Customer Reviews

Blood Lure (Anna Pigeon Series)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Let me begin by saying that I love Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon books, especially when the park the story concerns is in the West, parks with which I am familiar. For instance, the description of the firestorm in the book of that name was so wonderfully written and so compelling that one's heart pounded with fear when reading it. Few times have I read action narrative that pulled me so totally into the scene. I've read that book and especially that scene over and over again and it just gets better.

The location for "Blood Lure" being Glacier National Park and concerned with the beautiful Grizzly bear, I really wanted to love this book. And most of it I did. The story was intriguing and the plotting was masterful, the ending was a little abrupt but almost completely satisfying. Anna Pigeon is a wonderfully three-dimensional character and Barr never makes a misstep with her - Anna never acts out of character even as (or especially as) that character develops over the time frame of all nine novels.

What I did NOT enjoy were the many errors throughout the book. Words were missing, punctuation was missing, punctuation was incorrect (the kind that makes it difficult to figure out what was meant), etc. It's like watching a film and being so engrossed in the story that you are "there" - and then you see the microphone hanging over the scene above the actors' heads. BANG! You're back in the theater again. On page 5 of "Blood Lure" Anna is introduced to Rory Van Slyke, a teenager with Earthwatchers volunteering to help with the Grizzly DNA project that has brought Anna to Glacier. Anna responds to the introduction by saying, "How you do?" There are four or five more instances like that throughout the book. Barr's words deserve better than this. These kind of sloppy editing errors snap one out of the story and ruin the flow of description and of dialogue.

I'm sure that there will be folks out there who will read through this review and correct my grammar and spelling... I believe that editors should stop relying on spell-check and do a better job of actual editing.

One last item: Having been to both Glacier and Waterton Parks (or Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park), the map in the front of the book and the geographical references within the book confused me. Consequently, I went to the Glacier Park website and downloaded the Park map. I guess maybe some of Waterton Park is in British Columbia (two campsites?), but the vast majority including the part shown on the map in the front of "Blood Lure" and the part around Flattop Mountain described in the book are directly south of Alberta, Canada, not British Columbia.

Sigh . . . color me a grouchy old woman, but I was very disappointed that a Penguin-Putnam book was this carelessly edited. However, if these kinds of errors don't bother you, by all means go ahead and read the book. The story is great if you can ignore the distractions.

In "Blood Lure," Nevada Barr has written one of the best mysteries I've read in a long time. I was absolutely stumped from beginning to end, but when I read the solution, everything made sense and fit together nicely. Best of all, when I look back over the story, I see that Barr provided the reader with all the necessary clues along the way. I just didn't have the brain power to figure it out myself.

Park Ranger Anna Pigeon is a fascinating character, and the "hook" of this series--each book takes place at a different national park--is absolutely unique (that's saying something when I can name not one, but TWO mystery series featuring cleaning lady sleuths, of all things). Pigeon is a loner, a woman who has to remind herself to fake softness and sympathy when required. She is completely at home hiking and camping in the great outdoors.

This book finds her faith in nature shaken, however, when she is attacked by a grizzly bear while working with researchers to gather bear DNA information in Waterton/ Glacier National Peace Park. When one of her companions goes missing after the attack, and then a camper is found murdered off a nearby trail, Anna finds her darkest suspicions aroused.

Although I would recommend this series, and this book in particular, to anyone, it is a particular treat for anyone who enjoys camping or hiking. Barr's detailed description of life within the National Park system is engrossing. These people have chosen lives that are completely at odds from everyday existence as most of us experience it. And if you don't enjoy camping or hiking, you can still enter and enjoy this foreign world without having to experience the inconvenience of mosquitos directly, not to mention the terror of a grizzly attack.

I have a soft spot in my heart for Glacier National Park. When I was a teenager in the early '70s, my family made trips on Amtrack from Pittsburgh to Glacier and I had a grizzly bear encounter both trips. One of the encounters was after a long day of hiking that included part of the Highline trail. As an adult, I met my Dad and my stepmom in the park twice in the early '90s. With my past on the table,I write this review with unbiased a heart as possible.

Blood Lure by Nevada Barr is a very good mystery. It isn't her best Anna Pigeon novel, but still a worthy read. Anna, our ranger and sleuth, is on a training trip to Glacier National Park to learn about wildlife DNA studies and grizzly bears. She is working with Joan, the bear expert, and Rory, a moody teenager on an Earthwatch trip. Rory's stepmom plays the role of dead body. Suspects abound [both human and ursine], clues abound, and even though the end of the novel runs towards the preposterous, the ending is not out of keeping with the earlier novels AND it could happen in real life. Remember folks, Anna Pigeon is a fictional character and most likely gets away with things that would rip right out of the envelope of the permissible in real life. That said, the end brings my rating down low enough to give it 4 stars. This isn't the Anna Pigeon novel I would recommend a new reader start with. My advice is to start at the beginning of the series with Track Of The Cat or, if you must dip in partway through the series, I would advise you start with Ill Wind or Liberty Falling.

Blood Lure An Anna Pigeon book By: Nevada Barr G.P. Putnam Sons ISBN: 0-399-14702-0 Mystery-police

Nevada Barr's reoccurring character, National Park Ranger Anna Pigeon is back on duty and quite naturally embroiled in a mystery. This book finds Anna working in the Waterton/Glacier National Peace Park on the Montana/Canadian border. She has gone there to participate in a DNA research project on Grizzly bears. Anna is teamed up with a trained researcher, Joan Rand and a young summer volunteer, Rory Van Slyke. Almost immediately reports of grizzlies doing unusual things are coming in. The second night put the researchers become the hunted, Rory is missing and another camper is dead. Anna uses her law enforcement skills to help question fellow campers, gather evidence and try to solve this rather unusual murder. Along the way the reader is treated to a wonderful hiking tour of the rugged Montana/Canadian Glacier area. The wildlife and the fauna are aptly described. Also disclosed are amazing tidbits of information about the Grizzly bear and their habits. The mystery was compelling and in no way easy to solve until the last 10 pages were turned. Nevada Barr writes wonderful books that are always well researched.

Ranger Anna Pigeon returns in another mystery set in a National Park. This time it's the beautiful Glacier National Park which is the setting of the book. Anna is sent from her post at Natchez Trace Parkway to participate in a DNA study of grizzly bears. She goes out with a ranger and a young Earthwatcher named Rory. Soon Rory disappears during an apparent bear attack and his step-mother who was camping nearby is found dead. Anna puzzles over the seemingly unrelated clues and considers each person in the area as a possible suspect. As always, the lovely background of the Park is described in wonderful detail by Barr. She does go into more detail than necessary on the "blood lure" which is used to attract the bears, but taken as a package, this book is intriguing and well-written. A reader can always pick up some information from Barr's book, such as the bear research in this one. Although the premise of the murder may be a bit farfetched, Barr does weave an intriguing tale which keeps the reader guessing until the very end.

Anna Pigeon returns in BLOOD LURE, as she take time away from her regular park duties to assist with bear DNA studies at Glacier National Park. Right at the beginning, we, along with Anna, learn the best (or worst, depending on your point of view) recipes to lure bears. (I must admit this isn't the first time Barr has presented me with more information than I care to learn about a particular subject.) Also, the description of the bear attack on Anna's research group is chilling and enough to make me forget any ideas I'd ever had about going camping!

Barr unravels her clues carefully and fairly; the reader has ample opportunity to put everything together (along with Anna) to solve the mystery. Yet the clues weren't blatantly obvious. Barr did a terrific job with her plotting on this book, and she deserves a pat on the back. BLOOD LURE is well worth reading. Thumbs up!

I am a very big fan of Anna Pigeon, and I found this book to be better than the average for the series. Since I find the series as a whole to be far far better than most, this is great praise from me.

I always dread the mystery story review that gives away too much of the plot, so unfortunately I must speak in generalities. All I will say is that in this story the National Park is Glacier and that grizzly bears are involved. Since you learn this on page 1, this is not much of a plot-spoiler. Like the other books, this one benefits greatly from the author's extraordinary facility in describing the physical and the psychological aspects of the natural world from which Anna derives her strength. I also admire the author's unusual ability to let her character mature and change - Anna seems to be truly living her life in front of our eyes. From the self-pitying, alcoholic but stunningly competent ranger in the first book she has matured into a reflective, sober, observant, irreverant and stunningly competent (even more than usual) ranger in this book. Contrast Kinsey Milhone (I also like that series, by the way), who seems to be the same in every book. Another plus for this book is the characterizations of the supporting players - not many of them, but very well detailed. I very much enjoyed the description of everything to do with bears - seemingly based on solid research, and totally fascinating. Unlike the reviewers who speak of trick endings, I found the plotting of this book to be meticulously fair (and absolutely riveting), to the point where I actually managed to figure out the mystery before it was revealed, and I found it very satisfying. OK, maybe the final resolution (I wish I could describe it but you'd never forgive me) is a little strained, but it truly could not be otherwise.

This book starts well, then implodes. As always, Barr plays to her strengths: the delightfully grouchy Anna Pigeon, a good cast of supporting players, and the backdrop of another of North America's great national parks: Glacier/Waterton. The bear DNA studies that form the heart of the story are real-after the book was published, in fact, they generated important new findings (such as the fact that the park may have twice as many bears as was previously believed).

What doesn't work well is the mystery. Partly, that reflects an old problem with this type of story: the reader knows there's murder afoot-otherwise there's no reason for the book-but Anna thinks she's on an assignment that has nothing to do with law enforcement. That means the reader is busy tabulating clues before Anna has any reason to recognize that anything odd is going on. But even when murder does occur, Barr chooses to blind her detective to the obvious identity of the murder weapon, even after practically rubbing the reader's nose in it. That's frustrating. Equally frustrating is the fact that the high-action finale is drained of much of its tension for those of us who've long ago figured out major pieces of what's going on.

Barr's numerous fans (of which I'm one) will enjoy 95 percent of this book and shrug off the rest. Her finales are always hit and miss. Newcomers should start with "Blind Descent," which works much better on all levels.

One other note: Barr should force her publisher to provide better maps. In a book in which half the action occurs by hiking north, south, east, or west, it is inexcusable to be given a map on which the top of the page is west.

Anna Pigeon normally works as a park ranger at the Natchez Trace Parkway, Mississippi, but currently she is temporarily on loan to the Wateron-Glacier International Peace Park, Montana. Joan Rand leads a research team including Anna studying DNA of bears. Her superiors believe that the knowledge Anna gains on this project will enable her to do likewise at her own park. Also on the team is Rory Van Slyke as an Earthwatch sherpa and general gopher.

On their first night camping, they hear a bear. When the noise ends, Anna and Joan check for damage only to find two tents destroyed and Rory missing. As they call for help, another participant finds the body of a dead woman. A search party goes looking for Rory, finding him thirty-six hours later in shock with no other damage, but little memory of what happened to him. The corpse is Rory's stepmother, which leaves Anna wondering if he killed his relative. The other suspect is Rory's father, a spousal abuse victim. Anna is deputized to look into the matter, but too many clues makes it difficult to form a picture of what occurred and why.

Nevada Barr uses a picturesque style of writing as her words graphically describe the beauty, color, and danger of Wateron - Glacier International Peace Park. The details allow the audience to feel as if they are part of the on-site research team. BLOOD LURE is a well-executed mystery with few readers guessing why the victim was murdered and who the culprit is. Once again, Ms. Barr has delivered a nature lover mystery that will provide plenty of enjoyment to fans of a cerebral puzzle.

Harriet Klausner

A pleasant way to get learn about brown bears and Glacier National Park, which is shared by both Montana and British Columbia. Armchair outdoor lovers will learn about DNA profiling of the grizzlies in the park for ongoing scientific study, a study we assume is happening in reality as well as in the book.

The plot leads us from fear of the "grizzly" inhabitants to a better understanding of bear behavior. To do this however, a few parts of the story became a bit contrived, with bear behavior easier to follow than human behavior and reaction.

Enjoyable and enlightening reading, nevertheless, featuring Ann Pigeon, intrepid ranger.