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Anna Pigeon #13
Hard Truth
Just days after marrying Sheriff Paul Davidson, Anna Pigeon moves to Colorado to assume her new post as district ranger at Rocky Mountain National Park.
When two of three children who'd gone missing from a religious retreat reappear, Anna's investigation brings her face-to-face with a paranoid sect--and with a villain so evil, he'll make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.
When two of three children who'd gone missing from a religious retreat reappear, Anna's investigation brings her face-to-face with a paranoid sect--and with a villain so evil, he'll make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.
322 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
About the author
Nevada Barr
58 books2,178 followersNevada Barr is a mystery fiction author, known for her "Anna Pigeon" series of mysteries, set in National Parks in the United States. Barr has won an Agatha Award for best first novel for Track of the Cat.
Barr was named after the state of her birth. She grew up in Johnstonville, California. She finished college at the University of California, Irvine. Originally, Barr started to pursue a career in theatre, but decided to be a park ranger. In 1984 she published her first novel, Bittersweet, a bleak lesbian historical novel set in the days of the Western frontier.
While working in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Barr created the Anna Pigeon series. Pigeon is a law enforcement officer with the United States National Park Service. Each book in the series takes place in a different National Park, where Pigeon solves a murder mystery, often related to natural resource issues. She is a satirical, witty woman whose icy exterior is broken down in each book by a hunky male to whom she is attracted (such as Rogelio).
Currently, Ms. Barr lives in New Orleans, LA.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/nevada...
Barr was named after the state of her birth. She grew up in Johnstonville, California. She finished college at the University of California, Irvine. Originally, Barr started to pursue a career in theatre, but decided to be a park ranger. In 1984 she published her first novel, Bittersweet, a bleak lesbian historical novel set in the days of the Western frontier.
While working in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Barr created the Anna Pigeon series. Pigeon is a law enforcement officer with the United States National Park Service. Each book in the series takes place in a different National Park, where Pigeon solves a murder mystery, often related to natural resource issues. She is a satirical, witty woman whose icy exterior is broken down in each book by a hunky male to whom she is attracted (such as Rogelio).
Currently, Ms. Barr lives in New Orleans, LA.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/nevada...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 619 reviews
July 8, 2022
I’ve really been looking forward to the book set in Rocky Mountain National Park because it’s one of the parks I’ve been to and am familiar with. Not quite as many details about the park in this one as most of the previous books in her series had. This one was told in split POV between park ranger Anna Pigeon and Heath, a paraplegic former rock climber who is at the park camping with her aunt. Heath and her aunt are camping when two girls who went missing weeks before run out of the woods. They won’t say where they’ve been, but it’s obvious they’ve been traumatized and as Anna and Heath investigate the circumstances of their disappearance and home life it becomes clear their family is part of a cult-like religious sect that is abusing the girls. This had lots of twists and was not for the faint of heart in many places. It was a very well written mystery. I liked the way Anna and Heath worked together to solve the mystery and help the girls and thought the use of dual POV which was new to this 13th book of the series worked well.
Trigger Warnings:
Trigger Warnings:
August 17, 2007
I love the Anna Pigeon lady park ranger mystery series, but this book (her most recent) was seriously disturbing. Less about the natural surroundings and history than the other previous books, this one delves deep into the psyche of a killer that also twists the minds of young girls he's kidnapped from a small conservative religious enclave. This book will mess with your head. I was open-mouthed in horror by the end. Not the normal Barr mystery, so reader beware!
July 1, 2015
Hard Truth, a mystery set in Rocky Mountain National Park, is the story of a ranger - Anna Pigeon - who ends up in a seemingly impossible situation (one in which you know she'll be triumphant) that involves a creepy religious commune, missing and abused children, and a psychopathic serial killer who loves torturing living creatures. Not exactly a fun novel to curl up with on a summer night!
This is part of a series of books about Anna and I have not yet read any of the others. I might give another a try, though. Just the barest hints of her personal life come through in this book and I'd like to know more.
The story is far-fetched, similar to the crazy stories about Temperance Brennan in the Bones series of books. If I was a more astute mystery reader, I might have figured out whodunit a lot faster than I did. It was a disturbing book as we all know there are people like that serial killer out there but the story is so overblown it takes the edge off of it a little bit.
This book is not exactly light-hearted fluff, but it's basically an easy read with almost non-stop action and enough intriguing characters that if you like this type of mystery, it can keep you reading on to the end.
This is part of a series of books about Anna and I have not yet read any of the others. I might give another a try, though. Just the barest hints of her personal life come through in this book and I'd like to know more.
The story is far-fetched, similar to the crazy stories about Temperance Brennan in the Bones series of books. If I was a more astute mystery reader, I might have figured out whodunit a lot faster than I did. It was a disturbing book as we all know there are people like that serial killer out there but the story is so overblown it takes the edge off of it a little bit.
This book is not exactly light-hearted fluff, but it's basically an easy read with almost non-stop action and enough intriguing characters that if you like this type of mystery, it can keep you reading on to the end.
June 1, 2007
I usually love Nevada Barr's stories, but this one was a bit hard to read because of all the violence. Either I've gotten more sensitive to it or Nevada Barr stepped up the gory details in this book.
October 29, 2023
This is the 13th book in the Anna Pigeon series, published in 2005. In each book, Anna works as a park ranger in a different national park and the park in this one is the Rocky Mountain Nat'l. Park in Colorado. I have enjoyed the series overall and have learned a lot about a number of parks I've never been to. However, I have been to Rocky Mtn., a truly magnificent place. The main reason I give this book 3 stars and not more is that I didn't get a strong feel for the park in this one. I think she brought the parks more to life in her earlier books.
In each story, Anna gets involved in a murder case in a national park and also gets involved in solving the case. This story deals with kidnapped children, a fundamentalist religious commune, the torture of animals, and a psychopathic serial killer. This is easily the darkest Anna Pigeon mystery that I've read! I checked other reviews and I'm not surprised that a number of readers found the book too disturbing.
Another thing is that about half the book is told from another perspective and that is that of a wheel-chair paraplegic named Heath. She had been a very capable athletic woman who had been a mountain climber-- who fell almost to her death. She often becomes very frustrated due to her limitations and I could really feel for this character. I didn't mind that so much of the book was about this character but I could see that many Anna Pigeon fans did not like that so much of the focus was taken away from Anna.
So, a solid 3 stars which means it's a good read, not bad, but be prepared for the psycho.
In each story, Anna gets involved in a murder case in a national park and also gets involved in solving the case. This story deals with kidnapped children, a fundamentalist religious commune, the torture of animals, and a psychopathic serial killer. This is easily the darkest Anna Pigeon mystery that I've read! I checked other reviews and I'm not surprised that a number of readers found the book too disturbing.
Another thing is that about half the book is told from another perspective and that is that of a wheel-chair paraplegic named Heath. She had been a very capable athletic woman who had been a mountain climber-- who fell almost to her death. She often becomes very frustrated due to her limitations and I could really feel for this character. I didn't mind that so much of the book was about this character but I could see that many Anna Pigeon fans did not like that so much of the focus was taken away from Anna.
So, a solid 3 stars which means it's a good read, not bad, but be prepared for the psycho.
January 30, 2014
The first two-thirds of this novel were great. The mystery was intriguing, there were plenty of suspects to choose from and the twists, while not super creative, were at least entertaining. Then the bad guy is revealed and what was an intense, psychological thriller all of a sudden morphs into torture porn. The shift is very jarring and completely killed whatever enjoyment I had gotten from the first part of the book. Very, very disappointing.
July 6, 2022
This was intense and sad and horrific but also sweet, beautiful, and hopeful. I love the Rocky Mountains. When I was a kid, my family lived in Wyoming for 3 years. It’s absolutely gorgeous and I am so glad it was a part of my childhood. There are big empty spaces in Wyoming and one can certainly picture a cult and a serial killer hiding out there. Anna Pigeon gets herself into predicaments like a dog finding a mud puddle. Thoroughly enjoyable as always.
October 26, 2017
"She held [the flashlight] backward and the light blasted her retinas. Startled, she dropped it. Found it. Pointed it in the right direction. "Holy shit," she whispered.
Then the screaming began."
Hard Truth (2005), another National Parks series mystery by Nevada Barr, is the weakest of the five installments I have read so far. In fact, I actively dislike the ending of the novel, badly written and simply in bad taste. Until about page 235 (out of 320) it seems an interesting and worthwhile addition to the series. The story is located in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, where Anna Pigeon is now employed as a district ranger. But then, towards the end of the story, the writing dissolves into pornography of violence.
Three young girls have gone missing in Rocky Mountains National Park six weeks ago, and the intense search has not yielded any results. But now a paraplegic climber, "handicamping" in the park with her aunt comes across two girls, disheveled and covered in mud, feces, and blood. The girls are incommunicative and in a state of shock. When the parents - members of a conservative Christian sect - are notified, instead of being extremely happy, they all lawyer up and prohibit their daughters from being tested for rape and questioned by psychologists or police. Ms. Pigeon is having difficulties in fulfilling her law enforcement duties - finding the third girl - because the parents suspect the involvement of Satan. The whole affair acquires a different flavor when Ms Pigeon finds evidence that someone has been torturing animals. The possibility of a brutal series killer cannot be excluded either.
The absurdly prolonged ending with its barrage of gratuitous violence and brutality overwhelms the reader. It is not just that the scenes of mental and physical torture are excessive but they are also badly written. In High Country Ms. Barr wrote great, captivating scenes of a prolonged ferocious duel between a good person and a bad one. Here the passages depicting brutality are simultaneously disgusting and ridiculous. For instance, a character repeatedly stabbed with a knife and just about to die is glad about the cordovan-colored socks they are wearing as they do not show how much blood is being lost because of their color. Cringeworthy and embarrassing for this usually competent author.
I also wish Ms. Barr wrote more about the Rocky Mountain National Park, which my wife and I visited just a year ago (our thirty-second National Park). The author does know how to write about nature, which she proved in other books in the series. Instead of just mentioning the names such as Sprague Lake, Loomis Lake or Deer Mountain I would love to read more about these wonderful places, with similar skill as the author has exhibited before.
I will probably look for more National Park series mysteries by Ms. Barr, but I am unable to recommend this one.
Two stars.
Then the screaming began."
Hard Truth (2005), another National Parks series mystery by Nevada Barr, is the weakest of the five installments I have read so far. In fact, I actively dislike the ending of the novel, badly written and simply in bad taste. Until about page 235 (out of 320) it seems an interesting and worthwhile addition to the series. The story is located in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, where Anna Pigeon is now employed as a district ranger. But then, towards the end of the story, the writing dissolves into pornography of violence.
Three young girls have gone missing in Rocky Mountains National Park six weeks ago, and the intense search has not yielded any results. But now a paraplegic climber, "handicamping" in the park with her aunt comes across two girls, disheveled and covered in mud, feces, and blood. The girls are incommunicative and in a state of shock. When the parents - members of a conservative Christian sect - are notified, instead of being extremely happy, they all lawyer up and prohibit their daughters from being tested for rape and questioned by psychologists or police. Ms. Pigeon is having difficulties in fulfilling her law enforcement duties - finding the third girl - because the parents suspect the involvement of Satan. The whole affair acquires a different flavor when Ms Pigeon finds evidence that someone has been torturing animals. The possibility of a brutal series killer cannot be excluded either.
The absurdly prolonged ending with its barrage of gratuitous violence and brutality overwhelms the reader. It is not just that the scenes of mental and physical torture are excessive but they are also badly written. In High Country Ms. Barr wrote great, captivating scenes of a prolonged ferocious duel between a good person and a bad one. Here the passages depicting brutality are simultaneously disgusting and ridiculous. For instance, a character repeatedly stabbed with a knife and just about to die is glad about the cordovan-colored socks they are wearing as they do not show how much blood is being lost because of their color. Cringeworthy and embarrassing for this usually competent author.
I also wish Ms. Barr wrote more about the Rocky Mountain National Park, which my wife and I visited just a year ago (our thirty-second National Park). The author does know how to write about nature, which she proved in other books in the series. Instead of just mentioning the names such as Sprague Lake, Loomis Lake or Deer Mountain I would love to read more about these wonderful places, with similar skill as the author has exhibited before.
I will probably look for more National Park series mysteries by Ms. Barr, but I am unable to recommend this one.
Two stars.
August 30, 2023
So why do I read Nevada Barr? She writes these little whodunit murder mysteries set in national parks that are mostly fun little reads. As a former NPS employee, she captures the park service culture pretty well, which adds to the amusement, because that is one of the cultures I live in. She is also famous for thinly veiling some of her characters, so when she writes about a park you've worked in, it is always fun to try to guess who some of the characters are. The ironic thing is that the most evil person I have ever known in the NPS (or at least the one I have the least respect for), she painted like a rose. Personally, I think he paid her a bonus check to do that. There's no other logical explanation. That was not this book, however.
And why I am getting tired of Nevada Barr? For one, she hates men (or appears to), so most men in the books (with the exception of Anna's lovers and the one exception above) are painted pretty badly. Not that there aren't plenty of awful men out there, but the same ol' formula of nearly ALL the men being dirtbags gets monotonous and grating after several novels.
I enjoyed her earliest books the most, and they've tended to get more annoying as you go along, with this one being the worst yet. The topic is awful, and she claims some of the characters used to be Mormon, although they appear to be a spin off from Fundamentalists instead, but she evidently doesn't know the difference. It's also clear she doesn't know anything about Mormons and did not get anyone to review those sections for believability. She claims one character got a Master's in liturigical music at BYU (such a program doesn't exist by that name), and then "worked" in a temple for a couple years after college as if that was his paid job (too rare to be plausible). And her portrayal of the women was even worse. I don't know much about Fundamentalists beyond stereotypes, and it seems neither does she nor can she distinguish them from Mormons. I assume she was really trying to describe a fundamentalist group under the wrong name. I have no problem with her describing people that leave the Mormon church or make choices that don't align with what the religion teaches (those definitely exist), but there should be enough resemblance to the culture to make it credible, and she missed the mark pretty far on this one by making assumptions and not using a knowledgeable reviewer.
And why I am getting tired of Nevada Barr? For one, she hates men (or appears to), so most men in the books (with the exception of Anna's lovers and the one exception above) are painted pretty badly. Not that there aren't plenty of awful men out there, but the same ol' formula of nearly ALL the men being dirtbags gets monotonous and grating after several novels.
I enjoyed her earliest books the most, and they've tended to get more annoying as you go along, with this one being the worst yet. The topic is awful, and she claims some of the characters used to be Mormon, although they appear to be a spin off from Fundamentalists instead, but she evidently doesn't know the difference. It's also clear she doesn't know anything about Mormons and did not get anyone to review those sections for believability. She claims one character got a Master's in liturigical music at BYU (such a program doesn't exist by that name), and then "worked" in a temple for a couple years after college as if that was his paid job (too rare to be plausible). And her portrayal of the women was even worse. I don't know much about Fundamentalists beyond stereotypes, and it seems neither does she nor can she distinguish them from Mormons. I assume she was really trying to describe a fundamentalist group under the wrong name. I have no problem with her describing people that leave the Mormon church or make choices that don't align with what the religion teaches (those definitely exist), but there should be enough resemblance to the culture to make it credible, and she missed the mark pretty far on this one by making assumptions and not using a knowledgeable reviewer.
September 16, 2014
Does Anna Pigeon ever stop to wonder why death, murder, mayhem follow her to every jobsite? Does her husband wonder? Her sister? How about the Park Service? These people are not very intelligent.
Of course we're supposed to suspend a certain amount of disbelief. But within the world that a genre writer creates, things still have to make sense and be consistent. In this thriller, three young girls are Everything is in service of the plot alone, not reality.
I complain with every book about Barr's terrible writing. Let's look at just a few examples:
"Turning her face from the cleansing carcinogens of the sun, she replaced her hat."
Huh? The carcinogens of the sun are cleansing?
For the past several novels she's been employing a hyperlazy construction where proper names and pronouns vanish as actions happen:
"Vision cleared."
"Responsibilities lifted, shifted."
"Masks were gone."
"Eyes were clear."
Every time I read "sentences" like this, irritation happened. Imaginary punches were thrown. Anger jumped. Rage danced.
January 23, 2021
I read four thrillers in a row this month, in an effort to distract myself from politics and the news.
I ended my spree with the 13th book in Nevada Barr's mystery/crime series, all set in National Parks. I started reading this series five years ago and only have six more to go. I am getting there!
Park Ranger Anna Pigeon arrives at Rocky Mountain National Park for a temporary assignment as District Ranger in the midst of a search for three missing girls. On her first day two of the girls emerge from the woods, dressed only in ragged filthy underwear, traumatized and close to starvation. One girl is still missing. The two are rescued by campers but claim to remember nothing.
In a series where the plots are always complex and twisted, Nevada Barr has kicked it up yet another notch. Included in her tale are a wheel-chair bound paraplegic woman, a fringe Mormon community, mistaken identities, and a serial killer who specializes in harming children.
Evil spreads through the breathtaking beauty of the park. Danger, even to animals, lurks in every valley, over the next peak, and even in the rangers's cabins. This is almost a horror novel.
I must admit that the physical and psychological damage done to the female children was hard to take. Be warned. Anna Pigeon's canny investigating and fearless strength provide much needed balance.
I ended my spree with the 13th book in Nevada Barr's mystery/crime series, all set in National Parks. I started reading this series five years ago and only have six more to go. I am getting there!
Park Ranger Anna Pigeon arrives at Rocky Mountain National Park for a temporary assignment as District Ranger in the midst of a search for three missing girls. On her first day two of the girls emerge from the woods, dressed only in ragged filthy underwear, traumatized and close to starvation. One girl is still missing. The two are rescued by campers but claim to remember nothing.
In a series where the plots are always complex and twisted, Nevada Barr has kicked it up yet another notch. Included in her tale are a wheel-chair bound paraplegic woman, a fringe Mormon community, mistaken identities, and a serial killer who specializes in harming children.
Evil spreads through the breathtaking beauty of the park. Danger, even to animals, lurks in every valley, over the next peak, and even in the rangers's cabins. This is almost a horror novel.
I must admit that the physical and psychological damage done to the female children was hard to take. Be warned. Anna Pigeon's canny investigating and fearless strength provide much needed balance.
August 19, 2012
Another excellent story in the Anna Pigeon series although with a little bit from other people's perspectives which I didn't particularly care for. I had a few questions like how the media described the girls' disappearance in the first place. All that was talked about was how they were found in the beginning of the book. Also, at one point Anna talked to Heath about something privately and it was never clear what they talked about. An another big problem that bothered me from the beginning was that the man who was with the kids when they disappeared was never brought in for questioning.
But despite those, it was a good read as I always expect from Barr and I eagerly await reading the next one.
But despite those, it was a good read as I always expect from Barr and I eagerly await reading the next one.
May 30, 2014
Im a huge fan of Anna Pigeon but this is my least favorite thus far. I give it three stars because it was well written enough to keep me up reading, wanting to finish this book, and yet I found it to be more horror cross over than mystery. I actually like horror but not when I expect a mystery, the cat abuse scenes were horrid, as was the end of the novel....the end was satisfying but more in a Silence of the Lambs/Children of the Corn sort of way...yet Barr tried to wrap it up with usual Anna Pigeon charm which seemed awkward and inappropriate given the extreme subject matter of this particular installment...a page turner, but more disturbing than expected and I think the author was in too big of a hurry to end it on a semi pleasant note like the rest of the series.
February 9, 2019
Since I discovered the Anna Pigeon series a few years back, I've tried to read one or two every year or so. Hard Truth by Nevada Barr is the 13th book in the series and the 12th I've read so far. Anna Pigeon is a US Park Ranger and each book is generally set in a different US National Park, where Anna has found herself transferred for one reason or another.
In Hard Truth, Anna, newly married, has been transferred to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, filling the position of district ranger. This will mean a year away from her husband who stays back at Natchez, Mississippi. She has arrived at this position as the park has conducted a search for 3 lost girls, all belonging to a religious commune that resides just outside the park proper.
The story starts with Heath and her aunt Gwen Littleton who are camping in the park. Heath is an ex-mountain climber who was paralyzed in a fall and is still adjusting to her new life as a paraplegic and not going about the process too smoothly. The two discover two of the lost girls, both traumatized, both suffering injuries and dehydration. This brings Anna into the situation as well. The story now moves between the two women, Heath coping with her new limited body and trying to help one of the young girls, Beth, or as she calls her, the limpet. Anna, while working to learn the job in her new area and also to learn more about the other rangers who work there also works to discover where the other lost girl might be and who might have been involved in kidnapping them. The two girls, themselves, still traumatized, offer not too many clues as to what happened to them.
It's is at times a slow-paced story but still very interesting as Anna tries to sort things out in her mind and to find clues to what might have happened. We get a decent view of the park as well. The story gets darker and grittier as it moves along and the pace picks up rapidly as everything starts to fall together. There are many suspects that Anna must try to sort through and in the end must try to close out the case all the while trying to keep herself, the girls, Heath, and others alive from a dangerous, psychotic killer. As in most of her stories, Nevada Barr doesn't disappoint. (4 stars)
In Hard Truth, Anna, newly married, has been transferred to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, filling the position of district ranger. This will mean a year away from her husband who stays back at Natchez, Mississippi. She has arrived at this position as the park has conducted a search for 3 lost girls, all belonging to a religious commune that resides just outside the park proper.
The story starts with Heath and her aunt Gwen Littleton who are camping in the park. Heath is an ex-mountain climber who was paralyzed in a fall and is still adjusting to her new life as a paraplegic and not going about the process too smoothly. The two discover two of the lost girls, both traumatized, both suffering injuries and dehydration. This brings Anna into the situation as well. The story now moves between the two women, Heath coping with her new limited body and trying to help one of the young girls, Beth, or as she calls her, the limpet. Anna, while working to learn the job in her new area and also to learn more about the other rangers who work there also works to discover where the other lost girl might be and who might have been involved in kidnapping them. The two girls, themselves, still traumatized, offer not too many clues as to what happened to them.
It's is at times a slow-paced story but still very interesting as Anna tries to sort things out in her mind and to find clues to what might have happened. We get a decent view of the park as well. The story gets darker and grittier as it moves along and the pace picks up rapidly as everything starts to fall together. There are many suspects that Anna must try to sort through and in the end must try to close out the case all the while trying to keep herself, the girls, Heath, and others alive from a dangerous, psychotic killer. As in most of her stories, Nevada Barr doesn't disappoint. (4 stars)
February 15, 2022
Audiobook
Hindsight is 20/20. I would have gagged him. Horribly good story. What's really terrible is it could be true. 5 stars
Hindsight is 20/20. I would have gagged him. Horribly good story. What's really terrible is it could be true. 5 stars
May 11, 2024
Three little girls have gone missing in Rocky Mountain National Park and searchers have found nary a hair until two reappear at an RV housing two women — an elderly woman and her crippled niece. Where have they been and what have they suffered during the six weeks they were missing? And what gives when their family — a religious cult — refuse medical treatment and take them home to admit their sins and to pray for forgiveness?
It is the new world Ann Pigeon walks into just days after marrying Sheriff Paul Davidson. Now she has a mystery of the girls to contend with along with getting to know her new employees and new territory. And she is dealing with the disabled woman — a former ice climber who is angry as can be about her life until she falls for one of the found girls. It is that that drives her as much as justice drives Pigeon in seeking for answers in the three girls' prior life and the situation that threw their world upside down.
There are plenty of suspicious characters to go around but its up to Pigeon to separate fact from suspicion and to resolve the issues before there are more deaths.
As usual, Nevada Barr knows her stuff when it comes to describing a scene, creating a situation and writing realistic characters and a thrilling mystery to boot. I never say no to reading another Ann Pigeon story.
It is the new world Ann Pigeon walks into just days after marrying Sheriff Paul Davidson. Now she has a mystery of the girls to contend with along with getting to know her new employees and new territory. And she is dealing with the disabled woman — a former ice climber who is angry as can be about her life until she falls for one of the found girls. It is that that drives her as much as justice drives Pigeon in seeking for answers in the three girls' prior life and the situation that threw their world upside down.
There are plenty of suspicious characters to go around but its up to Pigeon to separate fact from suspicion and to resolve the issues before there are more deaths.
As usual, Nevada Barr knows her stuff when it comes to describing a scene, creating a situation and writing realistic characters and a thrilling mystery to boot. I never say no to reading another Ann Pigeon story.
May 20, 2008
Somewhere, Nevada Barr jumped genres and started writing horror novels, and I didn't get the memo. Eek. I don't often wish I could un-read books. I like the fact that Barr is not willing to write the same book over and over, and I respect her for it. However, since her heroine got married 2 books ago (after being a widow for 15 years or so), surely there is plenty of scope there for character development? Why is Barr so firmly keeping the new husband off stage instead of playing that facet of the character?
The cynic in me wonders if Barr, now a born-again Christian, is just losing interest in her atheist character and is throwing in child sexual assault, animal torture, etc. to keep us from noticing. OK, so develop the new husband, then--he's a pastor! This book was flawed on so many levels that I'm losing hope for the series.
The cynic in me wonders if Barr, now a born-again Christian, is just losing interest in her atheist character and is throwing in child sexual assault, animal torture, etc. to keep us from noticing. OK, so develop the new husband, then--he's a pastor! This book was flawed on so many levels that I'm losing hope for the series.
October 3, 2019
This is probably the creepiest of all the Anna Pigeon books I’ve read. First off, if you have problems with abuse of children, you should skip it. One positive for me is that Anna has now moved to Rocky Mountain National Park, and I am pretty familiar with it. We went there on our honeymoon over 62 years ago, and again in our 25th year of marriage. And later, we had a family reunion in Estes Park. This has nothing to do with the book except how I helps me visualize things. A good bit of the action takes place in the back country where Anna endures terrific physical hardships. Overall, I enjoyed the reading but it’s not as good as others.
June 29, 2010
I'm not completely happy with these last 2 books. Nevada Barr is changing her style of writing to include perspectives from characters OTHER than Anna Pigeon. I don't want to read what other characters think - I like to know what Anna Pigeon thinks. I enjoyed the book for the most part, but found myself skipping over sections that weren't focues on the main character.
August 8, 2019
A very fast, enjoyable read. May be my favorite of this series so far.
September 19, 2020
One of the best ones yet!
November 1, 2021
Anna married Paul in Mississippi, but three days after the wedding, she moves to Colorado to assume a position as chief ranger in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was an opportunity she could not pass up, but Paul had just won an local election and wasn't ready to give that up either. The two decided to evaluate the situation in a year. When a paraplegic woman is rescued by two girls who went missing in the park, Anna discovers the girls belong to local cult founded by a former LDS member. Unfortunately the girls' parents refuse to allow their children to be examined for rape or get psychiatric help. Three girls had gone missing, but only two came out. Where was the other girl? When one girl accidentally reveals she stayed with Robert, the cult's youth leader, Anna begins looking for the missing girl. A trip to the outhouse at a back-country ranger station reveals a disturbing mice crucifixion. The ranger states Robert must have done it, but Anna keeps options open as she continues the search for the girl and the now missing Robert whom she needs to question. Meanwhile another seasonal ranger rescued wolf pups from another park and is hiding them in a location Anna discovers in the search. The paraplegic woman remains involved with the two girls who rescued her and takes an interest in finding their abductor. When Anna does meet the missing girl, it's clear she's been brainwashed. The ending provides plenty of suspense. I enjoyed this novel, but some religious depictions may be stereotypical and/or misleading to persons not familiar with the mainstream LDS group. (3.5 stars)
November 10, 2012
Actually, this was read as an audio book. It was pleasant to have the words interpreted as well. I listened to it while on an 18 hour car ride.
Nevada Barr writes a mystery series based on a park ranger named Anna Pigeon and based at different national parks. This is only the second for me. The first was based on the park in the Florida Keys. This one based in the Rocky Mountain National Park. Having visited RMNP several times, I thought it would be fun.
Anna is newly assigned as one of the head rangers at the park. Along with the seasonal rangers and the locals, one of the main characters in this story is a woman who was paralyzed while rock climbing, and still coming to grips with it. --- The mystery begins when two young girls come out of the woods to the paralyzed woman. They were two of three girls missing for about 6 weeks. They were all residents of a strange religious community described as a breakoff from Mormonism. ...that to explain one of the occurence of polygamy. ---- The questions are.... where is the other girl? Where have these two been? (they claim amnesia. The mystery unfolds with a complex set of suspects, lots of clues and... frankly.... a horrific ending. It reminds me of some other mysteries which are quite brutal at the end when the hero confronts true evil. Frankly... again frankly.... I don't really like brutal endings. While, of course evil is defeated... there are residual effects that are only acceptable because this is fiction. Bleah.
The writing is good. She is an excellent story teller and the detail is wonderful, especially with such beautiful settings. Occasionally there is a sentence or phrase that is either very poetic and memorable... or too much of a cliche. It departs from the conventional story telling. It doesn't detract but does remind me that this is a creative work. I enjoyed the story and the mystery was well done. I did not appreciate the brutality. It was essential to the story but ....
Nevada Barr writes a mystery series based on a park ranger named Anna Pigeon and based at different national parks. This is only the second for me. The first was based on the park in the Florida Keys. This one based in the Rocky Mountain National Park. Having visited RMNP several times, I thought it would be fun.
Anna is newly assigned as one of the head rangers at the park. Along with the seasonal rangers and the locals, one of the main characters in this story is a woman who was paralyzed while rock climbing, and still coming to grips with it. --- The mystery begins when two young girls come out of the woods to the paralyzed woman. They were two of three girls missing for about 6 weeks. They were all residents of a strange religious community described as a breakoff from Mormonism. ...that to explain one of the occurence of polygamy. ---- The questions are.... where is the other girl? Where have these two been? (they claim amnesia. The mystery unfolds with a complex set of suspects, lots of clues and... frankly.... a horrific ending. It reminds me of some other mysteries which are quite brutal at the end when the hero confronts true evil. Frankly... again frankly.... I don't really like brutal endings. While, of course evil is defeated... there are residual effects that are only acceptable because this is fiction. Bleah.
The writing is good. She is an excellent story teller and the detail is wonderful, especially with such beautiful settings. Occasionally there is a sentence or phrase that is either very poetic and memorable... or too much of a cliche. It departs from the conventional story telling. It doesn't detract but does remind me that this is a creative work. I enjoyed the story and the mystery was well done. I did not appreciate the brutality. It was essential to the story but ....
March 22, 2014
This is a novel full of suspense with two heroines: Anna, the ranger, and Heath, a woman thrust into the story. Both have issues which help drive the plot.
While the "story" of the book involves a religious group, Anna's strong anti-religious leaning is overdone, actually leading to distraction of the reading experience as the reader wonders what is her underlying problem. Her constant "digs" put in question the viability of her relationship (and now marriage) to Paul Davidson since he is a minister/sheriff. Unfortunately, none of this will be resolved in this story since that isn't what the novel is about; thus one wonders why the constant barrage.
Anna is suspicious of everyone except the killer. She lets her guard down, proving she hasn't learned from her previous novels. There are aspects of the story that are extremely unbelievable - she falls off a cliff and is unable to get out of the ravine for 24 hours but there is no need to see a doctor or go to the hospital once she is rescued.
All in all, Anna is an interesting character but in the novels I've read, nothing new is learned about her to understand her - it's just one more dangerous event she gets out of ... again.
While the "story" of the book involves a religious group, Anna's strong anti-religious leaning is overdone, actually leading to distraction of the reading experience as the reader wonders what is her underlying problem. Her constant "digs" put in question the viability of her relationship (and now marriage) to Paul Davidson since he is a minister/sheriff. Unfortunately, none of this will be resolved in this story since that isn't what the novel is about; thus one wonders why the constant barrage.
Anna is suspicious of everyone except the killer. She lets her guard down, proving she hasn't learned from her previous novels. There are aspects of the story that are extremely unbelievable - she falls off a cliff and is unable to get out of the ravine for 24 hours but there is no need to see a doctor or go to the hospital once she is rescued.
All in all, Anna is an interesting character but in the novels I've read, nothing new is learned about her to understand her - it's just one more dangerous event she gets out of ... again.
July 26, 2014
I really didn't enjoy the end of this book, which colored how I felt about the rest of the book. SPOILERS: I am not a fan of Psycho-Sociopaths as the murderer in a book. I read books like this for escapist entertainment, and frankly the world is full enough of disturbing forces that I don't need to spend my time reading (or in this case, listening to someone read) about them for hours on end. It was relentless for at least the last quarter of the book, and honestly I would have stopped listening except I'd already invested so much time to the book it seemed silly to not read to the end, plus it was my entertainment while driving, so I kept listening, but I was about to throw the CD out the window at one point. I would NOT recommend this one to anybody, and I would now think twice about ever reading another Nevada Barr book.
December 7, 2013
My second Nevada Barr book, and I don't think I'll actively search out more. The "mystery" of this book is why Anna Pigeon is so obtuse. It's pretty obvious, almost from the first time we meet the bad person, that this is a bad person, but Anna takes forever to figure it out. And then she doesn't act when she should, so that the supposed climax goes on waaaaay too long. Quite honestly, I think Anna is a bit of a masochist.
March 28, 2020
Wow, this one was a tough read! Cults and captives and children, psychology and psychopaths. An excellent story, excellent writing, but difficult subject matter for sure. I love the character of Anna Pigeon and it's interesting to see how she's changing, evolving, and even mellowing a little bit as she ages through this series. Shes still one tough ranger though!
August 20, 2022
The Anna Pigeon Series by Nevada Barr take place in various National Parks and feature Park Ranger, Anna Pigeon. There is mystery, suspense, intrigue and fun in every book. In an ideal world you’d read them in order, although it’s not really critical. I’ve jumped around based on 1) my interest in the area 2) availability at the library. I’ve listened to the books on audio and enjoyed them immensely, the reader does a great job. All are 4-5 stars.
In Hard Truth Anna has accepted an assignment as District Ranger at Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park, 3 days after her marriage to Paul Davidson, a sheriff in MS. They'll try a long distance marriage for now.
This story is a bit darker than some of the others, as it involves child abuse and a community of religious zealots. As always there are many subplots because, of course, national parks are busy places. Three young girls, ages 9-11, have disappeared from a religious retreat at the park. Two of three girls, reappear wearing only underwear and very traumatized. Anna's investigation into what happened and her search for the 3rd girl leads her down some dark and disturbing trails.
This story is where Anna meets a reluctant camper, Heath Jarred, a recent paraplegic and we learn her background. By book 18, Destroyer Angels, they have become close friends. Part mystery, part adventure story, the book, like all Anna Pigeon stories, is a page turner-full of twists and turns. This book is, in places, a difficult read and likely should be accompanied by several trigger warnings. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hard Truth is book 13 in the series. I have read 11 others. The theme is similar is throughout - whether Anna is on duty or just visiting a park. The locations and other characters vary by book.
#HardTruth #NevadaBarr #emptynestreader #Instagram #annapigeonseries #stmartinspress #audiobook #ebook #nationalparks #fiction #mystery #bookstagramalabama #bookstagrammichigan #librarybooks#readalittlelearnalittlelivealittle #audible #aadlgram#emptynestreaderaudiobooks🎧
In Hard Truth Anna has accepted an assignment as District Ranger at Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park, 3 days after her marriage to Paul Davidson, a sheriff in MS. They'll try a long distance marriage for now.
This story is a bit darker than some of the others, as it involves child abuse and a community of religious zealots. As always there are many subplots because, of course, national parks are busy places. Three young girls, ages 9-11, have disappeared from a religious retreat at the park. Two of three girls, reappear wearing only underwear and very traumatized. Anna's investigation into what happened and her search for the 3rd girl leads her down some dark and disturbing trails.
This story is where Anna meets a reluctant camper, Heath Jarred, a recent paraplegic and we learn her background. By book 18, Destroyer Angels, they have become close friends. Part mystery, part adventure story, the book, like all Anna Pigeon stories, is a page turner-full of twists and turns. This book is, in places, a difficult read and likely should be accompanied by several trigger warnings. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hard Truth is book 13 in the series. I have read 11 others. The theme is similar is throughout - whether Anna is on duty or just visiting a park. The locations and other characters vary by book.
#HardTruth #NevadaBarr #emptynestreader #Instagram #annapigeonseries #stmartinspress #audiobook #ebook #nationalparks #fiction #mystery #bookstagramalabama #bookstagrammichigan #librarybooks#readalittlelearnalittlelivealittle #audible #aadlgram#emptynestreaderaudiobooks🎧
June 30, 2023
Another good mystery by Nevada Barr. The Anna Pigeon series has been a regular read for me for quite a few years. There will be many more in the future. This one, as most have been, is a solid fast-paced story well worth reading.
September 9, 2021
3.5 stars
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