Blind Descent

Park ranger Anna Pigeon is assigned to go down into Lechugilla Caverns in Carlsbad National Park, New Mexico, to rescue a fellow ranger who has gotten trapped. But when events turn tragic, Anna begins to suspect that a simple accident may not have been so simple after all. And solving a crime becomes much more complex trapped underground with someone who may be willing to kill again. This one had lots of angles… troubled marriages and former lovers… shady business practices… park politics. There were so many possible suspects, I was left guessing up until the end.

Content Warning: I was warned before reading this one that if you are claustrophobic, this is a ROUGH book to read. I am not particularly claustrophobic, but in places, show more this made me shiver. Author Nevada Barr has a real talent for vivid, visceral descriptions and bringing her settings to life, which is what I LOVE about her books. I feel like with each book in the series, I am visiting each National Park Anna is assigned to. But in this one, be prepared, you’re definitely trapped in a cave!

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader. show less

When Anna Pigeon learns that her friend and co-worker, Frieda Dierkz, has been injured while exploring Lechuguilla, a cave in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, she agrees to join the rescue team. Although Anna is not a caver—someone who enjoys studying caves—she must quickly learn the rules for navigating underground in the dark from a group composed of both hobbyist cavers and National Park Service workers.

Tragically, Frieda does not make it out alive, and Anna begins to suspect foul play, though it seems she is the only one who shares this concern. Determined and inquisitive, Anna starts to investigate the National Park Service workers she lives among. As the situation unfolds, she encounters marital drama, suspicious characters, show more and the shocking shooting death of one of the rescue team members. Anna’s probing becomes a survival tactic when her own life is endangered.

Ultimately, the rescue of another missing woman leads Anna and her friend Curt back into the depths of the cave, where her fight for survival truly begins. This gripping story will leave you feeling claustrophobic, fearful of the dark, and hesitant to venture below the earth. It also promises to entertain you thoroughly. show less

I’ve been to a lot of US National Parks and Monuments but not to the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. I do hope to get there someday but in the meantime reading a book set there is a good alternative. Nevada Barr’s books are a good way to virtually travel to a variety of National Parks and also get the scoop on what goes on behind the scenes. Nevada was a park ranger for a while so she knows the parks and she loves them.
Anna Pigeon is a ranger in the Mesa Verde National Park but she has been seconded to the Carlsbad Caverns to be press liaison while an injured caver is recovered from the neighbouring cave system of Lechuguilla. A claustrophobe, Anna has no intention of going into the cave system until she finds out that the injured show more person is a friend, Frieda Dierkz, and has requested that Anna come with the rescue mission. Gamely, Anna agrees and soon finds herself deep under the earth. She is with two experienced cavers and she manages to reach her friend. Frieda is semi-comatose by then but she wakes up long enough to tell Anna that her injury was not an accident. Anna keeps this to herself but tries to determine who might want to harm Frieda. Unfortunately Frieda is killed in another “accident” while evacuating her and Anna has to figure who of the small group of people in the cave with Frieda killed her.
There are lots of details about the cave system and how cavers explore. I am quite sure I would never want to go into a cave that was not open to the public but it does make for interesting reading. The resolution of the murder is also interesting; I had a suspicion about the person responsible but the uncovering was still a surprise. show less

Book six in the mystery series starring U.S. Park Ranger Anna Pigeon takes Anna to New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns, where one of her friends, and an avid caver, has been seriously injured while exploring a new (and not open to the public) cave system. Frieda has a serious head injury and is mostly unconscious, but she has asked for Anna. So, Anna swallows her claustrophobia to come to her friend’s aid. In a brief moment of lucidity, Frieda tells Anna that it was not an accident.

Much of the action in this book takes place in the confined spaces underground, and Barr spends a lot of time setting up the mystery and going into excruciating detail on the difficulties of exploring such a cave. I felt a little claustrophobic myself a few show more times.

I like Anna; she’s mentally and physically strong, intelligent, independent, and fiercely determined. Barr includes issues of corporate greed and environmental concerns, while extolling the majestic beauty of pristine caves, and praising the dedication of scientists and volunteers who try to map newly discovered underground treasures.

This is a totally satisfying mystery in a series with a strong female lead. show less

We find Anna Pigeon deep inside the Lechuguilla caverns, part of the Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The Lechuguilla caverns were discovered in 1986 and even today are open only to scientific explorers and other serious researchers. The caverns are pristine and can only be maintained that way if the public is not tromping through them.

Anna finds herself rappelling into the deep recesses of the cave and crawling through narrow tunnels because she is a friend of an injured caver, Frieda Dierkz. Frieda is a dispatcher at Mesa Verde, where Anna is stationed, and she specifically asked that Anna be part of the rescue team.

Anna is not a caver, but she is a rock climber, so has the skills to get around a difficult cave. The fact that she is show more claustrophobic and the route goes hundreds of feet underground made her less than enthusiastic about the summons. But she went.

The small group finds its way to the injured caver through several hours of difficult caving and everyone is exhausted by the time they reach her. When Anna finds a moment with the disoriented Frieda she finds that she is not altogether coherent. Nevertheless, Frieda tells her quietly that it was not an accident.

And on that moment the story hangs. Anna is not sure whether to credit the statement at all, given Frieda's mental state, but she keeps it in mind and makes sure she is with Frieda throughout the return journey. Which doesn't go well.

As with other Anna Pigeon mysteries, there are many possible suspects and many different avenues to explore. Also as with other Pigeon stories, Anna picks up some of her information accidentally, by overhearing conversations. Most of it, however, she gets from interviewing involved persons while not revealing, in most cases, that she is investigating. She follows leads and takes chances, often breaking rules in the process. Administrative heads can't wait to see her return to her home base.

I love the opportunity to travel with Anna on these one-of-a-kind trips, experiencing the National Parks in ways most people never will or can. As with the other Anna Pigeon mysteries, I headed for Google Images to see some of what Anna saw, to get a sense for the place myself, see if it lined up with my imagination. Barr does an excellent job creating the place for us, and this is at least half of the enjoyment I get from these novels. The rest is from Anna herself and her companions. Anna, who is tough and at times remote but who is deeply compassionate as well. A well-developed character surrounded by a range of interesting characters. Plotting, as always, is careful and complicated. show less

I think I've found a new author to glom -- I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery, and its protagonist, National Park Service ranger Anna Pigeon. It's nice to read about a middle-aged woman who is strong and intelligent and determined, but doesn't have that Mary Sue-ish edge of "even my faults are charming and adorable" that so many female mystery/thriller protags have.

The writing was crisp and engaging, full of rich descriptions and colorful turns of phrase that moved the story along without becoming intrusive or overly stylistic. The Carlsbad Caverns setting was fascinating all on its own, and the murder mystery that wove around it was complicated enough to keep you guessing.

I'm happy to see that there are at least five other Anna Pigeon show more mysteries out there, and will be sure to hunt them up. show less

The plot of Blind Descent is fast paced and uncomplicated so it's possible to read it in just one or two days. Barr's attention to detail and the descriptions of caves and caving had me riveted. Anna Pigeon is a park ranger who has been called to help with a friend's rescue from a subterranean cave. Anna is extremely claustrophobic and therefor not an experience caver. The location in the cave where her friend was injured is so difficult to get to I questioned why she was allowed to accompany rescue personnel on this dangerous mission. It seemed implausible that she would be allowed to participate just because her injured friend requested her. When rescue turns into murder Anna is determined to solve the mystery. Because Anna Pigeon is show more a reoccurring character in other Nevada Barr books her character development evolves a little at a time and the reader never gets the full picture of Anna from one book. In other words, read them all! show less