Rating: 
Summary: Her best novel to date...something for fans of every stripe!
Review: (from the "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel")Nevada Barr takes her heroine Anna Pigeon out of her natural element (the forests, rivers, and deserts of our National parks) and sets her smack dab in the middle of the ultimate asphalt jungle: New York City. Oddly, this change of venue has produced some of Barr's best writing to date. In fact, "Liberty Falling" is her best novel to date. And when considering her small but powerful oeuvre ("Blind Descent," "Firestorm," "Track of the Cat" and three other top-notch efforts), that says a lot. After learning that her sister, Molly, has succumbed to pneumonia, Anna Pigeon travels to New York to hold vigil. When Frederick Stanton (a former boyfriend and FBI agent who has fallen in love with Molly) shows up, she begins feeling like an unneeded crutch. Bunking down in the ranger's quarters on Ellis Island, Anna shuttles back and forth among the three New York islands (Ellis, Liberty and Manhattan), trying to keep busy as she settles in for what could be a long wait. On a visit to Liberty island, Anna comes on the scene just after a young child is apparently pushed off of the statue. A new found friend, Park Policeman James "Hatch" Hatchett, falls under suspicion. Relying on instincts, Anna senses something amiss. And what forensic evidence is available suggests the child may have jumped. Unable to help herself, Anna begins snooping about. Among the caretakers, policemen, rangers and actors (who act out the roles of immigrants on Ellis Island), Anna finds more than enough suspects for murder. What's more, stories about ghosts haunting the ruins on Ellis Island have been bandied about. Her investigations turn up evidence of a strange and unexplained happenings in the night on Ellis and Liberty Islands. Further digging uncovers a murderous plot that could have worldwide political ramifications. When "Hatch" dies in what others assume is a freak accident and a young actress goes missing, Anna Pigeon knows she is, once again, on the right track to catch her killer. There's only one problem: he seems to be after her as well. The subplot involving Anna's sister Molly and Frederick Stanton makes for a gentle and humane counterpoint to the often violent, moral morass of the main story line. Sporting plenty of action and suspense, and a timely subtext involving racism and misplaced patriotism, "Liberty Falling" offers something for mystery fans of every stripe. (from "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1999).
Rating: 
Summary: Here is an objective voice
Review: I have never read any of the author's books prior to this and hence from my objective view point I don't see why this book is being so trashed by fans of the prior books in this series. While I can't say the writer's style is something I am overly fond of, her book is well put together and the plot filled with enough twists and turns to keep you turning the pages.I thought her view of Liberty islands 2 and 3 were great, an almost perfect setting for criminal actions and spooky, almost other worldly events. So what that this book lacks the material on nature that the prior books did? This is NY City. That the writer was able to alter style in line with the setting is a tribute to her ability. Readers should not be lazzy wanting simple repeats of prior material slightly altered like so many cheap romance novels. I enjoyed the character's problem of coping with the city of New York. It is a feeling I get everytime I have to go there. In short the book while not on my list of all time greats was a good solid read and better than most of what passes for quality fiction these days It rates four stars maybe more. Enjoy it for what if offers rather than what you hope might have been. Part of the problem of continued characters from book to book is that they don't always live up to our fantasies about what they are going to do next. That is not the author's fault just proof that we are different and like real people, fictional characters do not always do just what we wish.
Rating:
Summary: Great backdrop in Ellis Island!
Review: Since this was my first Anna Pigeon mystery I didn't have any problem seeing her in a national park that wasn't so "natural."
I loved the descriptions of the crumbling buildings on the islands and found them to be wonderful eery backdrops for intrigue. The suspense plot kept my interest and gave me plenty of thrills
even as I enjoyed the gentler suspense of the sub-plot of Anna's ailing sister. I'm delighted to have discovered Nevada Barr's works.
Rating: 
Summary: A good read
Review: This is the 2nd Anna Pigeon Mystery I have read and liked it, but thought "Deep South" was a bit better. In this book, Anna is in New York to keep an eye on her sister who is in the hospital, but it seemed like she spent a heck of lot more time running around the city. Most of the story takes place on Ellis Island where Anna is staying with a fellow ranger. She takes to exploring the area and happens to be a witness when a young girl falls to her death off the Statue of Liberty. The police believe she may have been pushed by one of the security guards who, himself, ends up being the next to take the plunge. Of course, Anna can't rest (I noticed throughout the book she rarely slept) until she solves the mystery. Clues are hard to come by, but Anna manages to turn things up that the police couldn't. She ends up piecing things together and nearly gets herself killed in the process. The story tended to drag on a bit, but all in all it was a pretty good mystery. I guess I'm getting hooked on Anna Pigeon mysteries and will have to check out the others by Nevada Barr.
Rating:
Summary: Her best novel to date...something for fans of every stripe!
Review: (from the "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel")Nevada Barr takes her heroine Anna Pigeon out of her natural element (the forests, rivers, and deserts of our National parks) and sets her smack dab in the middle of the ultimate asphalt jungle: New York City. Oddly, this change of venue has produced some of Barr's best writing to date. In fact, "Liberty Falling" is her best novel to date. And when considering her small but powerful oeuvre ("Blind Descent," "Firestorm," "Track of the Cat" and three other top-notch efforts), that says a lot. After learning that her sister, Molly, has succumbed to pneumonia, Anna Pigeon travels to New York to hold vigil. When Frederick Stanton (a former boyfriend and FBI agent who has fallen in love with Molly) shows up, she begins feeling like an unneeded crutch. Bunking down in the ranger's quarters on Ellis Island, Anna shuttles back and forth among the three New York islands (Ellis, Liberty and Manhattan), trying to keep busy as she settles in for what could be a long wait. On a visit to Liberty island, Anna comes on the scene just after a young child is apparently pushed off of the statue. A new found friend, Park Policeman James "Hatch" Hatchett, falls under suspicion. Relying on instincts, Anna senses something amiss. And what forensic evidence is available suggests the child may have jumped. Unable to help herself, Anna begins snooping about. Among the caretakers, policemen, rangers and actors (who act out the roles of immigrants on Ellis Island), Anna finds more than enough suspects for murder. What's more, stories about ghosts haunting the ruins on Ellis Island have been bandied about. Her investigations turn up evidence of a strange and unexplained happenings in the night on Ellis and Liberty Islands. Further digging uncovers a murderous plot that could have worldwide political ramifications. When "Hatch" dies in what others assume is a freak accident and a young actress goes missing, Anna Pigeon knows she is, once again, on the right track to catch her killer. There's only one problem: he seems to be after her as well. The subplot involving Anna's sister Molly and Frederick Stanton makes for a gentle and humane counterpoint to the often violent, moral morass of the main story line. Sporting plenty of action and suspense, and a timely subtext involving racism and misplaced patriotism, "Liberty Falling" offers something for mystery fans of every stripe. (from "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1999).
Rating:
Summary: Anna and New York Just Don't Mix
Review: Intrepid park ranger Anna Pigeon is out of her milieu in this book, and the result is less than stellar. Anna's beloved sister Molly has fallen dangerously ill, and Anna has rushed to her side. Long and boring stints in the ICU (for both Anna and the reader) are interspersed with acute anxiety attacks, and a pressing need for space. Liberty Island, which is actually one of three islands, is--surprise--a national park, and Anna bunks with a ranger friend rather than stay at Molly's tony apartment in Manhattan. Of course, Anna being Anna, she stumbles onto some nefarious doings, not only in Lady Liberty herself, but in the decayed buildings of Ellis Island. Her snooping is not taken well by the resident staff--to the point where her life may be in danger. I don't know why I found the detailed descriptions of the inner workings of the Statue of Liberty, and the endless visits to the decaying buildings of Ellis Island, so boring. Linda Fairstein described much the same thing in one of her books, and it slowed her plot considerably, in my opinion. Perhaps it was this sense of deja vu that annoyed me so much in "Liberty Falling."
At any rate, I found the going very slow, to the point where I kept forgetting which character was which. Added to the slow pace of the mystery is the intensely annoying courtship of Anna's sister by geeky G-man Frederick Stanton, who has become increasingly hard to take in each successive book. Why the fabulous Molly would respond to Stanton, even in her half-dead state, is beyond me. Anna has some problems with it as well, but for different reasons, as loyal readers of this series know. A half-baked "romance" between Anna and Molly's doctor adds nothing to the plot for most of the book, except for the chance to "view" Anna in a sexy dress and high heels (a first). The mystery does come, at last, to a satisfying conclusion, but not soon enough. For devotees of the Anna Pigeon series, this book provides a necessary link in the ongoing story of Anna's life. For casual readers, this is one to skip. It falls far short of the previous six books in the series.
Rating:
Summary: A National Park Service in NEW YORK CITY?????
Review: Who knew? A National Park Service exists in New York City. Yes - at The Statue of Liberty! Anna Pigeon is a guest, rather than a working ranger, while she waits for news about her sister, Molly. Molly is in critical condition with complications that followed an operation. Anna races between The Statue of Liberty and the hospital. She works to solve the murders of a young teen girl and a NPS ranger/guard, both of whom appear to have 'fallen' from The Statue of Liberty. Meanwhile, her boyfriend Frederick tries to hide his love of Molly from Anna! The romantic element for Anna is Molly's doctor, who asks Anna on a date. And clueless Anna accepts. For a while, I wondered if Molly's remission reversal was due to the 'evil' doctor - but turns out his evil is in another arena.
This is probably my least favorite Nevada Barr book. I'll admit that I had a clue to the identity of the killer and accomplices about half way into the book. I was right. I think the most disappointing thing about this book is the urban setting. Barr can make any national park setting come alive, but the 'big city' of New York seemed stereotypical and uninteresting to the plot.
Rating:
Summary: Does Liberty Fall?
Review: I haven't read a mystery for many decades and this was a good read as I finished the book (which is a good sign), however, felt the evil one(s) were not much of the story. There are about 4 characters that are well developed and the rest are in and out. There is a part in the book where a Doctor takes Anna Pigeon on a date and shows interest in her. Then Anna discovers he is into pornographic pictures and drops him like a hot potato. I did not discover where this added to the story and felt it was left in limbo. I would not rate this over 3 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: I would have edited this book considerably!
Review: After loving Barr's 'Deep South' I was disappointed with 'Liberty Falling'. The storyline contained much redundancy and what can only be called filler, in what was a terrific storyline turned tedious. It took too long to get to the real plot. The author has the reader was asking "what is this going to be about?" for a good while. Too many extraneous characters also.
Rating:
Summary: great mystery!
Review: I have liked and admired Anna Pigeon since I read Nevada Barr's first book in this series but this is the first time that I really -liked- Anna as a person. Maybe it's because she's not officially on duty or maybe it's because she's in New York, but the Anna in "Liberty Falling" is much more approachable and human than she has been in the previous books. The story itself is first-rate with expert plotting and character development. One of the best things about the last two Anna Pigeon mysteries is that you really have to pay attention to what's going on -- Barr interweaves very subtle clues throughout the story. The only thing I didn't like about this book was the endless descriptions of the rides back and forth between the city and the monument but that's a small thing. This book is most definitely worth reading.
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