Rating: 
Summary: The bear truth
Review: Bears do some amazing things and I learned about them here. If you were scared of the bear hiding under your bed or lurking behind your closet door, this will be a scary book. Bears are always close by. Or at least the dastardly events might be caused by bears...While researching bears in remote and wild Glacier Nat'l Park, we see Anna Pigeon almost cracking up from an accumulation of too many seedy and scurrilous human deeds. Her faith in nature's restorative powers is threatened, not to mention her life. There's also a goodly amount of teenage coming-of-age psychology shown by a suspect and a stranger. Could our childless-by-choice Anna be having a change of heart...? The ending is rather beautiful. It also seems rushed, short and omitting why and how the villains have been getting around the pedestrian park.
Rating:
Summary: OF ANCIENT GODS AND MODERN MORTALS
Review: Bears figure prominently in this mystery, but this is not a story about bears. Oh, sure, it features bear researchers, and we get to read about the tricks and tools of their trade, but there is no decent bear writing in this story, certainly nothing like The Life Of A Grizzly Bear by E. Thompson Seton. Nevada Barr attempts to divource our ursine cousins from their air of mystery and mystique, but she fails to provide us with any other bear lore, say tidbits of the genuine bear thinking or even the naturalist's observations of bears left to their own devices. Instead, she insists on referring to Mama Bears as Sows, which might be scientifically accurate, but does not make the story better. The story is written as well as that other Nevada Barr mystery set in the Natchez Trail Park in the deep south. Unfortunately the rest of the story is not as good as that first one. The characters are a lot more off-beat and are less natural than those on Natchez Trace. The brooding atmosphere of the wilderness concealing a mystery overshadowed by a threat of a major bear attack and combined with good forensics works great, but the novel's conclusion and the mystery's solution are a definite let down to the story. The solution is too simple and mundane for the great atmosphere that she puts into the story. Nevada Barr avoids deeper issues and probing questions, settling instead on cardboard villains, that even start speaking like the comic book bad guys. The ending lends the air of a Disney film to the rest of the novel, making me wonder if a young adult film deal is not in the works. Worse still, Nevada spends most of the novel knocking bears off the pedestals, only to turn around in the end and to start worshipping the bear of her convenience on the pedestal of her invention. Surely, the animal that inspired the ancient hunters to worship it as God deserves a better treatment than this mystery novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book
Review: Blood Lure An Anna Pigeon book By: Nevada Barr G.P. Putnam Sons ISBN: 0-399-14702-0 Mystery-police Nevada Barr's reoccurring character, National Park Ranger Anna Pigeon is back on duty and quite naturally embroiled in a mystery. This book finds Anna working in the Waterton/Glacier National Peace Park on the Montana/Canadian border. She has gone there to participate in a DNA research project on Grizzly bears. Anna is teamed up with a trained researcher, Joan Rand and a young summer volunteer, Rory Van Slyke. Almost immediately reports of grizzlies doing unusual things are coming in. The second night put the researchers become the hunted, Rory is missing and another camper is dead. Anna uses her law enforcement skills to help question fellow campers, gather evidence and try to solve this rather unusual murder. Along the way the reader is treated to a wonderful hiking tour of the rugged Montana/Canadian Glacier area. The wildlife and the fauna are aptly described. Also disclosed are amazing tidbits of information about the Grizzly bear and their habits. The mystery was compelling and in no way easy to solve until the last 10 pages were turned. Nevada Barr writes wonderful books that are always well researched.
Rating:
Summary: Wacko ending
Review: Blood Lure takes us to Glacier National Park and the DNA study of bears - and a mystery of course! Who killed a woman and cut off part of her face - and why? The cast of characters is the usual mix of people with hidden pasts and possible motives. Anna Pigeon's tour of duty in Glacier and the surrounding area is a mix of fact and fiction - some errors obvious to us Montana natives but not essential to the plot. A good buildup of suspense but the wackiest ending I have ever read in a Nevada Barr book.
Rating: 
Summary: Not very suspensful with unrealistic ending
Review: I am a huge fan of Nevada Barr and couldn't wait for this book to come out in paperback. Out of all books in this series, I found this one to be definitely lacking in suspense and found the ending to be laughably ridiculous. Hopefully her next installment will be better. Honestly though, Anna Pigeon is getting really old and maybe she should think about hanging up the towel.
Rating:
Summary: Up to standard for this reliable and enjoyable series
Review: I am a very big fan of Anna Pigeon, and I found this book to be better than the average for the series. Since I find the series as a whole to be far far better than most, this is great praise from me. I always dread the mystery story review that gives away too much of the plot, so unfortunately I must speak in generalities. All I will say is that in this story the National Park is Glacier and that grizzly bears are involved. Since you learn this on page 1, this is not much of a plot-spoiler. Like the other books, this one benefits greatly from the author's extraordinary facility in describing the physical and the psychological aspects of the natural world from which Anna derives her strength. I also admire the author's unusual ability to let her character mature and change - Anna seems to be truly living her life in front of our eyes. From the self-pitying, alcoholic but stunningly competent ranger in the first book she has matured into a reflective, sober, observant, irreverant and stunningly competent (even more than usual) ranger in this book. Contrast Kinsey Milhone (I also like that series, by the way), who seems to be the same in every book. Another plus for this book is the characterizations of the supporting players - not many of them, but very well detailed. I very much enjoyed the description of everything to do with bears - seemingly based on solid research, and totally fascinating. Unlike the reviewers who speak of trick endings, I found the plotting of this book to be meticulously fair (and absolutely riveting), to the point where I actually managed to figure out the mystery before it was revealed, and I found it very satisfying. OK, maybe the final resolution (I wish I could describe it but you'd never forgive me) is a little strained, but it truly could not be otherwise.
Rating: 
Summary: Grin And Bear It
Review: I have a soft spot in my heart for Glacier National Park. When I was a teenager in the early '70s, my family made trips on Amtrack from Pittsburgh to Glacier and I had a grizzly bear encounter both trips. One of the encounters was after a long day of hiking that included part of the Highline trail. As an adult, I met my Dad and my stepmom in the park twice in the early '90s. With my past on the table,I write this review with unbiased a heart as possible. Blood Lure by Nevada Barr is a very good mystery. It isn't her best Anna Pigeon novel, but still a worthy read. Anna, our ranger and sleuth, is on a training trip to Glacier National Park to learn about wildlife DNA studies and grizzly bears. She is working with Joan, the bear expert, and Rory, a moody teenager on an Earthwatch trip. Rory's stepmom plays the role of dead body. Suspects abound [both human and ursine], clues abound, and even though the end of the novel runs towards the preposterous, the ending is not out of keeping with the earlier novels AND it could happen in real life. Remember folks, Anna Pigeon is a fictional character and most likely gets away with things that would rip right out of the envelope of the permissible in real life. That said, the end brings my rating down low enough to give it 4 stars. This isn't the Anna Pigeon novel I would recommend a new reader start with. My advice is to start at the beginning of the series with Track Of The Cat or, if you must dip in partway through the series, I would advise you start with Ill Wind or Liberty Falling.
Rating:
Summary: What A Vacation!
Review: I have been a fan of Nevada Barr for many years. Looking forward to the beginning of each year for a new installment. Blood Lure was not a disappointment, Ms. Barr was up to her usual standard of great mystery and beautiful location. You know from reading this authors books, I think that the National Park Rangers are the true heroes of law enforcement. I'm sure that Ms. Barr is not stretching reality when she describes what these guys have to go though to get the job done. Nevada Barr takes the reader into the life of a National Park. She has a wonderful dialog to describe this great country. If the reader does not feel that they are with Anna Pigeon every moment of the way, it is not Ms. Barr's fault. The author weaves a tight plot and mystery in this tale. She had me guessing and questioning everything along the way. Once again, Ms. Barr delivers a good plot with lots of twist and turns to keep the readers happy. The added plus, of any of the Anna Pigeon series is the environmental side of the story. Ms. Barr doesn't hit you over the head with "look what we've doing to the land" preaching. But she does point out the impact that man is having on our natural resources. I like Anna Pigeon's look on life, humans are a part of nature, just wished they would become one with nature. Well, I've rattled on enough. This is a wonderful series that I highly recommend. I also recommend that if you are new to this series, start at the beginning with "Track Of The Cat". I just can't see jumping into the middle of this series, I don't think you would understand all that is going on with the characters. They are such wonderful characters, really fleshed out and full of life it would be a shame to miss out on their development.
Rating:
Summary: Bearly Believable
Review: I read Nevada Barr's books for the splendid scenery, the nature, and the behind the scenes peek at the Park Department. However, I find her mysteries are convoluted and highly improbable. This particular cast of characters lack a certain believability/plausibility and the story line meanders until no one knows (or cares) where it is going. Anna Pidgeon sets off for Glacier National Park to track bears in this installment, the first chapter of which is actually rather repulsive and gross, and we learn about what attracts bears. Lots of bear lore and gorgeous glimpses of wild places, but (again) a highly unlikely tale. While the bears can certainly be scary, Anna does receive a sexual harassment threat that was the most terrifying thing in the book. There is also a plethora of spelling and editing errors in the book, and the map with the west on top was more annoying than helpful. I will continue to read these books for the glimpses of nature, the flora, fauna and beautiful parks, but I won't expect much in the way of a plot.
Rating:
Summary: Still a fan!
Review: I really like Nevada Barr's series starring Anna Pigeon. The glimpse of romance in the air in the last novel coupled with all the suspense and life-threatening action really made for a great read. Bloodlure, on the other hand, had Anna away from her home park on assignment to learn about DNA testing for wildlife. In Glacier national park she meets up with some excitement (in the form of a bear attack at night) and murder. I was a tad disappointed with the storyline in this mystery. Unless I am just getting really good at picking out clues... I very nearly had the whole story figured out by the half way point. I kind of felt the author just needed to take a break awhile before coming up with the answers to how she was going to continue to flesh out Anna's private life in Mississippi so wrote this little vacation story just to fulfill her contract. And that is ok! I still enjoyed Anna and the escapades that surrounded her on this trip. I just know that I have been enthralled an unable to put to the book down for other of Barr's novels, and not so much for this one.
|
