First Anna Pigeon novel. Takes place in Guadelupe Natl Park in Tx. Anna solves the mystery of two accidental deaths.

It was okay- entertaining enough, but didn't blow me away. Some things contemporary to 1993 felt dated by now (I'm sure some folks live without a phone if possible, or in remote park places, but payphones are virtually extinct in 2019. Same goes for being concerned about the # of pictures left on a canister of film- while there is still a limit with digital, you'd be hard pressed to hit that).

We did find the murderer in the end, but it feels like the book ends abruptly- I wonder if the beginning of the second will mention how things resolved in Guadalupe? Other reviews note the attention to detail for the parks, and it does feel authentically true, though I've never been to GMNP. ( )

OK, so I’m a little late to the party on this author; I can’t speak to Nevada Barr’s entire body of work, but Track of the Cat is quite the mystery debut.

Ms. Barr uses language wisely; her lyrical descriptions of the West Texas desert – in the heat of day, at sunset, at moonrise – are the only passages in which she is extravagant with her words. Sky, trees, animal sounds, and scents are explored as Park Ranger and Law Enforcement Officer Anna Pigeon, a transplanted New York widow, takes it upon herself to find out what killed her fellow Rangers after finding their bodies in Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

The pacing is perfect, and ends in a confrontation with one of the most despicable criminals I’ve ever read – which made the ending so satisfying. There are one or two plot holes, including a dinner party that just dropped out of the sky with either no prior mention or a mention so far back in the narrative that it was camouflaged. Without this confusing event, I would be reviewing a five star book. I took away a half-star, but I will be reading more in this series. Anna Pigeon is one of the most intriguing protagonists I’ve met in a mystery series, and I can’t wait to see where she goes. I did guess the killer, but the book is so beautifully crafted overall that I don’t count this against the author.

Other reviewers have classified this as a cozy mystery, but I disagree. Anna is too much of a badass, and I can’t reconcile the unforgiving desert landscape with tea, humor, or any of the other cozy hallmarks. Neither is it a police procedural; Anna operates in the margins of the law, and without the support of her department. I guess I’ll just call it a mystery series; maybe it’s got a sub-genre of its own. Desert Mystery?

Regardless, this is a book to be savored. Take your time as you visit the desert with Anna. Be careful on the trail. ( )

I decided to reread the beginning of the Barr National Park Series to see if it is as interesting now as it was many years ago. I am happy to report that it is as good. Apart from some marginal descriptive passages, and some overly wrought philosophical introspection, the mystery and the park setting was still compelling and Anna was shown to have had actual logical deductions, unlike the protagonists of many of the mysteries I have read. ( )

Trying to hide—and drink—away her sorrow after her husband's untimely death, Anna Pigeon chooses to live on the edge of civilization as a National Park Ranger in the remote Guadalupe Mountains in the great state of Texas. Because of her independent attitude and love of nature and animals, her choice brings her some peace. Then, after she starts investigating the death of a fellow ranger, she falls down a cliff and is almost killed. Anna, convinced her fall wasn't an accident, follows the evidence, which leads her to a dark secret she can't let go. I love Anna's humourous self-talk and her entertaining relationship with her sister, Molly. Nevada Barr's descriptive narrative of the trails, desert, and plant life alone is worth the read. I also love the author's no, nonsense ending. I can't wait to dig deeper into this series. ( )