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anna pigeon nevada barr track of the cat park ranger national parks main character west texas guadalupe mountains law enforcement mountains national new york park service pigeon series well written mountain lions years ago character anna character development pretty good feel like
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SDM
VINE VOICE
3.0 out of 5 stars OK mystery; below average narrative skills. Great potential wasted.
Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2020
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I admit I had excessively high expectations for this book. I heard it was a series taking place in national parks and was hoping for much more than I got. The author clearly appreciates nature and wildlife but her descriptions of the scenery at the park are pallid at best. I can't really tell much about the location by her vague descriptions: the main character could be in Texas or Montana and apparently the narrator wouldn't see much different. Naming a location is not the same as depicting it. A sad waste. If you don't care about that then the author tells a decent mystery story; workmanlike but not exactly enthralling. She isn't John Grisham and you won't avidly race through to see what happens next. As it was the pace was languid followed by an abrupt end that's scarcely believable given that the main character is supposed to be a trained law enforcement officer, not a vigilante.
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RickC750
3.0 out of 5 stars Needs more action, suspense - less drama
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2021
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This was a decent mystery, but very slow in developing. My main complaints are too much superfluous drama, jerky connection of events, and incomplete descriptions of the landscape, especially in key situations (like the “cliffhanger”). An example of the drama was much too much time spent on teasing a possible love affair with a suspect. That became its own little mini-drama, and it did nothing to advance the plot or mystery. Likewise, Christine’s husband being a controlling SOB was never developed and had no bearing whatsoever on the story. On connecting events, Anna seems to come up with leads and conclusions out of thin air. It’s great that she has these plot solving epiphanies, but as a reader, it would be nice being lead a little more as to how she came to these leads. The Molly device (talking to her sister) could be used effectively to help this criticism. Finally, I got some of the sense of the area and terrain, but felt like I was missing the whole picture. To that effect, I wanted to actually see a picture. A glaring example is the lifesaving chimney that miraculously appears at the cliff’s edge. Is that type of structure typical of that area? Overall, the book did hook me in the last third (couldn’t put it down), and I will read the next book in the series. I guess I am a sucker for park ranger / game warden mysteries.
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Deborah Hull Reeves
3.0 out of 5 stars Adventure in the wilderness
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2020
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I love the Anna Pidgeon series! I love the character, the descriptions of the scenery, the writing style and adventures in the wilderness. It’s a whole new world out there. The only thing I have a hard time with is keeping up with the numerous characters as Ms Barr uses their first and last names interchangeably. I find myself thinking, wait, who is that? I recommend her books highly
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William Gray
4.0 out of 5 stars Captivating and Suspenseful
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2013
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This is the first in the Anna Pigeon mystery series. A quick but great read. All the elements you look for in a mystery: appealing and well fleshed out characters, interesting but not distracting back stories, good pacing, clues galore (most of which you'll get after the fact if you're like me), and an ending you can't see coming (at least I couldn't). I ordered the second book in the series in hopes it will prove as entertaining as this one.

P.S. As you might gather from the online reviews of Nevada Barr, if you checked them out, this series is not for born-again Christians. I have no idea what Nevada Barr's personal spiritual beliefs may be, but her character, Anna Pigeon, does not believe in god and makes no bones about it. So if you're a believer, and sensitive to those who don't, it's best to steer clear as you won't appreciate some passages in the book. Be forewarned, don't buy the book, and please don't smear the book in reviews simply because you object to the character's belief system. It's a novel, not a religious text.
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Robert Bamford
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding quality
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2019
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This is a 26 year old hardcover. Advertised as new. This frequently means “like new”, which allows some leeway for interpretation. In this case, it was indistinguishable from what might have been in a booksellers shelf in 1993. No wear on dust jacket. Spine unbroken. No fixing or scent. Pristine shape. Thank you! (It’s also a great story, especially for an introductory novel.)
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Jane C. Hood
5.0 out of 5 stars A book for animal lovers as well as mystery fans
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2018
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Because I live in the South West and have been to the Guadalupe mountains, I enjoyed the descriptions of scenery, plants, and animals. I also learned some new things about lizards and plants that we do not have in my area. In addition, Barr writes very well with a minimum of grammatical errors (and I have high standards).
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Ken
1.0 out of 5 stars It came used not new!
Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2019
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I received this book today and was VERY disappointed that it was clearly used and banged up when it was supposed to be new. It is obvious that the cover has been bent repeatedly for reading. The other two books came yesterday and they were in new and perfect shape, so I’m not sure why this one came in this condition. I did not contact the seller about it because I don’t want to go through the hassle of trying to get it exchanged. I would if it were a more expensive item. I felt it was worth a review however! The series is great so this review is not about the writer. Nevada Barr is a great writer and I LOVE her books! Can’t put them down!
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1.0 out of 5 stars It came used not new!
By Ken on November 24, 2019
I received this book today and was VERY disappointed that it was clearly used and banged up when it was supposed to be new. It is obvious that the cover has been bent repeatedly for reading. The other two books came yesterday and they were in new and perfect shape, so I’m not sure why this one came in this condition. I did not contact the seller about it because I don’t want to go through the hassle of trying to get it exchanged. I would if it were a more expensive item. I felt it was worth a review however! The series is great so this review is not about the writer. Nevada Barr is a great writer and I LOVE her books! Can’t put them down!
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Ms. S
4.0 out of 5 stars Was the cat guilty?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 24, 2018
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A well written mystery with good character development. Anna Pigeon is a Park Ranger in New Mexico. She has a great love of the mountain cats and the story focusses on a murder of another ranger which is pinned on a cougar. There are feminist and environmental discussions in the book that are interesting and not intrusive. Anna's sister, a New York psychotherapist is very sharp and her conversations with Anna as she offers interpretation of what is happening are amusing and insightful. The desert descriptions are well done and reading them you feel yourself developing a thirst!
My only negative comment is the book ends abruptly and is left hanging...what did happen the next day....
Overall a good read
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Jimmy Stix
5.0 out of 5 stars Jump In.....The Water's Deadly!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 10, 2009
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I was first introduced to Nevada Barr and her Anna Pigeon mysteries when I picked up a copy of the 12th in the series, High Country, on the way home from New York. I enjoyed that so much that I just had to go back to where it all started and play catch up.
Track of the Cat is a fine introduction to a character that I have now grown very fond of and Anna's story now runs through 15 novels.
Anna is a park ranger for the National Park Service (NPS) in the USA and all stories have her based in one of the parks with some mystery to solve at it's heart. However there is always much more to enjoy than the mystery itself. Nevada Barr has a fabulous way of writing and her descriptions of the beautiful landscapes and natural beauty of these parks is just wonderful. She makes it so easy to picture it all. We also get to find out Anna's back story as the novels progress, her strengths and weaknesses, her journey through the NPS and her private life.
Track of The Cat sees her in Guadalupe Mountains in Texas. Part of her work here is to monitor the mountain lion population but when the body of a ranger turns up and the death is blamed on the big cats she sets out to prove them innocent and find the real culprit.
If you fancy a change from gritty crime dramas set in the UK and want something a little different then I can highly recommend the Anna Pigeon stories of Nevada Barr. Nevada herself has a deep love for the outdoors and spent time working as an NPS ranger herself. She clearly does a great deal of research for her books and always gives credit to those who helped her bring the realism to her tales.
A word of warning though....once Anna becomes part of your life you may find yourself hooked and want to know more and more about her. That's no bad thing though, you will enjoy the ride and will have some read some "cracking" mysteries along the way.
Start your journey here. Top stuff!
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SA
5.0 out of 5 stars Gets you hooked
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 9, 2019
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New to this author but wow, I'm hooked. Read in couple of days as a result, written from knowledge of topic and area I would imagine, won't spoil the ending but leaves you wondering what the main subject did at the end, maybe she did or maybe she didn't?
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 19, 2021
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The heroine should have had little empathy from me as a vegetarian cat loving emotionally wrecked woman BUT the writing was spot on , kept you interested and keen to keep reading. Great plot well worth a read I will be reading more
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Sandra
5.0 out of 5 stars How she began.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 24, 2018
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Having started with Deep South and subsequently read all of the later books featuring Anna Pigeon, it was a particular delight for me to meet her at the very beginning.
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