I didn't dislike her as much as I do Stephanie Plum: while I will do just about anything to make sure I never read another Janet Evanovich book again, I would pick up another one in the Anna Pigeon series at some point to learn more about the parks. I can't quite put my finger on what I didn't like about Pigeon, other than to say that we see people and the world very differently and thus would approach situations very differently (this a tactful way of saying that I think she makes really stupid decisions - without them, though, the plot wouldn't move forward at all). Pigeon and the national parks seem to be the only constants. I didn't really care for Pigeon herself, though, and really liking at least one major character is essential if you're going to read a whole series of books. Definitely a tourism booster - except for the whole death thing, as my mother pointed out: Anna Pigeon, the protagonist, is definitely the Jessica Fletcher of the NPS - wherever she goes, someone dies. You learn all sorts of cool things about the park service and about the parks themselves.

I really like this concept - each book in the series is a murder mystery set in a different national park, and the protagonist is a park ranger. She is a satirical, witty woman whose icy exterior is broken down in each book by a hunky male to whom she is attracted (such as Rogelio).Ĭurrently, Ms. Each book in the series takes place in a different National Park, where Pigeon solves a murder mystery, often related to natural resource issues. Pigeon is a law enforcement officer with the United States National Park Service. While working in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Barr created the Anna Pigeon series. In 1984 she published her first novel, Bittersweet, a bleak lesbian historical novel set in the days of the Western frontier. Originally, Barr started to pursue a career in theatre, but decided to be a park ranger. She finished college at the University of California, Irvine. She grew up in Johnstonville, California. Barr has won an Agatha Award for best first novel for Track of the Cat.īarr was named after the state of her birth.

Nevada Barr is a mystery fiction author, known for her 'Anna Pigeon' series of mysteries, set in National Parks in the United States.

Track of the cat by nevada barr