Blind Descent [Audio CD]

Nevada Barr (Author), Barbara Rosenblat (Narrator)

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: RecordedBooks (1998)
• ISBN-10: 1402598033
• ISBN-13: 978-1402598036
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,380,058 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nevada was born in the small western town of Yerington, Nevada and raised on a mountain airport in the Sierras. Both her parents were pilots and mechanics and her sister, Molly, continued the tradition by becoming a pilot for USAir.
Pushed out of the nest, Nevada fell into the theatre, receiving her BA in speech and drama and her MFA in Acting before making the pilgrimage to New York City, then Minneapolis, MN. For eighteen years she worked on stage, in commercials, industrial training films and did voice-overs for radio. During this time she became interested in the environmental movement and began working in the National Parks during the summers -- Isle Royale in Michigan, Guadalupe Mountains in Texas, Mesa Verde in Colorado, and then on the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi.
Woven throughout these seemingly disparate careers was the written word. Nevada wrote and presented campfire stories, taught storytelling and was a travel writer and restaurant critic. Her first novel, Bitterweet was published in 1983. The Anna Pigeon series, featuring a female park ranger as the protagonist, started when she married her love of writing with her love of the wilderness, the summer she worked in west Texas. The first book, Track of the Cat, was brought to light in 1993 and won both the Agatha and Anthony awards for best first mystery. The series was well received and A Superior Death, loosely based on Nevada's experiences as a boat patrol ranger on Isle Royale in Lake Superior, was published in 1994. In 1995 Ill Wind came out. It was set in Mesa Verde, Colorado where Nevada worked as a law enforcement ranger for two seasons.
The rest is, shall we say, HISTORY! Nevada's books and accomplishments have become numerous and the presses continue to roll, so in the interest of NOT having to update this page, books, awards, status on the New York Times Best Seller List -- and more -- will be enumerated with the relevant books else where on this website.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deep, Dark, Dangerous, November 12, 2000

By 

Victoria Tarrani "writer, editor, artist, des... (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Blind Descent (Anna Pigeon Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Anna Pigeon, Park Ranger, has been called to New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns. She is not a spelunker, but her injured friend requested that she be on the team to bring them out of the caverns. The rescuers will descend over 800 feet in a short time.

This story is rich in details that take Anna across underground cliff faces like Razor Blade Run, through rivers and into the depths of airless passages, where all she wants to see is the sky. The descent must be done in such a way to protect the natural wonders of non-public caverns. On arrival Anna's friend tells her, "It was not an accident."

One of the strong, highly trained companions had murder in the heart. Anna must discover who and why before the killer can strike and succeed. Motives abound among well defined suspects.

Nevada Barr convincingly shows why rangers are called to locations other than their assigned park. Her descriptions are so rich that she must have been in the caves. She is a park ranger herself, and her view of the political structure is as eye-opening as the mystery itself.

Ms. Barr is a great storyteller. This is one of her very best novels. She has included enough clues to help the "who done its?" solve the mystery with Anna.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the best Nevada Barr book so far!, September 29, 1999

By 

Patricia O'Tuama "rissa" (Illinois) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Blind Descent (Anna Pigeon Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the books in the Anna Pigeon series but "Blind Descent" is the best of the bunch so far. Barr's books are always interesting and well-written but the previous ones sometimes didn't have quite enough clues with the result that the endings came as a bit of a surprise. "Blind Descent" not only has the requisite number of hints, but they are so skillfully interwoven into the story that you will find yourself thinking, "oh of course" at the end. This is a terrific book, the descriptions of the cave are harrowing, the other characters are well-drawn and intriguing and the pace of the book is fast.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read, the best by Nevada Barr so far., July 4, 1998

By 

K. Durkin "Kathy D. Big Apple Reader" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blind Descent (Anna Pigeon Mysteries) (Hardcover)

"Blind Descent" is an excellent read, the best by far by Nevada Barr. Anna Pigeon's character is an extremely interesting person who has human frailties like everyone else yet has the skills and finds the inner strength to persevere and meet the challenges and succeed. Barr's writing skills and style are superb in this book, especially in describing Anna Pigeon's thoughts as she is dealing with her reactions to being in the cave. Also, some of her insights into human relations hit the mark and her sense of humor is well intact. Enjoyed this book from beginning to end and cannot wait for more in the series. Nevada Barr deserves to be congratulated for her writing skills and creating such an enjoyable read and such an interesting main character. The readers cannot wait to see what happens to Anna Pigeon next.