OK as a mystery. Fabulous audiobook narrator. Bad recording equipment.I BOUGHT THIS BECAUSE OF THE AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:Authors: one way to get people to read your books is to have a great narrator. The best ones have fans. I wanted to buy more books narrated by Barbara Rosenblat, and this was on her list. I probably would not have purchased it otherwise. The narrator was great. THE RECORDING EQUIPMENT WAS POOR QUALITY. YOU COULD HEAR THE NARRATOR’S BREATHING AND SWALLOWING. This was recorded in 1998. Maybe the equipment wasn’t as good back then. The breathing was distracting.THE STORY:This is part of the Anna Pigeon series. She is a park ranger, has a gun, and can arrest people. Each book has her working in a different national park. In this book she works on an island in Lake Superior near the Canadian border. Someone is killed, a woman disappears, someone is being blackmailed, and there is a problem happening with a teenager. It is a typical mystery-detective story with Anna talking to many different people and gradually solving the various mysteries. Anna’s job is patrolling the area in her park ranger boat. She works alone, no partner. Her husband died several years earlier.OPINION:There are several interesting characters. Clues surface during the story which I like. Anna was facing danger a couple times. She impressed me with her competence at catching and arresting those stronger than she - and when she did not have her gun. There are some diving scenes with danger. Overall I have to say it was OK, but it never really grabbed me. I want to be surprised, or delighted, or smiling, which didn’t happen. But I think readers who love mystery-detective stories will be happy with this.You need to suspend disbelief to enjoy it. Anna does some things that would not happen in real life - or should not happen - kind of stupid. Like chasing a dangerous criminal without a partner or a weapon. In one chase Anna’s fellow rangers were occupied, but she could have used her radio to get other locals or other authorities involved. Anna was new to diving, yet she was diving alone at night in dangerously deep and frigid water.DATA:Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 11 hrs and 37 mins. Swearing language: strong including religious swear words, but only used once or twice. Sexual content: one sex scene occurred. It was referred to with no details. Setting: around 1990 mostly Isle Royale (in Lake Superior) near Houghton, Michigan. Book copyright: 1994. Genre: mystery detective.
Anna Pigeon returns for her second mystery. This time she has left the southwest and is now assigned to Isle Royale National Park, in Lake Superior, just north of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It’s remote and a very different environment from what she was used to, and she’s having some trouble adjusting. She continues to rely on frequent phone calls to her sister, Molly, in New York, and to the numbing effects of a bottle of wine. When a body is found floating within a wreck on the lake bottom, Anna has to confront some of her own fears to help recover the victim. But it seems this was not an accidental drowning – the man was murdered. There are no lack of suspects, despite the remote location – an alcoholic has-been with marital problems was jealous of the him; the victim’s own wife didn’t report him missing; his boat and business were left to two twin siblings who are not relatives; a sleazy park employee who had to leave his previous post quickly has been seen sneaking around; and a hippie couple who are being blackmailed may have had enough.Barr writes a decent suspense novel. The action moves fast and I was caught up in the mystery. There are enough clues to let the reader guess the perpetrator, but I was certain only a few pages before Anna herself had figured it out. I like that Anna is intelligent, strong and resourceful. In general, she takes matters into her own hands and acts with due caution. However … the book had several serious editing flaws. We’re told Anna is a vegetarian – several times – then she’s eating a tuna fish sandwich. The name of one of the twins is suddenly changed to that of Anna’s sister for 4 or 5 mentions on a single page before being correctly referenced for the balance of the book. A key piece of evidence is “stolen” by one of the suspects, and later the authorities are examining it. What really made me lower the rating, however, is an issue with a senior administrator making a joke about having a child “escorted” by a known pedophile. That is just NOT funny, and such a comment would – I hope – get said manager fired. But no one even raises an eyebrow in the novel. Anna actually smiles! I know this was first published in 1994, but really, WHAT was Barr (and her editor and agent and publisher) thinking?!
What do You think about A Superior Death (2003)?
I didn't realize this Anna Pigeon novel was so close to the start of the series when I read it! I have read a number over the years but usually not too close together nor in order. So I have some difficulties following the overall personal dramas in her life. However, the mysteries and settings always draw me in! This one centers around diving in the freezing waters of Lake Superior. While I had more trouble connecting with the desire for that particular outdoor experience than those in many of her other novels, I still found the story absorbing as usual and certainly felt she painted a vivid picture of the locale. Another winner!
—Krista
Book Two in the Anna Pidgeon series by Nevada Barr - 3.5 stars. Since book 1 Anna has been reassigned to Lake Michigan where she continues to work as a law enforcement Park Ranger. A body is found under 200 feet of water in a submerged wreck, and he appears to have been murdered. Anna investigates (mostly in her spare time) and eventually determines who committed the murder - and along the way, she uncovers a case of child molestation, a case of blackmail, some smuggling, and two attempts to murder her.This was a book that makes the lack of half star ratings on Goodreads problematic. It started slow - a lot of atmosphere and back story on the people Anna deals with in her job. That part is OK, and reading it is interesting enough to continue, but not worth more than 3 stars. Eventually, though, we get to the real meat of the story and it moves at a good pace providing good action, interesting situations, and a couple "Perils of Pauline" cliffhanger moments, before rushing towards a climax. That part of the story deserves (more like) four stars. Thus a 3.5 star overall rating.Overall, I'm not sure I like Anna as a character - too depressed and wishy-washy in her private life - but in the end, she comes through to solve the crimes despite personal dangers and hardships - and I suppose that is enough to cause me to read the next book in the series.
—Bruce Snell
I am a Nevada Barr fan, so my reviews are probably tainted. But, "A Superior Death" served a dual purpose for me, a Michigander, in learning so much about the UP (Upper Peninsula) part of my State.This mystery, starring one of my favorite sleuths, Anna Pigeon, takes place in the Nat'l Park known as Lake Superior. Barr once again shows that a mystery can be written w/o the "f" word appearing in every sentence, w/o vivid sex and violence, but simply with GREAT suspense and by revealing layers of character development, a location of familiarity and unfamiliarity meaning that you have heard of the place, but never really been there, and danger, danger, and more danger ! In this account Anna does some deep lake diving in the pure waters of a Great Lake, and takes an in-ter-est-ing cast of CHARACTERS along with her as they solve the unique murder of a friend.Love Anna Pigeon with all her weaknesses, love her sister Molly with all her wisdom, and love learning about the Nat'l parks of this great country !(Oh, and did I mention I am a Barr fan ? ;o) )
—Linda Day
