Charlene C. (mccoffield) reviewed on 3/9/2011 + 76 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

The setting for this Anna Pigeon installment is Big Bend National Park, in Southwest Texas. Most of the action takes place along the cliffs and banks of the Rio Grande, on the border between Texas and Mexico.

Ms. Barr has really come up with a good story line, which involves illegal aliens, dirty politics, and of course murder. This book sports a truly superior cast of characters - I found myself feeling quite sympathetic towards at least a couple of them - and plenty of rather controversial food for thought.

I think this is one of Ms. Barr's better books. It is well written and flows well, like a novel that just happens to revolve around a controversial murder mystery. With plenty of action, to boot, it is a page-turner and will be difficult to put down before completely read.

As a reader of the entire Anna Pigeon series, I have only two complaints. Since Ms. Barr is a retired Park Ranger and has actually spent time in each of the National Parks featured in her books, I wish that she would spend a bit more time describing the grandiose scenery and a bit less time coming up with a multitude of ways to cause her protagonist bodily harm. It is really quite rediculous how many serious injuries Anna, an aging park ranger, can endure, book after book, without becoming permanently handicapped. Thank goodness this particular book does not dwell on Anna getting pulverized nearly as much as other books in the series.

So, I give this 4-1/2 stars out of 5.

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