Rating: 
Summary: Too much gutter mouth language!
Review: After hearing about the ex-NPS employee who writes mysteries, I decided to check her books out. Boy, am I glad I only purchased one!My main complaint is Ms. Barr's gutter mouth. Call me old-fashioned, but I do not appreciate it, in either movies or books. Furthermore, for someone who represents our National Parks, especially as a former NPS employee, I believe she should be a little more respectable in her writing. Regarding the rest of her writing, her characters were shallow, although it was evident she was familiar with fire camps. The book didn't keep me on the edge of my seat, and I have no desire to read another of her mysteries.
Rating: 
Summary: Eerily Memorable
Review: Although not as well-written as Barr's three previous efforts, "Firestorm" is still a major page-turner, especially if, as happened to this reviewer, it is being read while major forest fires are raging in Colorado and Arizona. Barr's usual descriptive genius doesn't fail her here, as she places Anna and her colleagues in a vicious forest fire blazing out of control in northern California's Lassen Volcanic National Park. As spike camp medic, Anna is deep in the fray. But her security officer side doesn't get called into play until later in the book--after a terrifying firestorm that traps Anna and her colleagues in an inferno from which there is no escape. Barr's description of the firestorm is so realistic, and so frightening, that I must believe she has lived through such an experience herself. As always with her books, I felt that I, too, was huddled beneath the fireproof foil the firefighters call "Shake and Bake," desperately trying to breathe while intense flames roared over the top of the flimsy little shelter. I won't be a spoiler and say who survives and who does not--but I will say that murder rears its ugly head even as Anna and crew are struggling to survive the flames' holocaust. Those who have read the three previous books will be glad to see the return of FBI agent Frederick Stanton, whose interest in Anna has gained much momentum. Feisty southern ranger-in-training Jennifer Short is also in this book, fighting a personal tragedy that threatens her survival even more than the aftermath of the firestorm--when she, Anna, and several others are trapped in the burned-out forest with no food, no medical facilities for the badly burned, and the knowledge that whoever committed the murder is among them. The mystery, as usual with Barr's novels, is secondary to the fascinating venue of Anna Pigeon's world. I will never watch TV footage of a forest fire, as I did while I was reading this book, in the same way again. I feel like I have been on the front lines as well, which is Nevada Barr's great talent as a writer. This is a terrific read!
Rating: 
Summary: Makes you want to grab a pulaski and hit the fire line...
Review: Anna Pigeon is a jack of all trades. Not only is she a park ranger with law enforcement training, but she's also an emergency medical technician and a trained firefighter. One wonders a bit how much time it took her to obtain all that training, and whether that's the norm for National Park employees, but quibbles aside, this is a superb book. Barr uses the drama of a fire to isolate her cast of characters in classic locked-room mystery fashion, then cuts them off from the outside world while Anna races against time to figure out who she can trust before she becomes the next victim. If there's a flaw it lies in the fact that a vital clue is a bit too obvious. I can't say more without giving away too much, but people who've read lots of mysteries will probably figure out part of what's going on simply from the way the story is constructed. Firestorm, however, is really a story of fire, firefighters, and the southern Cascades in the vicinity of Mt. Lassen National Park, and minor imperfections in the mystery barely detract from it at all. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Fire everywhere -- no one is safe!
Review: Anna Pigeon, Park Ranger, has been called to Northern California's Lassen Volcanic Park to fight a blaze of suspicious origin. Danger exists in the air she breathes and the exhaustion that takes a toll on all firefighters that have been brought in to save the park. Nevada Barr convincingly shows why rangers are called from many locations and the need to work as one in the midst of a Firestorm. The problem in working as one is that there is a murderer who has no compunction about covering up the first death with more. The most intense scene is when the Firestorm is blasting down the trail and the only way to survive is as dangerous as the fire itself. Ms. Barr is a great storyteller who writes what she knows. I have no doubt that she has experienced survival in various parks and on a myriad of projects. She brings with her the full power that a writer can when she has lived the events--perhaps not the murder itself, but survival in it rawest form.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: As I've said elsewhere about this author, she has a wonderful gift for writing compelling and believable mysteries. This particular volume in the Anna Pigeon series demonstrates the ability of the author to make you feel you are there: dirty, grimy, hungry, sleepy and scared. There is also an interesting plot! Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: As I've said elsewhere about this author, she has a wonderful gift for writing compelling and believable mysteries. This particular volume in the Anna Pigeon series demonstrates the ability of the author to make you feel you are there: dirty, grimy, hungry, sleepy and scared. There is also an interesting plot! Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: This one is hot!
Review: Barr's fourth Anna Pigeon mystery is her most exciting yet. Park Ranger Pigeon, acting as medic and security officer on a wildfire detail in California's Lassen Volcanic National Park, is evacuating an injured firefighter when suddenly a violent thunderstorm sparks a firestorm.
Barr's description of the exploding flames, forcing the squad to abandon their patient and seek cover under their silver fire protectors or "shake 'n' bakes," is breathtaking. As the battered firefighters slowly emerge, they discover one of their number has been murdered. Impossibly, the murder had to take place during the firestorm itself.
Complicating matters further is the weather - snow, high winds and downed trees close the only road to rescue and the group is isolated with only their emergency packs. Pigeon, knowing one among them is a murderer, carefully sifts through clues and motives, her investigation supplemented by radio reports from her old friend FBI agent Frederick Stanton.
The snail-paced romance between the two loners, Pigeon and Stanton, heats up over the neutral distance of the radio, and Stanton's background checks supply valuable clues and red herrings.
Barr's well-plotted story sizzles with danger - human and elemental. The firefighting and wilderness details are fascinating, atmospheric and integral to plot and character. A thoroughly enjoyable tale.
Rating:
Summary: Firestorm WOW!!
Review: Fast-paced action and quick clever dialogue that keeps you on the edge of your seat through all of Neveda Barr's book Firestorm. This is one of a series about the main character Anna Pigeon. Barr's always writes really good stories but I liked this one because it was easy to get into and there wasn't very many boring parts. Firestorm takes place at a wildfire that is out of control in northern California Lassen Volcanic National Park. Anna is placed in a medic camp by the fire that takes care of all the injured firefighters. She is surrounded by all men but that doesn't bother her because she is very strong willed person and can "hold her own on" with all of them. The mystery part of the story comes when one of the firefighters are murdered and Anna Decides to investigate it to find out who did it. If I had to describe firestorm in 5 adjectives I would have to say suspenseful, fear filled, some what funny, sad in parts, and puzzling in others. Anna is put to the test when she has to survive the fire when it surrounds them and they have to stay under a tinfoil like blanket to escape the fire. I think Firestorm was written for entertainment but could easily be made reality. The book is very good but is written in a manner that little kids wouldn't understand or like. So I think the recommended age for this book should be from 12 on up. The people that read this book have to be in to a suspenseful book that throws you for a loop every now and then. (good thing I was one of these people) I think Barr's writing style is very thrilling yet the storyline was very believable. The storyline is believable because, unfortunately, wild fires and murders are a reality and are not all that rare anymore. The characters voice makes it all the more believable because they all have their little attitudes that cause fights to happen. But overall I thought that Firestorm was well written and a very good read that kept you on the edge of your seat.
Rating:
Summary: Firestorm Smokes
Review: FIRESTORM smokes. Anna Pigeon is a great mystery character, one of my favorites. I especially enjoyed this Nevada Barr novel. Anna is dispatched to the scene of a massive forest fire where she is trapped by a shifting fireline along with a group of firefighters. One of the firefighters is a killer, and suspense builds throughout the story. FIRESTORM is an excellent book.
Rating:
Summary: Firestorm Smokes
Review: FIRESTORM smokes. Anna Pigeon is a great mystery character, one of my favorites. I especially enjoyed this Nevada Barr novel. Anna is dispatched to the scene of a massive forest fire where she is trapped by a shifting fireline along with a group of firefighters. One of the firefighters is a killer, and suspense builds throughout the story. FIRESTORM is an excellent book.
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