Track of the Cat

By: Nevada Barr

Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat

Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

From the vivid opening vista, high in craggy mountains, to the final haunting glimpse of a moonlit canyon, Nevada Barr's first mystery, Track of the Cat, instantly caught the attention of readers and reviewers. Its popularity gained it both an Agatha and an Anthony Award.

The young naturalist, Anna Pigeon, has moved to the Southwest wilderness to be a park ranger. There, her days are filled with the physical demands of working in the Guadalupe Mountains and the satisfaction of living in this splendid land. Her peace is shattered one morning, though, when she discovers the body of another ranger deep in Dog Canyon. How did the usually cautious woman die? Although at first the evidence indicates an attack by a mountain lion, Anna soon suspects that there are craftier predators afoot in the wild grasses.

Fast-paced suspense and sharply defined characters will immediately sweep you up in the force of this compelling mystery. By the end, you'll be nodding in satisfaction at the final twist and anticipating the next book in the Anna Pigeon series. Narrator Barbara Rosenblat's performance highlights Anna's savvy courage and determination to catch her prey.

Listen to more Anna Pigeon mysteries.

©1993 Nevada Barr (P)1997 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"Thrilling...Ms. Barr has a naturalist's eye for detail and an environmentalist's fury at the destruction of the wilderness." (The New York Times Book Review)
"The texture, scents and sounds of the West Texas wilderness permeate this forceful debut....A park ranger herself, Barr develops a complex, credible and capable heroine who believes in truth and justice while remaining conscious of the ambiguities of human existence." (Publishers Weekly)
"Spectacular descriptions, psychological insight, and a refreshingly independent heroine." (Library Journal)

Review Reader

The actual story is very good. I really like Nevada Barr novels. However, it was very irritating to have to listen to the reader swallow constantly - almost after each sentence. I could hardly finish the audio. Was she sick or had a dry throat?

Entertaining

Interesting story but characters not particularly engaging.
I figured out the bad guys but not the manner of the crime pretty early on.
Good narration!

Fantastic!

My first book by Nevada Barr was What Rose Forgot. Great story and laugh out loud phrasing. I wanted more and found this one! I'm hooked! So glad there are many more and I intend to binge listen to them all.

She writes interesting characters in unusal situations. Strong and brave heriones who surprise. You don't know the ending until you get there. I will read all by this author, highly recommend her!

A Trek through the Guadalupes

This was my first Nevada Barr book and I've read four since. She has a great idea for a mystery series--a ranger solves crimes in national parks and you get quirky, fascinating background on the park as well as a generally satisfying mystery. Sometimes her plots or endings are a bit shaky, but the colorful writing is well worth a listen. If you liked the writing in early Sue Grafton mysteries, but got tired of the sameness of Grafton's plots and characters, Nevada Barr is a great find.

Nice Start to the Series

Am a big fan of mystery series. Anna Pigeon is great character to like...and maybe love as you get to know her. Of course, her background is not fully disclosed (need to save something for later). The story line was good but I felt that the characters could be more developed but this was the first of the series. The ending showed a side of Anna that was unexpected but you may enjoy (I did) or not.

Technical Note: I should note that despite the rave reviews of the narrator here, the constant gasping breaths, the weak character voices and this lip smacking/swallowing sound was very hard to block out as a distraction. I blame most of that on editing. Could have used some sound editing on the breathing and huge pauses between chapters.

Couldn't get past the narrator

What did you like best about Track of the Cat? What did you like least?

It seemed like a story that could develop, but as far as I got before bailing out it hadn't happened yet.

How could the performance have been better?

First, the whispery little-girl voice didn't fit the character of a strong outdoor woman who has chosen to be a park ranger in a rugged area like Guadalupe National Park. It was such a bad fit for the character and the setting and the story, it was a constant irritation.

But most of all, the narrator's constant mispronunciation of the word "Guadalupe" finally drove me to stop listening. She persisted in saying "GuadaLOOP". She was so consistent that I started to wonder if it was a regional pronunciation, like the way "Houston" is pronounced "HOWston" in New York City and "HYOUston" in Texas, so I called the park. No, it's pronounced the way the word is always pronounced, "Guada-LOO-PAY".

Was Track of the Cat worth the listening time?

No.

Any additional comments?

Audible should be more careful in choosing narrators, and narrators should prepare for the job by, at the very least, knowing how to pronounce the words in the book. It shows respect for the author and the material as well as for the listener.

Decent murder mystery.

I know there are several books in this series, I'll give a couple a try.

Another great read from Nevada Barr

Would you consider the audio edition of Track of the Cat to be better than the print version?

Yes as I love Barbara Rosenblat as a reader. She can make reading the want adds sound good and she does and excellent job on Track of the Cat.

Great thriller mystery!

This book is a little slow starting, but it doesn’t take long to be a real thriller mystery for our favorite park ranger to solve, if she lives long enough . it has a great ending.

Just OK

Just a step above mediocre. Action was slow. Narration was not monotone but not exceptional either.