Seniors of Nevada

High Country (An Anna Pigeon Novel)

Description

It's fall in the Sierra Mountains, and Anna Pigeon is slinging hash in Yosemite National Park's historic Ahwahnee Hotel. Four young people, all seasonal park employees, have disappeared, and two weeks of work by crack search-and-rescue teams have failed to turn up a single clue; investigators are unsure as to whether the four went AWOL for reasons of their own-or died in the park. Needing an out-of-park ranger to work undercover, Anna is detailed to dining-room duty; but after a week of waiting tables, she knows the missing employees are only the first indications of a sickness threatening the park.

Her twenty-something roommates give up their party-girl ways and panic; her new restaurant colleagues regard her with suspicion and fear. But when Anna's life is threatened and her temporary supervisor turns a deaf ear, she follows the scent of evil, taking a solo hike up a snowy trial to the high country, seeking answers. What waits for her is a nightmare of death and greed-and perhaps her final adventure.

When four young employees of Yosemite National Park disappear, ranger Anna Pigeon goes undercover as a waitress at the Ahwahnee Lodge to investigate. Living in the staff dorm, she soon discovers there's a connection between at least one of the missing girls, a crashed plane containing a fortune in drugs, and the outsiders who've moved into the tent cabin last occupied by a skilled climber who's also among the disappeared. The first attempt on her life doesn't scare her away, but the second is nearly fatal, and Anna's harrowing escape keeps the tension ratcheted up until the denouement. As usual, Nevada Barr turns in a well-paced thriller featuring a compelling protagonist and a strong cast of minor characters, but it's her brilliantly etched landscapes that bring readers back to this popular series again and again. High Country is Anna's thirteenth outing, and it's one of her strongest. --Jane Adams

Reviews

Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-08-17
Summary: "OUTDOORS IN YOSEMITE"

It's a fast-moving tale, easy to read, and predictable; but what the hey, it's in Yosemite, and therefore, worth the read. Barr's story is suspenseful, a page-turner, and I like the way she presented her characters (too many for me to keep count sometimes). Barr, like her hard-charging Ranger Pigeon, knows the territory and the procedures. Other reviewers have laid out the detailed plot, but I will say this novel prompted to pick a few more of Barr's stories and adventures. I'll save them for my next trip to a National Park sitting underneath a giant Sequoia tree.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-05-08
Summary: "Edge-of-your-seat stuff"

Chalk up another one for Barr. This well-written tale embroils her park ranger character, Anna Pigeon, in more suspenseful escapades that require her plentiful wits and survival skills. It's edge-of-your-seat stuff.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-04-06
Summary: "This Ain't No Cozy"

Four young park workers have gone missing from Yosemite and after an extensive search by the search and rescue teams the Park Service asks Ranger Anna Pigeon to go undercover and see if she can find anything out. She goes into the park as a waitress at the Ahwahanee Hotel in the shadow of the Sierra Nevadas.

Ever alert and a sophisticated eavesdropper, it doesn't take long for Anna to figure out that the missing employess are only the first sign that there is something very wrong going on in the Park. Her young twenty-something-year-old roommates seem to be afraid and suspisious, then an assisstant chef tries to scald her with boiling water.

When she learns that the brother of one of the missing waitresses might know more about her disappearance than he's admitted, her life is threatened. Then an encounter with a group of city-slicker types leads Anna into the high country where she finds the remains of a small plane stuffed full of drugs. She gets shot, is hunted by a group of very bad guys and is pushed to her limit as she struggles to survive.

As usual Nevada Barr has painted wonderful out door scencs and filled them with tension and suspense. If you haven't read an Anna Pigeon mystery yet, I think it's about time you did, and if you thought this was just a safe little cozy, well, you're wrong, this ain't no cozy, it's a full on action adventure mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-10-20
Summary: "All in the Family"

THE SETUP
Middle-aged Park Range Anna Pigeon goes undercover in Yosemite National Park to investigate the seemingly unrelated but simultaneous disappearance of 4 park personnel and visitors. She takes over the job and dorm room of missing restaurant waitress Trish Spencer. In fairly short order she discovers the fate of most of the missing, but in the meantime, her presence has stirred up trouble in the restaurant.

CHARACTERS
There are about 2 dozen significant characters, considerably more than a typical Nevada Barr novel. So, it may be a good idea to keep a dramatis personae handy, or take notes. The missing employees/visitors are Patrick Waters (working on a Trail Crew), Dixon Crofter (professional rock climber), older Trish Spencer (waitress) and her younger friend Katland Bates (summer intern). "Bad guys" immediately responsible for the missing include Mark Begalo (aka Belman) and "Phil". Among important Park personnel are Leo Johnson (Deputy Superintendent), Loraine Knight (the Chief Ranger), George Casney (assistant acting Superintendent). Important restaurant (of the Ahwahnee Hotel ) personnel are Jim Wither (chef), Scott Woodridge (assistant cook), and Tiny Begalo (head waitress). Brainless twits Nicky and Cricket are waitresses, both roommates of Trish Spencer (missing), and later Anna Pigeon (who replaces Trish). Richard "Dicky" Colif is Trish's brother. Anna is assisted by 17-year-old "park brat" Mary Bates, who works as a maid in the hotel.

Note that I listened to the unabridged audio version, so some names may be misspelled.

EVALUATION
"High Country" is an exciting, vivid, fast-paced mystery thriller. The varied characters feel genuine. This is one of the best Anna Pigeon novels.

COMPARISONS
Some Anna Pigeon novels are predominately mystery, some are mostly action thrillers, some are predominately suspense thrillers, one is even a gothic romance (ugh). "High Country" is one of the better mysteries and is certainly a thriller, but not as high suspense as some. Actually, that's fine with me, my ulcer has problems with some of the higher suspense Barr novels such as "Firestorm" and "Blind Descent". "High Country" is perhaps the darkest of Barr's novels--but that is only in comparison with other Anna Pigeon novels. I'd prefer to describe "High Country" as "psychologically richer". Indeed, the darker touch is absolutely in keeping with the older, less dare-devil, more reflective, Anna Pigeon.

RATING
"There is no accounting for tastes". It isn't the purpose of the Amazon ratings to comparitively rate the Anna Pigeon novels among themselves. Compared to the average "best selling" dreck out there, ALL Anna Pigeon novels are at least 4 1/2 stars.

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Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2009-10-16
Summary: "Law Enforcement Agent??"

I don't usually write reviews, but I just finished "High Country" and just had to make a comment. First of all, I want to say that the Anna Pidgeon mystery series is stellar and I absolutely love it. I eagerly await every book and would recommend it to anyone.

That being said, there was one glaringly obvious flaw in this book, that I just had to point it out. Anna is supposed to be a law enforcement agent. With her training, and after all her previous exploits in which she is physically harmed, why did she not inform someone of where she was going to be before she went on a 24 mile hike during the winter in one of the most harsh environments?? If someone couldn't have accompanied her, she should, at the least, have called in and let one of the other rangers know where she was going!

Also, at the end, when she was walking everywhere, didn't it occur to her that there was a disfigured, partially burned murderer out there who might still want her dead? Yet she continues to be out in the middle of nowhere, in the dark, where even someone who didn't have law enforcement training, and criminals after her, wouldn't dare to walk.

Anyway, I just had to get that off my chest. Other than that, this is an excellent series, well worth reading. I just wish Anna would get a bit more sense . . . .