Seniors of Nevada

A Superior Death (An Anna Pigeon Novel)

Description

Below the frigid waters of Lake Superior lies a sunken 1927 wreck-the final resting place of its five victims. But when divers surface with a tale of seeing a sixth body, Anna Pigeon must break the Great Lake's grip on its icy secrets...

Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-02-13
Summary: "Superior"

"Superior Death" is set in Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior. As with any Nevada Barr novel, it is essential to remember that it is the journey, not the destination, which is important. Don't expect a typical formula mystery.

CHARACTERS
The novel is mostly the characters, which however, can be hard to remember at first. The following should help: 50-ish NPS Ranger Anna Pigeon is the protagonist. Other significant characters are District Ranger Ralph Pitcher, Chief Ranger Lucas Vegas, NPS Ranger Scotty Butcus (and his wife Donna). NPS naturalists include flaky hippie-types Tinker and Damian Cogdens-Clark, and Jo (who marries diver Denny Castle). With twins Holly and Hawk Bradshaw, Denny runs a dive boat. Jim Tatinger is the NPS "underwater resources specialist", which in this case primarily means the wrecks. The NPS hotel is run by (former winery manager) Patience Bitner with the help of her ca 13-year old daughter Cary. Anna Pigeon's lesbian friend Christina Waters and daughter Alison live on the mainland.

THE SETUP
It is hard to specify a setup. Most of the first half of the novel is devoted to describing the setting, introducing the characters, and setting up a number of major and minor mysteries. Most of the minor mysteries are technically red herrings, but are valid and interesting mysteries on their own. The most significant event/mystery is the death of Denny Castle, who is found in a captain's uniform on a very deep dangerous wreck. Donna Butcus (to whom Denny was apparently devoted) disappears. Scotty's (Donna's husband) explanation of Donna's disappearance turns out to be a lie. Jo's boat is found abandoned against a shore. Cary is running around with someone behind her mother's back. Anna intercepts a boat running without lights at night, which initially attempts to run, captained by Tatinger. Tinker and Damian are being blackmailed by somebody.

COMMENTS
Although not rigorously structured as a traditional action novel nor a mystery novel, "Superior Death" contains plenty of action and mysteries. However, the primary appeal is the characters and the setting, particularly the character of Anna Pigeon who has a marvelous droll irreverent sense of humor.

Barr is marvelously skilled creating vivid descriptions of the people and the natural environment, albeit exquisitely subtly. No solution to any mystery comes as a great surprise. Barr drops hints which go almost unnoticed. The reader has the satisfaction, regarding almost any and all of the mysteries, of being able to say "I suspected that", and yet still be surprised.

THE VERDICT
Superior

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-10-16
Summary: "Death in the Depths"

National Park Ranger Anna Pigeon has been reassigned to Lake Superior in Michigan. This is quite a change of scenery for her, having spent most of her career in desert settings. Among the shipwrecks in the lake is the Kamloops, a ship that sunk in 1927 with 5 sailors still aboard. Things begin to get interesting when a pair of recreational divers comments that one of the bodies looks so good, it's as if the person died just yesterday. When one of the locals turns up missing, Anna hopes the extra body with the wreck isn't his but unfortunately it is. Now Anna must determine who the killer is and why, not knowing that she could be walking into danger herself.

A Superior Death by Nevada Barr is the second entry in the popular Anna Pigeon series. This time the action takes place on Lake Superior in Michigan. I believe that part of the success of this series is that Barr periodically implements a change of scenery, which opens up new and fresh plot options. As a Federal employee myself, I can relate to the bureaucracy within which she works. Barr writes in a way that lets us get to know Anna and the assortment of colorful characters she lives and works with. This series is always an enjoyable read and I look forward to catching up on the rest of the series and look forward to hearing more from Anna Pigeon. I can heartily recommend this book to anyone who likes a good mystery without gore or tedious details.

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Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2009-02-22
Summary: "A Superior Mystery!"

I loved the characters. Anna Pigeon is still a trip; her shrink sister, Molly, likewise.

There's a lot of boating and scuba diving in this book. The mystery and characterizations were fun. Barr's characters are quirky, wierd, and very believable. Anna's still drinking and I wouldn't be surprised if she found herself in AA by the time this series ends.

I recommend this along with all the books in Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon series.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-01-02
Summary: "nevada barr"

I HAVE READ EVERYONE OF NEVADA BARR'S BOOKS. CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE AND ALWAYS DREAD THE ENDING. SHE IS THE BEST!

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2008-11-10
Summary: "A Superior Death"

A Superior Death by Nevada Barr is the second in her Anna Pigeon series. Anna has transferred reluctantly from Texas to Lake Superior where it is too cold and too wet for her tastes but she's making her best effort to make a new life for herself as a ranger here along the "frigid waters." Just as she's still learning the different cliques in and around the islands that make up the park, one of the locals is found buried in a historical captain's uniform in a 1927 wreck at the bottom of the lake.

I was reading A Superior Death at the same time as two other shipwreck stories, The Gulls of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Tres Seymour (about the most famous sunk ship in Lake Superior) and Treasure by Clive Cussler. When taken with The Ghost of Lizard Light by Elmira Woodruff, it was a month full of shipwrecks and deaths at sea.

When I started A Superior Death I was doubtful that the story would pull me in as much as Track of the Cathad with its strong descriptions of the Texas landscape. I shouldn't have worried. Barr's depiction of Lake Superior's environment above and below the surface chilled me to the bone.

Barr populates A Superior Death with a cast of interesting characters who are well enough realized that their quirks seem believable. As with Track of the Cat, the mystery was complex enough to keep me guessing until the end.

I have Ill Wind, the third in the series on my shelf and will be reading it soon.