Endangered Species

Rating:
Summary: Nevada Barr Turns Out Another First Class Mystery Novel
Review: Four out of Four isn't bad. That's Nevada Barr's batting average as far as I am concerned. What she brings to mystery novels is an intricate knowledge of her locales and an ability to describe them in minute detail, painting a picture in the head of the reader. I could feel the West Texas heat, see the splendor of Mesa Verde, and dreamt about falling into lake Superior's icy grip in her previous novels. Now I am getting to know the Georga coast as described by a first class storyteller. Great plots, great locales, great characterization! This is another in a series of Nevada Barr masterpieces! Bravo!

Rating:
Summary: another good read
Review: I always enjoy reading Nevada Barr, but even I admit that some of the situations in which Anna Pigeon finds herself are a little far fetched. That said, I enjoyed this book until the end, where I was disappointed to discover an error, in biology no less. When Anna sits on the beach and watches the newly hatched turtles emerge from the sand, it's a great scene. But she refers to them as amphibians. Turtles are reptiles, not amphibians and I guess it disappoited me to discover that Ms. Barr got this important fact wrong.

Rating:
Summary: Character gender change is stumbling block for audio edition
Review: I always look forward to new Nevada Barr books. The printed edition of this title was no disappointment and would have rated higher than the level I gave the audio edition. What I don't understand is why the murderer was one gender in the printed edition -- but appears as another gender in the audio edition. This difference involves not just changes in pronouns, but actual changes in the vocal presentation of descriptions, character and events. Abridgement is one thing to endure -- this is something else!

Rating:
Summary: By now Anna Pigeon seems like an old friend.
Review: I have read each Anna Pigeon book in order and my enjoyment increases with each one. Anna's character grows and the reader's understanding of the workings of her sharp mind makes her seem like an old friend. Anna's attitude toward life is very intersting and she has reinforced the fact that I never want to climb a mountain, dive deeper than 50 feet, fight a forest fire or go down in a cave that wasn't paved. However, I love to follow Anna into these adventures from my easy chair. I am into the caverns with her now and will be on Ellis Isle with her as soon as the next book gets here. Nevada, don't ever stop telling us about Anna.

Rating:
Summary: Great reading of a changed story.
Review: I love listening to this book as Cindy Williams has an enjoyable voice and does a good job reading. The story is enjoyable as well but it is so changed from the book at times it bares little resembelence to it. I am not referring to the fact it is abridged and much is left out. I refer to the fact for example that a character that is a man in the book is a WOMAN on the tape. Such changes alter the structure of the story and make it into a DIFFERENT story than the one you expect to hear. If you have not read the book this is a moot point but if you have your in for some surprises.

Rating:
Summary: Suspensful to the end
Review: I recently started Nevade Barr's books. I find the author true to her character. As a government employee I can identify with the grade structure and government policies that Ranger Pigeon must go through. I must say Ms Barr is very insightful in that she keeps you guessing who the villan is. As I was reading I thought that the Hanson's were the murderers. I didn't think that the biologists was. Having been to the beach and seen the turtles come out of the water for nesting and the care that is taken of them it was a surprise to see the villan as the biologists. Very good work. Am now reading firestorm.

Rating:
Summary: Nevada Barr Lost Me On This One
Review: I usually find her books exciting and interesting. I am very impressed with her knowledge - but on this one she fell flat on her face in the area of research. At the beginning of Chapter 26, she writes: "Dot and Mona were vintage World War II stock: B-52's, cigarettes, red lipstick. And Morse code." B-52's in World War II? No way. Big mistake! Ms. Barr! Check your facts.

Rating:
Summary: Not Barr's best, but still a good read
Review: I wouldn't miss one of Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon mysteries. With each novel, Anna gets more interesting. And the settings are always marvelously described; Barr puts you right there, in whatever park she is writing about. This setting was somewhat less appealing than the others in the Pigeon series, however, and as a whole, the story just doesn't have quite the same intrigue. Until this book, too, Frederick was a sweet character, and I was eager to see things develop further between him and Anna. But here, he begins to seem a little creepy ... and not just because he is developing a crush on Anna's sister. Barr puts us inside his head, and it appears that he's been dishonest about who he really is. Finally, the growing relationship between Frederick and Molly comes across as a device to get rid of the Frederick character rather than a compelling subplot. Still, the book is good; I just wouldn't recommend it as anyone's first foray into the Anna Pigeon series.

Rating:
Summary: Anna an Endangered Species?
Review: I've read all of Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon series and will likely continue, but Endangered Species was a disappointment. I felt cheated by Barr's out of character plot device regarding 'Fred the Fed' - obviously to rid herself of a character she no longer wanted. I personally felt Anna's developing relationship with Fred was her best chance to escape a neurotic preoccupation with the past and her isolationism. The excitement and environmental detail Barr offers her readers is hard to beat, but some of us like our heroes and heroines to be not quite so emotionally bleak. Bad move, Ms. Barr. Men are NOT the enemy, you know.

Rating:
Summary: Always a good read
Review: I've read all the Anna Pidgeon stories. While my taste goes more to Dibdin, Kerr, Furst, yet there is nothing better than reading a tightly written mystery story. While they do not come close to the ambience of Hillerman, they've enjoyable as Francis. How Anna survives all those injuries is another question.