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)

I Could Not Stop Listening!

I enjoyed this book more than I expected.
I am recommending it for my book club in Texas. The setting and the mystery involving park rangers is unique. The writing and dialogue held my attention.

The performance was amazing and brought each scene and character to life.

I will be looking for more books by Nevada Barr.

Lovely setting; Intriguing Career; Great Narrator.

I wanted this to be a 5 star read because I was so interested in the concept. I love our National Parks and for many summers my husband was a seasonal ranger, so the idea of solving mysteries in the parks is compelling to me. Unfortunately the book didn't quite stand up to my preconceived idea of what it would be. Part of this is due to the protagonist herself. I didn't like Anna Pigeon very much. I found that she makes many stupid decisions which then place her life in danger. It felt contrived and too predictable. Nothing in the book is very surprising, and the supporting cast is portrayed as too dumb while Anna is portrayed as too smart. She knows what happened but nobody will listen to her so she sets out to prove herself right and in the course of doing so she subjects her body to numerous injuries and death-defying feats. It is all too perfect and too calculable. I want the characters to be real, and to feel like I would meet them and like them. I want characters to be imperfect, like me.

Ms Rosenblat's narration is good. Her voice blended well with the story, and it felt appropriate as Anna's voice.

Rosenblat

I always enjoy Rosenblat's narrations.
She has an interesting voice, and the story's good, too.

track of the cat

Anna is stronger than I thought she could be, no sissy girly whining! I love it!! good story, love the ending, I listen to a lot of Ranger warden books, most take place in the wilderness of Wyoming and Montana, Anna Pigeon is a Texas Ranger, so her story takes place in the desert mountains. Barbra Rosenblat has narrated a few of the books I have, I do like her style. This is an enjoyable book, and thank-you for making a strong female character!

Another "Barr none" great read

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to anyone.

What did you like best about this story?

Anna Pidgeon's focus on humanity and the environment, and her caring about "the cats". She never took for granted, as did other characters in the story, that "the cat" did the dirty deed of murder.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Anna rescued herself from the "shelf of disaster", characterized by her falling onto a narrow shelf down a mountainside. She kept fighting to survive.

Any additional comments?

This is another wonderful Anna Pigeon story. It begins with a death that is quickly written off as a "cat kill". But Anna, ever the observant and astute ranger notices clues that would lead to another conclusion. Nevada Barr brings all her characters to life. One thing I always enjoy about Barr's stories is that she has just the right number and types of characters. She fleshes out each one, and by the end of the story I feel as if I've lived with each one and know them almost intimately. This is important in Barr's storytelling because she places each character in a position to be the good guy/gal, or the bad guy/gal. Her wrtiting then brings the grand finale to endings that are satisfying and realistic for each character. This story takes place in Texas, and she is spot on with her description of the National Park, and the Texas landowners. The conflict she exposes between "money" and the maintenance and preservation of the National Park gives intensity and depth to the story. The reader for this story is also very good; she has just the right intonations and inflections; not too little, not too much. Her reading adds believability to the story. I recommen this Audible book to the legions of Nevada Barr fans, and to others, who, when they listen to this book, will want more! Thank you Nevada Barr for another great story, and thanks to Audible for making it available.

great start

Really nice start to a wonderful series of books by Nevada Barr. Wonderful performance by Ms. Rosenblat.

Satisfying listen

Gutsy park ranger solving mystery of series of suspicious accidents. Well done! Looking forward to second book.

Could have been better

I liked the story but it was the narrator that distracted me from all the details. Sounded like she was chewing gum or sucking on hard candy. Annoying.

I did not like Anna at first...

I really did not like Anna in the first half of the book, but the ending was so satisfying and so worth it, I'm glad I finished it! I will be trying the next in the series.

Intriguing

The reader is first rate and makes each character different and believable. Description of land. Light people all well done.