Rating: 
Summary: Satisfying claustrophobic!
Review: Anna Pigeon finds herself between a rock and a hard place when she agrees to descend into a mostly unchartered cavern to assist other rangers in a rescue effort.
Nevada Barr just keeps getting better and better. I wouldn't miss reading one of her Anna Pigeon novels the minute it comes out. My only regret is when I turn the last page, and the book ends.
Rating:
Summary: A great mystery; very atmospheric
Review: Forest ranger Anna Pigeon hates dark enclosed places. So when a caver is trapped inside Carlsbad Caverns, Anna is elated when she only has to serve as a liaison with the press and not enter the cavern. However, Anna is unable sit snugly in her office when the victim turns out to be her friend Frieda Diertz, who asks specifically for her help. Unable to say no, Anna joins the rescue team. After an 8-hour journey into the bowels of hell, Anna reaches her friend's location. Frieda is barely lucid, but manages to express that this was no accident. On the way out, a cave-in occurs, leading to Frieda's death. Though park officials refuse to believe Anna's contention that a murder is loose, she decides to prove that she is not a hysterical, grieving person. Instead she vows to avenge the death of her friend and a subsequent second murder victim. Readers will feel, see, smell, and touch every step that Nevada Barr makes in her underground trek as if they are part of the rescue party. The lyrical writing that makes up BLIND DESCENT turns the brilliant mystery into a lyrical work of art that will endure time. The heroine is a flawed person, who never gives into her phobias when it counts. This novel should be a New York Times bestseller. Harriet Klausner
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Summary: My favorite Anna Pigeon mystery
Review: This is easily my favorite of the Anna Pigeon mysteries. In this book, Nevada Barr is at her best in executing the two features that make this series enjoyable: the mystery itself, and the natural setting of our national parks.
The mystery is a form of the "closed room" mystery in which only a small set of people could possibly be suspects. The suspects here are all very experienced cavers, and the closed room is a deep descent in Carlsbad Caverns. There's also some chance that the apparent felonious assaults in the mystery are in fact accidents--obviously, this is a murder mystery, so one of them is felonious but you'll enjoy trying to figure the others out.
The setting is Carlsbad Caverns and a secondary cave just outside the park. Barr does an extraordinary job conveying the feeling of an inexperienced caver in her first deep descent. Because Anna Pigeon is an experienced rock climber, she is a plausible candidate to go deep on her first caving expedition, a rescue mission. Yet her inexperience allows Barr to convey both the beauty and the terrifying aspects of a cave.
The descriptions of the cave are wonderful. Though I've been shallow in tourist sections of caves, this book conveys better than any other I can imagine why cavers would obsess over the wonders of caves. Read it and see.
The terror of being underground also adds to the excitement of the mystery. This is a very nice dramatic touch.
Like other Barr novels, this has a few "action adventure" moments. Unlike a few others (especially High Sierra), the action stays within the realm of plausibility.
The entire novel is well-constructed and fast-paced. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: The best yet from one of my favorite authors
Review: This is Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon at her best -- a mystery reader's dream. This book offers not only a first-rate mystery, but a fascinating look at caving and a startling effective portrayal of Anna's thoughts and feelings. The book starts out with a wonderous description of a very large cave and the practices of cavers as Anna reluctantly enters the cave to assist in the rescue of one of her good friends, a mision expected to take several extremely strenuous days. The description of the cave almost makes me want to become a caver. Several "accidents" that may be crimes occur along the way. Despite very trying circumstances and a few bouts of claustrophobia, Anna tracks down the truth. The character development, particularly of Anna, is remarkable.
Rating:
Summary: Chilling
Review: This is one of my favorites by Nevada Barr. The descriptions of the caves were chilling...made me feel claustrophobic. Ms. Barr writes in a way that makes you feel you are there. I enjoy reading about the parks and locations she describes so well. Inevitably, after (or during) each book I end up doing research into the parks in which she's working so I get the visuals to go along with it...just makes it so much fun! I highly recommend this one to all mystery buffs!
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Summary: Great Book
Review: In "Blind Descent", Ranger Anna Pigeon is called away from her post at Mesa Verde National Park to assist in an emergency rescue attempt at Lechuguilla Cave in New Mexico. Anna's friend Freida has been injured while on an exploration trip inside of Lechguilla, and Freida has requested Anna to be with her during the rescue. I enjoyed this Anna Pigeon mystery a lot. The descriptions of the cave were marvelous. Barr does a great job of evoking the fear that Anna Pigeon feels, being in the cave while fighting back her own extreme sense of claustrophobia. It's true that there is a lot of technical details on the equipment used in caving, but I felt that this description served to add to the tension and sense of urgency that the rescuers were feeling. The suspense in this story was well developed. For a majority of the book, Anna is one of the few people who suspects foul play in her friend's injury. The characters in the caving crew were interesting and well-developed. All in all, this is a fun read.
Rating: 
Summary: ambivalent
Review: I found Blind Descent to be a bit tiresome at times. If I had been a caver or perhaps had a better knowledge of cave terminology, I think I would have enjoyed it more. I found myself struggling to see the caverns in my mind and I could not create a picture. In addition to this, the ending left me feeling kind of flat. I found myself wanting some follow-up, which was not there. The story was good for the most part and I enjoyed most of it. I would recommend it, but I don't think it is one of her best works.
Rating:
Summary: A Really Well Done Mystery
Review: Anna's friend Frieda Dierkz is injured in an underground caving accident at Luchuguilla, she asks rescuers for Anna. As Anna descends into Luchuguilla, she has to battle a near crippling case of claustrophobia but that is nothing compared to what she learns from Frieda when she gets to her. Frieda is drifting in and out of consciousness but manages to tell Anna that her accident was really attempted murder. Now Anna has to battle her fear of the cave and protect Frieda from a possible attack. This is an intense mystery and the action is close to nonstop. Nevada Barr always does an excellent job with her sense of place and this is one of her best. You feel what it is like to rapel sixty to a hundred fifty feet into a pitch dark cave. I personally won't be doing that but I can share the experience from the safety of my couch (thank goodness). If you would like to start from the beginning with Anna, try Track Of The Cat.
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