Really enjoyed this book. Normally, I don't prefer female writers, but Navada Barr does a great job on spinning a story. One reason this book was especially good is that I knew quite about that part of the Natchez Trace. I spent 8 years as district ranger on the Homochitto Nation Forest (US Forest Service)which is south of the trace. I use to drive the trace returning from meetings in Jackson. Setting the green FS car on 50 MPH. Enjoyed seeing the rourist and commuters hit the brakes when they saw a green sedan with government plates and stack up behind it.
Helpful Score: 3
I just started reading Nevada Barr... If you like reading Tony Hillerman, you will like Barr.
Both use the outdoors for all of their scenes...
Both use the outdoors for all of their scenes...
Helpful Score: 2
This book is a stunning tour de force - the story of national park ranger who's relocating from the clean-blown, arid, mid-West to take a job up the bureaucratic ladder. The job happens to be in the sultry south of Natchez Trace, Mississippi. So the book starts -- with great atmosphere -- about change: change in locale, home, and work environment. Then the murders start and Ranger Anna Pigeon puts on her detective hat, meeting a Southerners on their home turf, sizing them up, trying to figure out hidden agendas - Who can she trust? Lots of excellent descriptions, about National Park sites, the Civil War, a clash of personalities and Anna's own self-doubt, are front and center. The author's love for the area is captured in superior writing skill and the ending is absolutely thrilling and terrific! This book is the crown jewel of Nevada Barr's writings - I have read it twice and enjoy it as much as any more famous book by other authors. This book will stay with you as the emotions ring true, the scene-setting is captivating, and the personalities are three-dimensional. Five stars all around!
Helpful Score: 1
Another good Anna Pigeon book. As she starts to think maybe it'd be better to move up the corporate ladder before she retires, Anna moves to Mississippi to be head ranger on the Natchez Trace. Battling against ingrained prejudice against women among her employees, rangers who have gotten out of shape and sloppy over the years, and her own dislike of authority, Anna must figure out who killed the young girl who goes missing at prom and she finds on park grounds. Along the way, Anna meets a handsome local law enforcement officer who supports her work and teaches her the ropes of the local culture...
Helpful Score: 1
Very good book. Anna Pigeon decides on a change of course and accepts a promotion to on the Natchez Trace in Mississippi. Great suspense and interesting story line.