Borderline

By: Nevada Barr

Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat

Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

Agatha and Anthony Award winner Nevada Barr, New York Times best-selling author of Winter Study, enthralls millions with the exploits of roving park ranger Anna Pigeon.

The killings on Isle Royale have left Anna drained and haunted, her memories of her time with the wolf study group forever marred by the carnage on the island. Diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, she is on administrative leave, per her superintendent's urging. Anna wonders if the leave might not be permanent, either by her own choice or that of the National Park Service.

The one bright spot in Anna's life is Paul, her husband of less than a year. Hoping the warmth and the adventure of a raft trip in Big Bend National Park will lift her spirits, Paul takes Anna to southwest Texas, where the sun is hot and the Rio Grande is running high.

The sheer beauty of the Chihuahuan Desert and the power of the river work their magic-until the raft is lost in the rapids and a young college student falls overboard, resulting in an even more grisly discovery. Caught in a strainer between two boulders and more dead than alive, is a pregnant woman, hair and arms tangled in the downed branches. Instead of the soul-soothing experience they'd longed for, Anna and Paul find themselves sucked into a labyrinth of intrigue that leads from the Mexican desert to the steps of the governor's Mansion in Austin, Texas.

©2009 Nevada Barr (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Fascinatingly convoluted

Anna needs to get her head back on straight after Winter Study. What better way to get out of your own head space than to rescue a tiny human?

Kept me up late....

This was back to the more traditional story lines of the Anna Pigeon series, and I enjoyed the book. The political intrigue was kept to a minimum, nature took center stage, and the best and worst of humanity were shown in equal light.

All over the place

This was another impulse book, reviews good but dragged for to long. But....then the author introduce a character to the plot that you never expect to have any role in the story. So worth it, spend the time and you will enjoy it.

pretty good

As a fan of Nevada Barr's, I was not disappointed.
Good story line, beautiful scenic descriptions.
A little too convoluted at times and bordered on hokey with respect to the cow rescue..

Best Nevada Barr in a long time -

I've either read or listened to all Barr's 'Anna Pigeon' books and have loved them all, to varying degrees. All are good, some are better than others.

This one is one of the very best -- not only is poor Anna (who's no spring chicken anymore, remember) performing totally superwoman acts of physical derring-do, but she's also finding herself oddly attracted to a newborn baby, one she delivered by c-section with a pocket knife, by the way. It's an interesting contrast -- and also leads to some of the funniest banter among characters that appears in any of the books.

Another thing I appreciated was that in Borderline -- unlike some of Barr's other books -- there wasn't a lot of animal bloodshed in this one. I don't deal easily with animal suffering, even of the fictional variety, and this book -- thank goodness -- keeps the evil pretty much confined to the human species where it belongs. (Well, okay, Easter -- but I won't spoil the plot)

Great book! Not to be missed -- and the marvelous Barbara Rosenblat is at her best, too. I'd give it seven stars if I could.

Another good book by Nevada Barr

What's not to like? I love the Anna Pigeon stories. This one was a little different because Anna wasn't working and her husband (who I love!) was with her. Kind of different than the others, but just as good.

“Borderline” what a disappointment

Unless you think it is somehow the responsibility of the USA to provide prenatal healthcare for illegal aliens that ford the Rio Grande in the dark of night to hide their illegal activity followed by citizenship for anchor babies + a wide open border, this is not the book for you. Also hypocritically laughable, references to a full term baby as a fetus. Checking Nevada Barr off my list and that’s too bad because I liked these outdoors mysteries with a strong woman lead.

Skill and Setting: an Almost Perfect Match

Nevada Barr is much more than a very good "crime "genre novelist; she is one of the finest local colorists and imaginative-ly perceptive novelists in our literature. Her vivid descriptions of the national parks which are the settings of her novels and the very interesting psychological developmen of her her brilliantly conceived heroine Ranger Ann Pigeon make this among thle best of the series.

Anna gets her groove back!

This was a really good follow up to the previous book. It was good to have Anna's husband in the mix more than usual. This one kept me guessing for a little while, but no matter. I love listening to Anna in a tight spot! I would have liked to hear her sister's take on Anna's mental state. I guess we don't share everything with family. Barbara Rosenblatt is a gifted narrator. I could listen to her read the phone book...

Honor the mothers.

Another winning story and narration, this time honoring the awesome, yet often discounted, power of nature and of mothers.