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 The Anna Pigeon Mystery Series by Nevada Barr
Relax & read - mystery list descriptions do not reveal major plot points.
Character's Personality: Anna is yet another of those brisk, no-nonsense, capable, outspoken, independent, middle-aged women found in mystery novels. (See China, Deborah, and Kinsey among others.) Within the range of this type, Anna tends towards being a loner. She's a bit flinty and sarcastic, and unusually physically strong and capable even for this type.
Character's Occupation: Park ranger for the National Park Service
Character's Culture / Ethnicity: unspecified white person
Character - Other Notable Traits:
Location and Time Period: Contemporary USA - various western national parks
Mystery Subgenre: Contemporary mystery with appeal for cozy mystery fans
Objectionable Material: Occasional profanity and mild violence
Series Description: (brought to you by kat impatientreader.com) I've only read a couple of books but I'm impressed. The first book conveys the breathtaking beauty of the American southwestern desert in vivid, succinct prose. Lots of desert lore and park ranger minutia ground us in fascinating insider detail and gives the story rich texture that is unusual in the stripped-down narratives of most mysteries. Even so, the pace never drags, and stays fast-moving.
Anna is a character marked by sadness: in the first book, she's a former New Yorker who fled to the wilderness to grieve over her husband's senseless death. She has a sister Molly, a New York City psychiatrist, whom she calls to discuss ideas. When hiking around (and sometimes trying to survive) in the wilderness, she's marvelously strong, competent, and knowledgeable.
Series List: Purple Copyright Date = I've read it. Title links go to Amazon.com product pages.
- Track of the Cat
 (1993) Agatha Award. Anthony Award. In Guadalupe National Park in western Texas, Anna finds a woman park ranger dead, apparently killed by a mountain lion. But a closer look reveals suspicious details – someone murdered the ranger and tried to make it look like an accident. Soon Anna may be the latest among her coworkers to fall victim to an "accidental" death. Many suspects! This is a tightly plotted mystery, and Anna's survival-at-the-cliff's-edge scene is a total nail-biter. Highly recommended.
- A Superior Death
 (1994)
- Ill Wind
 (1995)
- Firestorm
 (1996). While helping to fight a California forest fire, Anna gets isolated by fire and bad weather with a small group of suspects when one of them is found murdered. Sharp characterization. Fascinating and gripping details about how they survive a firestorm that sweeps over their individual man-made shelters, and what it's like to be cut off in the wasteland that results, especially once snow starts rolling in. Recommended.
- Endangered Species
 (1997)
- Blind Descent
 (1998). Anna struggles with extreme claustrophobia as she joins a rescue expedition in a vast unexplored network of caves connected to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. At stake is the life of her friend, injured under suspicious circumstances. Soon she realizes a murderer may lurk in the midst of the rescue party deep underground where everyone's lives are in the hands of their fellow cavers.
- Liberty Falling
 (1999)
- Deep South
 (2000)
- Blood Lure
 (2001)
- Hunting Season
 (2002)
- Flashback
 (2003)
- High Country
 (2004)
- Hard Truth
 (2005)
- Winter Study
 (2008)
Other Books by Nevada Barr:
- Bittersweet
 (1984) - lesbian historical novel
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