Customer Reviews

Hunting Season (An Anna Pigeon Novel)

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

 

 

I have mixed feelings about Nevada Barr's Hunting Season. On the one hand, I wanted to see Ranger Anna Pigeon end up somewhere new rather than the Natchez Trace Parkway. I like to revisit National Parks that I have personally visited or learn about a park I've never been to through each new Anna Pigeon novel. The fact that Hunting Season might be considered Deep South Part Two made it seem a less enticing read at first. On the other hand, it was nice to see the more detailed character development that a return visit to a location allowed AND it is realistic to have Anna stay in one place for longer than she normally seems to. Ultimately, the novel was very exciting and it kept me up to the wee hours of the morning several nights in a row. Local politics, poached deers, unmarked graves, shifting loyalties, folk art, and lots and lots of driving up and down the Natchez Trace Parkway all play a roll in this dark, damp mystery. This isn't the best Anna Pigeon novel nor is it a perfect 5 stars, but it was far enough past 4 stars to give it the full 5.

For the first time, Ms. Barr revisits (Deep South) a site she has covered before. This time it is autumn in Mississippi, and the mood as well as the weather is darker and more unpredictable.

Anna Pigeon has been promoted to District Manager, and though she likes the salary raise, is not quite sure of herself in her managerial tasks. Throughout the book, she is exquisitely patient with the mostly subordinate Randy Thigpen, and deeply compassionate toward her other ranger, Barth Dinkus, who has grown up in segregated Mississippi and is a troubled, frequently unhappy man. Anna is confronted with a dead man in his under shorts laid out on Grandma Pollys bed in the historical home that has been renovated on Park Service property. First appearances indicate he might have been involved in some sado-masochistic game that went wrong. Investigating the murder in cooperation with the Adams County Sheriff, Anna finds little cooperation from the murdered mans friends and family. Even the dead man seems to stymie the investigation. He is sadly the completely forgettable man. The most common comment about him is there werent any harm in him when trying to describe him.

There are many threads to this mystery, maybe a few too many, and it does get mired down in the middle. There is a scene where Anna is seemingly pursued by a group of good ole boy hunters in the dark that is chilling in its grotesque imagery. When Annas car gets methodically destroyed, Barr is brilliant in making sure we are sickeningly aware that the mysterious destroyer is using the car for a substitute for Anna herself. The finale is slam bang absolutely marvelous action.

I liked Annas quirky musings better than ever. She doesnt do romance too well, but this makes her more endearing. Hunting Season is very good Barr. The imagery and locale descriptions are excellent as always and most of all, she puts a laser beam of knowledge in her character developments. Worth the price in hardback.

According to my notes, this is the ninth novel in the [Park Ranger, now district manager] Anna Pigeon series, of which we admit to being big fans. It is however the first to reprise both the Natchez Trace location (all the others were set in a different National Park each time) and many of the characters from her prior offering, "Deep South". Indeed, Barr in real life is a ranger in the Natchez Trace, so one might wonder if she bowed to convenience in serving up another story from her every day stomping grounds. Interestingly, the plot is a little "lazy" as well, with most of the whole middle of the book little but mental ramblings on Anna's part that got a little boring to us after a while. Most of the real action is in the first and last tenths of the book, so it's a little yawny in between. Plus the outcome was not really all that shocking if you followed the circumstances a little more carefully than did our leading lady for two-thirds of the book.

Barr is known for fine writing and her awesome descriptions of the very unusual locales in which she sets her stories. Her heroine is very real to life, an early forty-ish, non-yuppie, who doesn't have snappy clothes, snappy cars, boyfriends galore, drink white wine (actually, Anna is a recovering alcoholic), or jog or swim many miles each day keeping the body well-honed. She's more like us -- plodding along doing the best we can, with some griping and whining along the way! Assuming "Hunting Season" isn't the end of the road, let's hope for a return to the form of the first eight in the series on Barr's next outing.

This is the latest installment in the Anna Pigeon, Park Ranger series. This book is like going back to an old friend and getting once again reacquainted. This is one of Nevada Barr's best novels and I recommend it to anyone discovering Ms. Pigeon for the first time.

In Ms. Barr's latest novel, Anna returns to her job as the District Ranger for the Natchez Trace, a gorgeous scenic route that goes from Memphis, Tennessee to Natchez, Mississippi. She encounters the same managerial problems she had with her staff in DEEP SOUTH and encounters another dead person. The body belongs to Doyce Barnette, brother of Raymond Barnette. Raymond is the town mortician as well as the leading candidate for new sheriff. Raymond is more concerned of his political aspirations instead of his brother. He is very secretive and does his best to impede the investigation. Anna has her hands full dealing with poachers, her married boyfriend, as well as someone trying to kill her.

I strongly recommend you read DEEP SOUTH before reading her latest work. There are some spoilers in HUNTING SEASON that might spoil the other Natchez Trace Anna Pigeon mystery. They are both good.

After a short assignment in Glacier National Park to help study bears, Anna returns to her post at Mississippi's Natchez Trace. While attending a wedding, she is called away to tend to a dead body which has been found in an historical building in the Park. The body is identified and there is a lot of mystery surrounding the circumstances in which it was found. Anna questions the man's family and friends, but there doesn't seem to be much of a motive for the murder. During the investigation, Anna is put in danger's path several times and she receives the distinct impression that someone is out to get her. The mystery is interwoven with the usual wonderful descriptions of the Trace and a burgeoning love story between Anna and a local sheriff. There are some very suspenseful scenes in this book and it is a good sequel to "Deep South" which also took place on the Trace. I look forward to the next
book in the series, which reportedly takes place in the Keys off the Florida coast.

I started this book with the intention of reading it quickly, simply because (I'm hooked on Anna, but...) the books in this series are now starting to blur -- that is, it's the same book all over again, but once I got going, I slowed down and enjoyed it much more than I expected to. The colorful descriptions, turns of phrase and human insights impressed me. For example, "Memories are not stored in linear fashion, ordered by some kind of cerebral Dewey decimal system. They're dumped in a vast mental junk drawer and have to be pawed through and sorted out." The story was typical, but the writing superb! Just a new twist in the story line to build up continuing interest, please...

I have to admit that I was somewhat disappointed in this entry in the Anna Pigeon series. The premise was good, but the mystery seemed to take a back seat to Anna's thoughts in this book. She seemed to be whining/complaining/ feeling sorry for herself on almost every page. There were some action scenes, but they just seemed to be put there just to have some action. The subplots were covered more than the main murder story. As always, the writing was excellent and the descriptive passages very realistic. This is a book for diehard Pigeon fans; if you've never read any in the series, don't start with this one. There are others better in the series.

This was not by favorite Nevada Barr, but only because I didn't find the Nachez Trace to be as interesting as some of the other parks visited in this series. But it was still very good. I think I enjoy these books so much because I identify with the character of Anna Pidgeon. I share many of her values and beliefs so she comes alive for me. Perhaps that is also the reason why some of the other reviewers don't like the books. Instead of criticizing the author's "NPR soapbox" writing, they need to understand that, as in real life, some characters express points of view that you, the reader, may not share. Hey, I am the way. If a character expresses views I don't agree with, I find myself liking that character less. Suffice it to say, I adore Anna and I hope she has many more adventures in National Parks all over the USA.

I've read all the Anna Pigeon books and this is one of the best. As always, the author's knowledge of natural settings and creatures adds greatly to the enjoyment. The mystery is a good one, exploring more aspects of Anna's character, especially her vulnerability because of her small size and the fact that she is the "boss" and uneasy in her new position. The descriptions of the different reactions of other characters (co-workers, other law enforcers, townspeople and suspects) are excellent, exploring Mississippians using their present and past to explain their different reactions to situations.

Anna's romance with Sheriff Paul Davidson, with its ups and downs, adds interest and humanity to Anna's character. Too bad there isn't more about sister Molly!

Since reading "Deep South", I have visited the Natchez Trace Parkway. Both that book and this one evoke the area, its eerieness and its history very well.

I'm a big fan of Nevada Barr, and always look forward to her
latest book.
Hunting Season, however, is a disappointment. It was pretty easy to guess what had happened, but even if I'd guessed wrong,
I didn't care whodunit.
Perhaps part of what is missing is the enclosed atmosphere of a
park, found in most of her other novels. There seemed to be a lot of just driving up & down the highway in this one.
Barr is a terrific writer. Read Blind Descent or Firestorm & see for yourself.