Nevada Barr
Endangered Species (1997)
Author: Nevada Barr
Genre: Mystery/Suspense (Amateur Detective)
Plot Summary:
Park Ranger heroine Anna Pigeon find more then just forest fires on the tiny island of Cumberland off the coast of Georgia.
The mystery begins with a downed charter plane and the death of two prominent Cumberland residents, and soon Anna finds herself in the midst of a mystery.
She suspects the pane was sabotaged and tries to string together a series of seemingly dis-separate clues in the lush Southern setting. The abundance of natural beauty of Cumberland provides Anna with means and motive.
Meanwhile in a side plot, Anna's FBI boyfriend Frederick is helping her sister Molly track down the source of death threats in New York City, and questioning his ability to commit to Anna while falling for Molly.
Geographical Setting: Mystery #1- Cumberland Island National Seashore, off the coast of Georgia; Mystery #2 - New York City, New York
Time Period: Summer, present day (1997)
Series: Endangered Species is #5 of 13 novels (as of 2005), in the Anna Pigeon series.
Appeal Characteristics:
Anna is a strong, independent, and intelligent character whose emotional characteristics and thoughts about relationships are as vital as the crime details. Meanwhile secondary characters are complex, fleshed out, and relevant to the plots. Relationships between characters are vital. The book begins with a very deliberate pace, and towards the end becomes a fast paced page turner by the end.
The setting is almost like another character, very vivid and essential to the story. This is not a puzzle mystery.
Read-alikes: Nevada Barr has 11 other books starring Anna Pigeon, the next in the series, Blind Descent, was nominated for two mystery awards.
Readers who enjoyed the way that Anna's job as a park ranger shaped the story might also enjoy Elaine Viets' Dead End Job Mystery series, where a different Dead-End Job shapes the unique setting and situation for the mystery.
Those who found the natural setting and wildlife of Endangered Species compelling might also enjoy titles in Jessica Speart's Rachel Porter mysteries such as Blue Twilight, starring a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agent.
Fans of Pigeon as a sarcastic, intelligent, and adventuresome female might enjoy Barbara D’Amato's Cat Marsala series, such as Help Me Please where characters drive much of the story.
For those looking for another suspenseful series with a romance, Sandra Brown's suspense works such as Standoff might be enjoyable.
Red Flags: Occasional swearing, descriptions of dead bodies, jokes about dead bodies, mild sexual innuendo, violence against the protagonist, description of stalking, menstruation, drug use, interracial dating.
Flashback (2003)
Author: Nevada Barr
Genre: Mystery/Suspense (Amateur Detective)
Plot Summary:
Park ranger, Anna Pigeon, takes a temporary position in Dry Tortugas National Park near Key West, Florida. The park sits on Garden Key, the location of an old, mostly-gone military fort called Fort Jefferson. Her sister, Molly, sends Anna a box of old letters written by their great-great aunt Raffia while she was stationed with her military captain husband, at Fort Jefferson, where Anna now lives and works. The novel creates a dual storyline, one in which Anna encounters clues including a boat explosion, and the realization that she, like her park ranger predecessor at Dry Tortugas, was given hallucinogens in order to run her out; thereby allowing the mysterious antagonists to act-out an illegal immigration plan from Cuba. The other storyline takes place in Anna's great-great aunt's letters, involving two prisoners accussed of aiding in President Lincoln's assasination. Raffia's sister, Tilly, becomes involved, to her own detriment, and Raffia must find answers. The dual plots alternate chapters and the reader experiences the sensation of reading two books at once.
Geographical Setting: Garden Key, Florida, in Dry Tortugas National Park, including the past and present structures that make up Fort Jefferson.
Time Period: Storyline #1: Present day, 2003, Storyline #2: near 1870, just after President Lincoln's assasination.
Series: Flashback is #11 of 13 novels as of 2005, in the Anna Pigeon series.
Appeal Characteristics:
Moderately fast pacing within each, separate storyline, good balance of interior and exterior action, fairly single-character focus- with only a few important relationships/supporting characters, setting is very important in this book, particularly the history of Fort Jefferson and the area around Garden Key, FL, setting is absolutely realistic- would be good for travel reading, plot resolution is very complete and satisfying, the element of suspense makes this novel a real page-turner (very compelling), includes both present-day and historical setting. Finally, Anna Pigeon is a strong female character with wit and independence.
Read-alikes: In Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon series, Try #8, Deep South, a Barry Award Winner. Also try Jessica Speart's Rachel Porter Mysteries. Border Prey features Rachel Porter as a U.S. Fish and Wildlife agent. Also check out Lise McClendon's Alix Thorssen series, specifically, The Bluejay Shaman, which places Alix in Jackson, WY. Also Guns and Roses from Taffy Cannon's proposed Irish Eyes Travel Agency Series. This series incorporates a strong female amateur detective with a historical setting. Also try Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak series, specifically A Cold Day for Murder, which places Kate in scenic Alaskan wilderness and won the 1993 Edgar Award. Finally, try Sue Henry's Jessie Arnold Mysteries, also set in isolated Alaskan wilderness. A Murder at Five-Finger Light incorporates a romance element with suspense and outdoor mystery.
Red Flags: Some strong language, mild/moderate images of violence.
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