Endangered Species

The fifth Anna Pigeon novel. Here Anna is on temporary assignment on Cumberland Island, Georgia, where the loggerhead turtles are in the process of laying eggs; heat, humidity and insects plague her existence; drought is making fire watch a necessary function of the National Park Service, and something sinister is afoot. (Shocking, I know.) Anna takes her usual tack of ignoring protocols and even some legal restraints, to do her own sleuthing when a drug interdiction surveillance plane crashes, killing two of their crew. She craves solitude, and never seems to learn that going it alone is how she gets into trouble, personally and professionally. This one had a bit more fun in it than some---more humor, and some amusing banter between show more Anna and her colleagues. show less

This was a good Anna Pigeon novel. In parts slow as she continually mulled over the endless facets of strange events and crimes, but I still love Anna’s character; her appreciation of nature and wide open spaces (which most people don’t know is actually pretty rare among employees in government-type conservation organizations), and her simple, down-to-earth being.

I liked the writing in this book too. This is the sort of passage I find particularly skilled (from page 183 of the paperback):

“This murder was not unlike the Deep South itself, intricate, slow-moving, relationships unclear, each aspect draped or veiled by something else. Facts married to their first cousins producing information that was slightly out of whack.”

That’s show more funny.

Otherwise, it is never quite clear why Anna, a temporary fire presuppression person, is the one hunting down a killer or killers on federal lands instead of like... oh, I don’t know, maybe the FBI, but she does nonetheless. And as she is continually shot and beaten up and drowned and set on fire and murdered and... oh, wait, maybe one of two of those things didn’t happen to her but only seemed to... anyway... how she can get repeatedly knocked down and then bounce back up like a video game hero (or the Energizer Bunny) and take down the bad guys is always impressive.

Worth reading. show less

Book # 5 in the Anna Pigeon series finds Anna on temporary fire-suppression duty at Cumberland Island National Seashore. You’d think an island would have plenty of water sources but you’d be incorrect. The protection of the environment requires that they use fresh water to fight any inland blaze not the abundant sea water. One endangered species that doesn’t mind the salt water is the loggerhead turtle; it’s egg-laying season so the rangers and volunteers are ensuring that the turtles can come ashore safely to dig their nests. When a plume of smoke is spotted in an all-but-inaccessible meadow everyone rushes to the scene. What they find is their own drug-interdiction plane with the charred remains of two passengers. Was it an show more accident or was it murder?

I like Anna Pigeon. She’s smart, resourceful, strong and independent. I wish she didn’t take so many foolish chances – going into dark places on her own and without any weapon or back-up, for example. Then again, when she gets in a jam she usually gets herself out of it rather than wait to be rescued.

The books are very atmospheric in terms of scenery. Barr writes about the wonders of the national parks – the majestic beauty of these largely uninhabited expanses, the deep quiet of a starry night, the silvery light of a moon on water, the green light of a deep forest. I also like that the books gives a realistic look at true wilderness life, even though my skin was crawling with all the depictions of spiders, ticks, snakes, chiggers, mosquitos etc. Made me want to take a shower every other page ….

Barr included a side-story involving Anna’s sister, Molly that added nothing to this plot and slowed the action. Still, there are plenty of suspects, several red herrings, multiple plot twists and a colorful (if slightly over-the-top) cast of characters; all of which kept me turning pages. It’s a solid mystery. show less

Anna is on fire watch (a temporary assignment) at the Cumberland Island National Seashore when a plane goes down. It isn't long until foul play is suspected. In the mean time, Anna's sister, a psychiatrist in New York City, is receiving threats. Anna sends her boyfriend FBI agent Frederick Stanton to investigate. I have read several books in which loggerhead turtles have played a part in the story, and I'm always amazed at the work the volunteers do to help the species survive. I enjoyed the national park setting more than the mystery itself in this one. There are a few amusing scenes as well. It wasn't a bad installment, but it wasn't my favorite either.

Temporarily working as a presuppression firefighter on Cumberland Island, GA, for three weeks, Anna was ready to soak up the sun, breathe the fresh ocean air, and witness the hatching of the endangered baby loggerhead turtles while raking in some much-needed overtime pay. But, after a fatal plane crash on the island, she finds herself investigating a possible murder as an NPS law enforcement officer. Surrounding her is another cast of quirky, semi-strange co-workers who seem to flock to the National Park Ranger positions. The plot in this fifth book in the series—laced with magnificent descriptions of the local wildlife and landscape—is captivating and suspenseful as Anna gets beat up, attacked by ticks and chiggers, then nearly show more killed while trying to bring down a killer. Good to the last page. show less

#5 Anna Pigeon, national park ranger mystery series, in which Anna is on the ‘fire watch’ team on Cumberland Island off the coast of Georgia. Unlike the previous book, Firestorm, however, there’s really no fire action, except for a small blaze triggered by a small plane crash—and this crash sets the entire mystery. The pilot flew drug interdiction patrols for the park service, and the other was the chief ranger on the island, though that wasn’t discovered immediately—someone else was supposed to be flying with the pilot. When it’s discovered that the plane was tampered with, causing a deliberate crash, this complicates figuring out who was intended to die and who had motive. As usual, Barr sets the scene brilliantly by show more putting you out in the middle of the wilderness and you end up learning a bit, too. A side thread through the book has to do with loggerhead turtles and their mating/egg laying rituals, which I quite enjoyed. I liked this book in the series very much, almost as much as Firestorm, the previous entry. I’ve found this to be a sort of ‘hit or miss’ series, but with two hits in a row, I’m eager to move on ahead. Well-written, and with a mystery that I didn’t figure out totally til the very end, also very suspenseful. I enjoy Anna’s laid-back personality and humor. Well done! show less

Synopsis: 'National Park Service Ranger Anna Pigeon is on temporary assignment at drought-ridden Cumberland Island National Seashore off the Georgia coast, on presuppression fire duty. Patrols are interrupted by an airplane crash that kills pilot Slattery Hammond, who was conducting drug-interdiction flights, and Todd Belfore, Cumberland district ranger. When foul play is suggested, investigators wonder if the murderer was after Hammond, Belfore or Cumberland's chief ranger, Norman Hull, whom Belfore replaced in the plane at the last minute. Barr, who is a former Park Service Ranger, evokes the minimally developed island's shimmering beauty while spinning an absorbing tale of danger and deceit that embraces a realistic description of show more conservation work and a diverse, engaging cast. An affecting subplot is developed when Anna's lover, FBI agent Frederick Stanton, and her psychiatrist sister, Molly, meet.'
Review: Having been to this park, I was amazed at how clear a picture Barr painted of the place. I was sorry that Frederick and Molly didn't develop a real relationship and break the news to Anna, gently. I was tickled with the two retired school teachers and their adopted deer; their characters were excellent. show less