Track of the Cat (An Anna Pigeon Novel) [Paperback]

Nevada Barr (Author)

Book Description

Series: An Anna Pigeon Novel | Publication Date: June 3, 2003

Anna Pigeon takes a job as a park ranger looking for peace in the wilderness-but finds murder instead.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The texture, scents and sounds of the West Texas wilderness permeate this forceful debut, in which the murder of a National Park Service ranger illuminates the conflicts between those who want to place our country's open spaces and wildlife under government protection and those who want to profit from them. Anna Pigeon has fled New York City after the accidental death of her husband, and she now works as a law enforcement ranger at Guadaloupe Mountains National Park. There she finds the remains of fellow ranger Sheila Drury, who apparently was clawed to death by a mountain lion. Although an autopsy confirms this judgment, Anna becomes convinced that the claw marks have been faked. Her superiors discourage her from probing further, but another supposedly accidental death goads her into investigating Sheila's activities before her death--her campaign to open up the park to the public and her relationships with a young divorcee and with a powerful rancher opposed to Park Service policies. Anna is sure that clues reside in the thousands of snapshots the dead woman took--photos that show signs of having been rifled through. A park ranger herself, Barr develops a complex, credible and capable heroine who believes in truth and justice while remaining conscious of the ambiguities of human existence.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-On a biannual trek, park rangers check for signs of mountain lions. While climbing along her assigned route, Anna sees a dozen vultures circle above a canyon. Checking on their carrion, she discovers the body of fellow ranger Sheila Drury, apparently killed by a mountain lion. Believing the animal tracks and scratches are a set-up, the young woman conducts her own investigation, putting her life in peril as she encounters ardent hunters. Anna Pigeon is a great new addition to the cadre of female detectives, especially since her job as park ranger involves hiking through the spectacular scenery of the Guadalupe Mountains of west Texas. Several dollops of ecology and conservation of resources mingle with the murder clues, making this an exciting, almost "good for you," book.
Pam Spencer, Thomas Jefferson Sci-Tech, Fairfax County, VA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (June 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425190838
• ISBN-13: 978-0425190838
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,774 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #82 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery > Women Sleuths

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

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mystery, Park-Ranger Style, May 28, 2002

By 

Wendy Kaplan (Houston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Track of the Cat (Anna Pigeon Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I judge mysteries on how fast they hook me. And I was hooked on "Track of the Cat," the first in Barr's Anna Pigeon series, within one page.

The fascinating plot revolves around the intrigue and in-fighting among the park rangers on the border between Texas and New Mexico. Who knew? Even among diehard environmentalists such as Anna and her coworkers, political pettiness exists. That's why, when a fellow ranger is found supposedly murdered by one of the park's protected cougars, Anna goes from 1 to 10 on the rage meter. She doesn't believe it's a lion kill--and she knows that the intricate politics and age-old fighting between ranchers and rangers will result in a sanctified lion kill.

Racing against time, Anna sets out to solve a murder that only she believes is a murder. The more she finds out, the more sinister the seemingly beautiful and pristine canyons and mountains become. Two more rangers disappear...and are ultimately found dead. Just what is going on, and how can Anna stop it? The solution, which comes at the very end of the book, is completely unexpected, and quite satisfying.

Barr's talent does not stop with the mystery, however. Her unique ability to draw the reader completely into Pigeon's milieu is seemingly effortless. I could feel the intense heat of the Texas desert, feel the rocks under my feet, feel the need for water as Anna and I hiked miles and miles through wild and achingly beautiful country. I felt that I was there alongside her, sweating with the heat and the knowledge that a crazed murderer was stalking us.

Take this book with you to the beach, to the mountains, to the pool, or just sit under a tree and sip some iced tea. It's a quick, fun, and fascinating read for any mystery lover!

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good!, April 3, 2000

By 

Cara (Kootenays, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Track of the Cat (Anna Pigeon Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Nevada Barr is really the first mystery writer I've ever looked at, and "The Track of the Cat" is the first book I've read of hers. It's very good, and maybe a little old now since it was published in 1994. However, the time of publication does not matter in this case, for I loved the stark description of the national park where Anna Pigeon works. I enjoy her relationship with her psychologist sister who still lives in New York, and the unravelling mysteries surrounding the death of fellow ranger Sheila Drury and the disappearance of another male ranger. Unfortunately, the copy I had might have been missing some pages right near the end, so I don't know if I went through the entire story. Once again, read this and be enthralled with Nevada Barr's debut novel!

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anna Pigeon, Park Ranger, June 24, 2000

By 

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

This review is from: Track of the Cat (Anna Pigeon Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Anna Pigeon is a Park Ranger who has left NY to escape her own personal history for the open spaces and peace of nature. Peace, however, has a cost and in this case it means solving murder, intrigue and the losses of endangered and monitored species. When Anna is in danger, we learn about the rigors of climbing sheer stone walls only to discover yet another secret.

Nevada Barr has created a character that is unique and believable. In getting to know Anna the reader also learns about the real life of a park ranger from one who does the job.

The mystery is excellent; I recommended this book to both my mother and daughter who now are fans. Even my son-in-law who has a busy career has found the time and energy to be drawn into this mysterious, well defined world.