yet. Several books ago Barr introduced a couple of new characters Heath, a paraplegic and Elizabeth, who is now Heath's adopted daughter. In this book, Elizabeth is being cyber-stalked by an unknown person. The cyber-stalking becomes so serious that they decide to take Elizabeth to Maine and stay on a friend's secluded island, Boar Island, which is also near to Anna's new post at the Acadia National Park. The move unfortunately doesn't help the situation. Not only does the stalker follow them to Maine, but a murderer is also in the area.

 

One of the things that I like most about this series is that the stories are all set in or around National Parks so there is always an outdoorsy, wilderness back drop. This story also had all the makings for a cool setting- the remote deserted island and Acadia National Park but I didn't feel like the setting was exploited to its full potential. Yeah the characters stayed on this "island," but most of the story seemed to take part in the city and we never got a full view of the Island or the Park. I just didn't get my normal dose of the outdoors like I was hoping for. It was still an entertaining story though. Barr always keeps you enthralled with multiple story lines in play and this one was no different. I just hope she reverts back to a more natural setting in the next book and gives us the full park and outdoor experience like she usually does.

 

*I received this ARC from Goodreads FirstReads & the Publisher, Minotaur Books, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Isle Royale National Park,
Lake Superior, Michigan
Photo by Lorelei Lane


Rocky lichen-covered shoreline of Mott Island
Photo by gsgeorge


Rock Harbor Light in Fog
Photo by ohkayeor


Underwater photo from: Scuba Emporium
Chicago, Illinois


★★★½☆ (This is a review of the audiobook.) Though this novel isn’t written in first-person point-of-view, [a:Barbara Rosenblat|12492|Barbara Rosenblat|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1332211833p2/12492.jpg] sounds like the way I think Anna Pigeon would. She does a nice job here narrating. While she doesn’t do a lot of vocal ranges for the many characters, she does a good job of telling the story, and delivering Anna’s thought process.

Each book in this series has a different background setting in a U.S. National Park; this one is set in Isle Royale National Park, an isolated spot where wolves and moose abound, far from the sights and sounds of everyday civilization. As a protagonist, I enjoy Anna Pigeon, the autonomous - but insatiably curious - ranger employeed by the Park Service. In this second installment of her series by [a:Nevada Barr|43613|Nevada Barr|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1251393185p2/43613.jpg], I like that there is a complex mystery – or should I say mysteries – running throughout. So much so that I’m glad Shelfari has a list of characters to which an audio listener may refer.

I like Ms. Barr’s writing style, and she has a way of describing the stunning beauty of Anna’s soundings, be they an eerie underwater dive to a 1927 shipwreck in Todd Harbor off Kamloops Point in the depths of Lake Superior, or the kayaking sites around lichen-covered rugged coves of Passage and Mott Islands.

The island’s somewhat gruesome history—it was named for Charlie Mott, who had tried to eat his wife one long and hungry winter—was all but exorcised by the banal necessities of bureaucratic life.

In addition, I like that the multiple mysteries are solved along the way, not all at once at the end; some are connected, some not. I did have some issues with the ultimate justice for some of them, but not enough that I won’t continue with this series. Plus, it really did make me want to visit this beautiful National Park on the Canadian boarder.

I enjoyed the book. At times it felt a bit slow. But overall I enjoyed it. I'm not that into switching POV's but it was manageable since Anna had the most of it. I really liked both Anna's and Jenny's personality. I hope to see more of Jenny in the other books. And i think it would be fun if they would end up together. I like how strong Anna was when she was in the hole. And how well she fought. The plot was great, although I still think there's something fishy about Regis. Looking forward to reading the next.

McKittrick Canyon - Pratt Cabin and Grotto Trail


★★★★½ (This is a review of the audiobook.) I truly enjoyed the start of the Anna Pigeon series! I will definitely be continuing on with the rest of the books, especially when I see that they are narrated by the talented Barbara Rosenblat. I’ve heard her in countless audiobooks; however, in this one, like the Aisling Grey: Guardian series, she sounds completely different. Granted, she doesn’t have the international accents that she has in that series, but she does a wonderful job of the different southern dialects found in this mystery novel.

This was a good “who-done-it,” too. There are not a ton of suspects, but I think this is a good thing, as the handful there are are all pretty solid and kept me guessing. I can see why this won the 1994 Anthony Award for Best First Novel. For the most part, each book in the series takes place in a different National Park. In Track of the Cat the setting was Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas. The park was not just wallpaper, but became part of the story; from the mountains dotted with ponderosa pines, to the horned lizards or western diamondback rattlers along the limestone trails, to Gideon - a big chocolate colored quarter horse who dozes while Anna talks to him because he’s walked the path so many times. And then there’s the cougar with kittens that Anna believes has been framed in the death of a co-worker.

Cougar Cub


I was surprised some of the reviewers did not like the protagonist Anna, the widowed Law Enforcement Ranger with flaws. But to each his own. I liked her and look forward to reading more of her sleuthing endeavors. I especially enjoyed the dialogue between Anna and her older New York City psychiatrist sister, Molly, her shoulder to cry on.

“When I told Mother and Dad I wanted a playmate, I was hinting for a kitten,” Molly said. “I like being an only child. Do you here this?” There was a shushing sound, then Molly’s voice again. “That was me pouring myself a medicinal scotch and soda. You have till I finish it to fill in the rest of the story. Then I’m going to bed. Ready? Go!”

I just loved it. Certainly a GoodRead - or listen!

El Capitan - Guadalupe Mountains National Park


Images taken from, respectively:
http://www.virtualtourist.com
http://balancedecology.org
http://www.hikingtrailsblogs.com

Track Of The Cat A Superior Death Ill Wind Firestorm Endangered Species Blind Descent Liberty Falling Deep South Blood Lure Hunting Season High Country Hard Truth Winter Study Borderline Burn

Anna Pigeon, young and raw, in this series prequelAlmost twenty years after Track of the Cat, the first Anna Pigeon mystery, we have the prequel, the missing link filling in the story of Anna’s transformation from New York Theater type to national park ranger. In The Rope Anna is just a seasonal employee whose job it is to clean boat-dumped human waste off the shores of Lake Powell in Glen Canyon National Recreational Area. It’s only a few months following her husband Zach’s death and she’s still shrouded in grief, avoiding human contact as much as possible, when after solitary hike she finds herself coming back to consciousness at the bottom of a deep, dry well--naked, alone and injured with no idea how she got there. The plot spools out with Anna gradually figuring out what happened and taking action. Like all Anna Pigeon books this one is layered with National Park details, distinctive characters, and hard-earned philosophy. It’s 1995, a time when homosexual National Park employees like Anna’s roommate Jenny, an eventual friend and ally, have to stay fairly close to their closets. My favorite series character, Anna’s insightful, unshakable sister Molly, is on hand as the voice of sophisticated composure, mostly residing in Anna’s brain. This is not my favorite Anna Pigeon mystery, for me nothing can beat Track of the Cat or Blind Descent, but there’s a renewed freshness I’ve been missing from the later books in the series.