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Anna Pigeon #8
Deep South
Anna Pigeon finally gives in to her bureaucratic clock—and signs on for a promotion. Next thing she knows, she’s knee-deep in mud and Mississippi. Not exactly what she had in mind. Almost immediately, as the new district ranger on the Natchez Trace, Anna discovers the body of a young prom queen near a country cemetery, a sheet around her head, a noose around her neck. It’s a bizarre twist on a best-forgotten past of frightening racial undertones. As fast as the ever-encroaching kudzu vines of the region, the roots of this story run deep—and threaten to suffocate anyone in the way, including Anna...
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
About the author
Nevada Barr
69 books2,338 followersNevada Barr is a mystery fiction author, known for her "Anna Pigeon" series of mysteries, set in National Parks in the United States. Barr has won an Agatha Award for best first novel for Track of the Cat.
Barr was named after the state of her birth. She grew up in Johnstonville, California. She finished college at the University of California, Irvine. Originally, Barr started to pursue a career in theatre, but decided to be a park ranger. In 1984 she published her first novel, Bittersweet, a bleak lesbian historical novel set in the days of the Western frontier.
While working in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Barr created the Anna Pigeon series. Pigeon is a law enforcement officer with the United States National Park Service. Each book in the series takes place in a different National Park, where Pigeon solves a murder mystery, often related to natural resource issues. 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).
Currently, Ms. Barr lives in New Orleans, LA.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/nevada...
Barr was named after the state of her birth. She grew up in Johnstonville, California. She finished college at the University of California, Irvine. Originally, Barr started to pursue a career in theatre, but decided to be a park ranger. In 1984 she published her first novel, Bittersweet, a bleak lesbian historical novel set in the days of the Western frontier.
While working in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Barr created the Anna Pigeon series. Pigeon is a law enforcement officer with the United States National Park Service. Each book in the series takes place in a different National Park, where Pigeon solves a murder mystery, often related to natural resource issues. 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).
Currently, Ms. Barr lives in New Orleans, LA.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/nevada...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 488 reviews
December 25, 2023
My wife and I drove the Natchez Trace Parkway in the spring of 2000. We recommend driving it in the spring when the dogwood is in bloom. I read this book in 2002, 2 years after I rode the trace, and shortly after I retired. Both my wife and I enjoyed this series and we recommend it to National Park and mystery fans.
January 27, 2024
In DEEP SOUTH, park ranger Anna Pigeon has been transferred again, this time in order to get a promotion, which are hard to come by in the park service. She’s being sent to the Natchez Trace in Mississippi, and as she drives all her worldly possessions down to her new park, she quickly feels like a fish out of water. But soon she discovers boys messing around in a graveyard after dark, a young high school girl left drunk and alone in a party dress, and soon after, the body of a second girl.
This mystery went in some interesting directions as Anna is forced to investigate despite uncooperative new colleagues at her new ranger station, good ol’ boy locals, and an unfortunate number of hungry alligators lurking about. I thought the investigation part was especially methodical this time and liked the way the new romance as well as conflicts with colleagues played into it at times. Bonus points for great scenes with her cat Piedmont and especially with dog, Taco.
This mystery went in some interesting directions as Anna is forced to investigate despite uncooperative new colleagues at her new ranger station, good ol’ boy locals, and an unfortunate number of hungry alligators lurking about. I thought the investigation part was especially methodical this time and liked the way the new romance as well as conflicts with colleagues played into it at times. Bonus points for great scenes with her cat Piedmont and especially with dog, Taco.
October 9, 2015
Gosh, another very tough read... With Anna being as weird and depressed and the author expressing the horribleness of things we can not change, this book totally depressed me... It is not that it is a bad book, quite the opposite. It is another murder solved in a very observational and still quite unlikely way... Once again nature is the main hero, but this time loneliness and hate permeate the book and it just made me ... sad ... Rangers have very little as a leverage, apparently, when it comes to investigating murder. I am not sure how to rate it. I would go with 3.5***, but this whole series is not for those who prefer light reading or humor with their mysteries. And I would still cut it down with about 1/4th - observation is good, but it can get just tedious at times.
June 15, 2012
At the beginning of this series I though detective Anna Pigeon showed a lot of potential for depth and personal growth along with the adventures at various National Parks. Now I'm not so sure. I liked the interactions with her new colleagues and how she had to establish herself in her new position. I thought the detective work was pathetic with lots of holes in the process of uncovering the mystery. Mostly I am really tired of the inevitable scene where Anna fends off incredible injuries and pain to somehow manage to continue on to catch the bad guy. Again. Oh, and she can function just fine on 2 minutes of sleep per night. Riiiiight.
March 10, 2019
Deep South is the 8th book in the Anna Pigeon mystery series by Nevada Barr. I have read 10 or so books in the series and I have to say this is one of the better ones.
Anna Pigeon is a Park Ranger for the US National Park Service. Each story highlights a different national park around the US. In this story, Anna decides to bite the bullet and apply for a promotion and gets the job as District Ranger on the Natchez Trace in Mississippi. With some trepidation she moves to this new job; it being a new area for her and she feeling somewhat nervous about becoming a boss and dealing with the the administrative aspect of the job and of having to lead Rangers instead of just being one.
She gets off to a somewhat rocky start as her two subordinates feel some resentment in being bossed by a woman and leave her to her own devices in the first two incidents. Anna gets involved in a ruckus at the campground where she is housed, two cars of teenagers causing problems with the campers. During this Anna discovers a young girl, drunk an abandoned. It turns out another girl is missing and she is found later, nearby and unfortunately, murdered. The body has been covered by a white hood with eye holes cut out and a noose placed around her neck. During the upcoming investigation, Anna and her two rangers and the local sheriff must keep racial implications in the back of the mind.
In its way, it's one of the more straight-forward mysteries of this series. As incident after incident crops up, Anna deals with it and continues with the investigation. She is threatened by an alligator (maybe left at her place on purpose), she deals with feelings for this new sheriff, she deals with the obstructionism of her deputy rangers and all the time she learns of her new district and continues to investigate.
It's an excellent mystery, lots of tension and sufficient action to satisfy you. Anna must deal with being somewhat of a stranger in a strange land, being a woman, white and a Northerner in this area of the US. The story works on many levels. My one minor complaint is that I find it somewhat difficult to believe that she would gain such familiarity with the areas so quickly, since she only just arrived there. But it's a minor complaint as the story is totally engrossing. And, you'll understand this when you read it. Give you doggie a hug. Excellent story! (4 stars)
Anna Pigeon is a Park Ranger for the US National Park Service. Each story highlights a different national park around the US. In this story, Anna decides to bite the bullet and apply for a promotion and gets the job as District Ranger on the Natchez Trace in Mississippi. With some trepidation she moves to this new job; it being a new area for her and she feeling somewhat nervous about becoming a boss and dealing with the the administrative aspect of the job and of having to lead Rangers instead of just being one.
She gets off to a somewhat rocky start as her two subordinates feel some resentment in being bossed by a woman and leave her to her own devices in the first two incidents. Anna gets involved in a ruckus at the campground where she is housed, two cars of teenagers causing problems with the campers. During this Anna discovers a young girl, drunk an abandoned. It turns out another girl is missing and she is found later, nearby and unfortunately, murdered. The body has been covered by a white hood with eye holes cut out and a noose placed around her neck. During the upcoming investigation, Anna and her two rangers and the local sheriff must keep racial implications in the back of the mind.
In its way, it's one of the more straight-forward mysteries of this series. As incident after incident crops up, Anna deals with it and continues with the investigation. She is threatened by an alligator (maybe left at her place on purpose), she deals with feelings for this new sheriff, she deals with the obstructionism of her deputy rangers and all the time she learns of her new district and continues to investigate.
It's an excellent mystery, lots of tension and sufficient action to satisfy you. Anna must deal with being somewhat of a stranger in a strange land, being a woman, white and a Northerner in this area of the US. The story works on many levels. My one minor complaint is that I find it somewhat difficult to believe that she would gain such familiarity with the areas so quickly, since she only just arrived there. But it's a minor complaint as the story is totally engrossing. And, you'll understand this when you read it. Give you doggie a hug. Excellent story! (4 stars)
December 29, 2025
I've been enjoying the Anna Pigeon series for years now, although I have been reading them out of order ( I don't think it has made a big difference!). This is the 8th one in the series and I've been reading a lot of the later ones that came after this one. So it seemed like it was going back to an earlier stage of Anna's life. I've enjoyed the series mainly because each book is set in a different National Park unit and this one finds Anna on the Natchez Trace in Mississippi. This is a very different location for the ranger--as it's not out West and she's not in an isolated setting, such as at Mesa Verde. This "park" is essentially a trail, natural land being on both sides of the trail along with campgrounds and historic sites. And there are towns and farms and just a lot of development close at hand.
I thought it was interesting to learn something about the Natchez Trace but I have to say I find the other parks I read about in the series to be more interesting. The same concerning the book's murder mystery (naturally, we expect Anna to get involved in a murder case when she shows up at a National Park!). In this case, there is a missing woman whose body is found near the Trace. And, this being the Deep South, there are racial overtones. The mystery--and Anna's investigation--did hold my interest although it began to get tedious more than 250 pages in.
I give this Nevada Barr book 3 stars. Not as good as some others in the series but worthwhile, especially if you're a fan of Anna Pigeon--and of National Parks. A final note--I have never been to the Natchez Trace, although I have visited the state of Mississippi, and this story has interested me in going to the Trace sometime!
I thought it was interesting to learn something about the Natchez Trace but I have to say I find the other parks I read about in the series to be more interesting. The same concerning the book's murder mystery (naturally, we expect Anna to get involved in a murder case when she shows up at a National Park!). In this case, there is a missing woman whose body is found near the Trace. And, this being the Deep South, there are racial overtones. The mystery--and Anna's investigation--did hold my interest although it began to get tedious more than 250 pages in.
I give this Nevada Barr book 3 stars. Not as good as some others in the series but worthwhile, especially if you're a fan of Anna Pigeon--and of National Parks. A final note--I have never been to the Natchez Trace, although I have visited the state of Mississippi, and this story has interested me in going to the Trace sometime!
July 12, 2021
This was the first Barr book that I have read and I am interested in reading more of her books. The story was good and the book has a good pace. I enjoy how she makes her characters, especially Pigeon, real people and not super people. If you enjoy mysteries with some action, I would certainly recommend you give her a try.
May 29, 2014
This was an interesting and pleasant read, the first of Barr's novels that I've read. Some of the characters didn't ring true - purported teens using Princess Di and Kurt Russell as frames of reference, for example. Still, I enjoyed the focus on the outdoors and Nat'l Park Service processes and procedures, for a change from other mystery novel authors dominating the marketplace.
February 24, 2023
3.5
As always, I liked learning something about one of the National Parks.
And, as always, it was frustrating when Anna made bad decisions -- driving 22 hours straight, walking alone in the dark w/o flashlight, ...
And, as always, she is physically batted with serious injuries. (I have started skimming passages that are brutal.)
p 206
Cars cut rangers off from the natural world, blunted their senses and, Anna was convinced, over time, by some alchemy of metal and glass, turned them from rangers into cops.
As always, I liked learning something about one of the National Parks.
And, as always, it was frustrating when Anna made bad decisions -- driving 22 hours straight, walking alone in the dark w/o flashlight, ...
And, as always, she is physically batted with serious injuries. (I have started skimming passages that are brutal.)
p 206
Cars cut rangers off from the natural world, blunted their senses and, Anna was convinced, over time, by some alchemy of metal and glass, turned them from rangers into cops.
August 24, 2023
I listened to Flashbacks years ago and really liked it. I found the books about Anna Pigeon for free on Audible so I started from the beginning. Anna is really doing crazy things at times! Why drive for 22 hours and think you are ok to start a new job in a place where you haven't been before!? There hasn't been a female ranger there before. Anna doesn't seem to understand that they might not welcome a female boss with open arms!
There is a lot going on in this book! I listened to the book which makes it harder to keep track of all the people. I've started writing the names and who they are.
You don't have to read all the books but you want to do it in the right order. People from earlier books are mentioned.
There is a lot going on in this book! I listened to the book which makes it harder to keep track of all the people. I've started writing the names and who they are.
You don't have to read all the books but you want to do it in the right order. People from earlier books are mentioned.
June 26, 2023
Totally engrossing, loved the setting, could almost feel the humidity and hear the mosquitos buzzing. Couldn't wait to sit down and keep reading, my kinda book.
July 21, 2011
In Deep South, Anna Pigeon has just accepted a promotion as District Ranger for the Port Gibson District of the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi. As it turns out, she’s the first female district ranger in this area and that doesn’t go over very well with some of the locals, or some of her staff for that matter. However, Anna’s not only dealing with sexist bigots, she’s dealing with racist bigots as well—not to mention a murder, a suicide and a handful of truly frightening situations.
Anna’s nightmare begins when she discovers one teenage girl drunk in an abandoned cemetery and another dead some distance away with a KKK-type hood and noose tied over her head. Local sheriff Paul Davidson helps Anna sort through the scant evidence and the likeliest suspects; he also assists with some other strange but seemingly separate events.
I love this series! Nevada Barr excels at creating an atmospheric mystery, a variety of believable suspects, and a tough yet vulnerable heroine. My heart did lurch a couple of times in this book and I teared up as well. I’ve encountered my fair share of despicable characters, but Randy Thigpen is definitely near the top of that list. I suspect that there are more than a few real-life Randy’s out there and I just hope there are more than a few real-life Anna Pigeon’s to even things out. And maybe a few Paul’s, for good measure.
*Love Piedmont and Taco . . .
Anna’s nightmare begins when she discovers one teenage girl drunk in an abandoned cemetery and another dead some distance away with a KKK-type hood and noose tied over her head. Local sheriff Paul Davidson helps Anna sort through the scant evidence and the likeliest suspects; he also assists with some other strange but seemingly separate events.
I love this series! Nevada Barr excels at creating an atmospheric mystery, a variety of believable suspects, and a tough yet vulnerable heroine. My heart did lurch a couple of times in this book and I teared up as well. I’ve encountered my fair share of despicable characters, but Randy Thigpen is definitely near the top of that list. I suspect that there are more than a few real-life Randy’s out there and I just hope there are more than a few real-life Anna Pigeon’s to even things out. And maybe a few Paul’s, for good measure.
*Love Piedmont and Taco . . .
August 15, 2018
Chalk up another exciting and informative episode in the life of Anna Pigeon. Anna has been promoted and now is head ranger at the Natchez Trace Parkway, a National Scenic Byway. Again, I learned about another part of our National Park System. Not only does Anna have to adjust to the culture and the vernacular of Mississippi, she is supervising two male Rangers and must prove that a woman can do the job. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, Barbara Rosenblat does such a great job as narrator.
June 8, 2009
This was the first one I read in this series.
It takes place in the Natchez Trace Parkway and I had recently been there. So there was an added interest. Anyway it got me hooked on the series.
It takes place in the Natchez Trace Parkway and I had recently been there. So there was an added interest. Anyway it got me hooked on the series.
February 24, 2024
I love visiting different National Parks in this series, and was only slightly disappointed to realize that this book takes place in/around Natchez Trace. Although it falls under the National Park Service umbrella - staffed by NPS rangers, etc. - it is designated as a National Parkway instead.
The previous two books in this series had Anna in New Mexico, then in New York City, so she had to deal with culture shock several times during this book - Mississippi is drastically different from these places. I was expecting to learn more about the history of Natchez Trace, but still enjoyed what information was provided. The attitudes and habits of quite a few characters really irritated me, but those attitudes were crucial to the story.
The murder took place very early on, so the rest of the book was dedicated to figuring out whodunnit - and why - all while Anna tried to settle in to her new job at a new location. There were several possible suspects, and my mental list even contained some of Anna's co-workers. I should have suspected the actual killer much earlier in the story, but the motive surprised me.
I look forward to traveling to northern Montana to study grizzly bears with Anna on her next adventure :)
The previous two books in this series had Anna in New Mexico, then in New York City, so she had to deal with culture shock several times during this book - Mississippi is drastically different from these places. I was expecting to learn more about the history of Natchez Trace, but still enjoyed what information was provided. The attitudes and habits of quite a few characters really irritated me, but those attitudes were crucial to the story.
The murder took place very early on, so the rest of the book was dedicated to figuring out whodunnit - and why - all while Anna tried to settle in to her new job at a new location. There were several possible suspects, and my mental list even contained some of Anna's co-workers. I should have suspected the actual killer much earlier in the story, but the motive surprised me.
I look forward to traveling to northern Montana to study grizzly bears with Anna on her next adventure :)
April 5, 2019
A new park experience for Anna and the reader. Anna has now received a promotion and is on the Natchez Trace in Mississippi. It was kind of fun to see how out of her element Anna was here and she was learning about a new park and new culture. I liked the story but this whole book seemed slow moving and slow reading for me. Good ending.
April 15, 2026
Another win for the gritty Anna Pigeon! I purely loved it, especially with it being set closer to home than any of the others so far. It was even close to the same time of year. Just 25 or so years ago.
Favorite passages:
The government then fiddled around in mysterious ways until half the hopefuls died of old age or went on to other jobs.
Fear, not even a thought before, sprang full-blown from some Yankee collective unconscious. James Dickey and Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty and “squeal like a pig.” Mississippi Burning, “I have a dream,” and chain gangs in the cotton fields. Nothing personal, nothing even secondhand, yet Anna had been fed a nightmare of the rednecked heart of Dixie.
Pride was one thing, poison ivy quite another. She’d had it once and counted herself among the sadder but wiser girls.
Then it came home to her that soldiers in every civil war were just merchants and boys, thieves and laborers, husbands and bankers.
Sounds like somebody’s cows got loose. Nowadays everybody and his dog’s got a cellular phone and is dialing 1-800-PARK every time a picnicker breaks a fingernail or somebody gets a flat tire. They don’t stop and help like they used to, they just poke them phone buttons and keep right on driving, feeling as pleased as punch thinking they done the Christian thing.”
Gators are like lightning. I’ve seen ’em jump a dozen feet like they were shot out of a cannon.” More standing. More staring. “What’re you going to do?” the deep-fried suit finally asked. “I got to get to work.” This brought on a chorus of like complaints. “I’m going to stay right here and make sure none of you harasses the wildlife.” Another minute ticked by and Anna relented. “You can throw rocks at him, I guess, as long as they’re small.” “Ain’t no rocks in Mississippi,” the man in the suit said. “All we got’s mud.”
It was fat on people who were expected to run, jump, fight, defend and protect she found to be a dereliction of duty.
Now she was going to have to develop people skills. Anna found herself wishing she was back on the road with the alligator.
A deceased roach had turned up six feet worth of toes
Either you’re the new district ranger or the Girl Scouts have started wearing guns.” Anna left off her janitorial lusts and turned.
Suddenly tired of romance and matrimony, she said: “Let me tell you about my alligator.”
It had been many years since Anna had been stationed at a campground. The upside was a mildly pleasant proprietary feeling, one’s own little fiefdom. The downside was long and steep.
Visitors routinely banged on the door to borrow sugar, report limping squirrels, complain about their neighbors or just have somebody to talk to. Traumas great and small were laid at the doorstep, noise disturbances called through the bedroom window.
Through this semi-permeable membrane of Detroit iron, Anna could see the flare of fires, each surrounded by its own group of devotees staring fixedly into it. Outside these circles of worship was often a second tier: the followers of Bacchus, men and women in lawn chairs clutching the alcoholic beverage of their choice.
The belief that God was on your side had a deleterious effect on the moral fiber.
Meeting hostility with a soft, meaningless acquiescence often took the starch out of the aggressor.
She dove wetly back into the dog’s fur…. Heather clung to the dog.
She stopped for a moment while someone hollered at her—presumably the killer dad—then amended her statement. “We’ll be there in about an hour. I know the speed limit on the Trace is way low,” she said virtuously.
To Anna’s jaundiced eye, Heather appeared to be all of twelve years old. “Do you have any makeup?” the girl asked pitifully. “Nope.” “A blow dryer?” “Nope.” “You won’t tell Daddy I was drunk, will you?” “Yup.” “God, please don’t.”
“Do you have a Coke?” “Nope.” Heaving an exaggerated sigh, She was on the way to full recovery. “Tell me what brought you to my graveyard,” Anna said.
It had been so long since Anna’d had a serious relationship she feared she’d be like a dog chasing cars: she wouldn’t know what to do if she caught one.
My little drunk’s name was Heather.”
The floor of the graveyard was oddly barren, as if the ground had been sewn with salt by the wash of tears from those whom the dead had left behind.
studied this short symbolic history written in the soft earth. {a print}
Stumbling was the likelier scenario. She was drunk, it was dark, she was wearing silly, teetery shoes.
Taco, being a dog and, so, having a brain about the size of an apricot, would have few trepidations about scrambling up the bank.
Anna’d thought, should she ever stoop to owning a dog, she would get a small frothy lady’s lapdog, a Lhasa apso or a shih tzu—some animal that had at least the vestigial charm of a cat. Big dogs had big mouths and loved closing them around the hapless and helpless.
tardiness was a form of covert hostility.
Lonely lies the head that wears the crown,
Anna’d forgotten he was there. She chose to forget again.
Sheriff Davidson, hat in hand, was standing over the sad little heap of rotting flesh that had so recently been a pretty girl going to her high school prom. Anna’d never seen a cop doing it before, but she could have sworn the sheriff was praying. For some reason it bothered her.
Most sexists and sloths lacked the intellectual acuity or energy to commit crimes of much intricacy.
They were fat, like garden slugs, the color of mud and so nearsighted it made them mean. (Cottonmouths)
Anna was haunted by the South. Things were out of whack. The land refused to show you its skeleton. Sheriffs prayed openly for the souls of the departed. Children frolicked in cemeteries. Used-car salesmen captained armies of ghosts. In the South, it seemed, the dead, like the poor, were always with you.
It had been Anna’s experience that people almost invariably wanted to be the one to tell. So much so it was common for them to make things up just so they could feel important, be part of the action. When they didn’t want to, it could mean any number of things, usually that they had something to hide or something to fear.
This venture into the 90210 of Dixie had worn her out.
When men were sexist, they were scared.
“Is Mr. Posey home?” “He’s always somewhere or other.”
She’d bring some girl home and I’d say that girl’s just fixin’ to be trash
This crazy rotten remnant of a woman was talking about one of her rangers.
Don’t stand out there in the rain.” Anna hesitated and he added: “Don’t mind the dogs. These old boys wouldn’t hurt a flea.” Anna didn’t believe him but trusted he wasn’t fool enough to let them eat a federal law enforcement officer without a pretty good reason.
Anna thanked him and left him to his barn and his dogs and his rusting equipment.
Make sure racism’s not all you look for. If it is, it’s all you’ll find. But it’s nowhere near all there is.”
Periodically, she swore off the stuff. Occasionally she admitted she might just possibly have a problem. Tonight she wanted a drink and a cat on her lap.
Life on the Trace was going to be hell if she didn’t either win those boys over or think of some way to kill them and get away with it.
It had merely been doing what alligators do, without conscience, without malice, without blame.
Favorite passages:
The government then fiddled around in mysterious ways until half the hopefuls died of old age or went on to other jobs.
Fear, not even a thought before, sprang full-blown from some Yankee collective unconscious. James Dickey and Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty and “squeal like a pig.” Mississippi Burning, “I have a dream,” and chain gangs in the cotton fields. Nothing personal, nothing even secondhand, yet Anna had been fed a nightmare of the rednecked heart of Dixie.
Pride was one thing, poison ivy quite another. She’d had it once and counted herself among the sadder but wiser girls.
Then it came home to her that soldiers in every civil war were just merchants and boys, thieves and laborers, husbands and bankers.
Sounds like somebody’s cows got loose. Nowadays everybody and his dog’s got a cellular phone and is dialing 1-800-PARK every time a picnicker breaks a fingernail or somebody gets a flat tire. They don’t stop and help like they used to, they just poke them phone buttons and keep right on driving, feeling as pleased as punch thinking they done the Christian thing.”
Gators are like lightning. I’ve seen ’em jump a dozen feet like they were shot out of a cannon.” More standing. More staring. “What’re you going to do?” the deep-fried suit finally asked. “I got to get to work.” This brought on a chorus of like complaints. “I’m going to stay right here and make sure none of you harasses the wildlife.” Another minute ticked by and Anna relented. “You can throw rocks at him, I guess, as long as they’re small.” “Ain’t no rocks in Mississippi,” the man in the suit said. “All we got’s mud.”
It was fat on people who were expected to run, jump, fight, defend and protect she found to be a dereliction of duty.
Now she was going to have to develop people skills. Anna found herself wishing she was back on the road with the alligator.
A deceased roach had turned up six feet worth of toes
Either you’re the new district ranger or the Girl Scouts have started wearing guns.” Anna left off her janitorial lusts and turned.
Suddenly tired of romance and matrimony, she said: “Let me tell you about my alligator.”
It had been many years since Anna had been stationed at a campground. The upside was a mildly pleasant proprietary feeling, one’s own little fiefdom. The downside was long and steep.
Visitors routinely banged on the door to borrow sugar, report limping squirrels, complain about their neighbors or just have somebody to talk to. Traumas great and small were laid at the doorstep, noise disturbances called through the bedroom window.
Through this semi-permeable membrane of Detroit iron, Anna could see the flare of fires, each surrounded by its own group of devotees staring fixedly into it. Outside these circles of worship was often a second tier: the followers of Bacchus, men and women in lawn chairs clutching the alcoholic beverage of their choice.
The belief that God was on your side had a deleterious effect on the moral fiber.
Meeting hostility with a soft, meaningless acquiescence often took the starch out of the aggressor.
She dove wetly back into the dog’s fur…. Heather clung to the dog.
She stopped for a moment while someone hollered at her—presumably the killer dad—then amended her statement. “We’ll be there in about an hour. I know the speed limit on the Trace is way low,” she said virtuously.
To Anna’s jaundiced eye, Heather appeared to be all of twelve years old. “Do you have any makeup?” the girl asked pitifully. “Nope.” “A blow dryer?” “Nope.” “You won’t tell Daddy I was drunk, will you?” “Yup.” “God, please don’t.”
“Do you have a Coke?” “Nope.” Heaving an exaggerated sigh, She was on the way to full recovery. “Tell me what brought you to my graveyard,” Anna said.
It had been so long since Anna’d had a serious relationship she feared she’d be like a dog chasing cars: she wouldn’t know what to do if she caught one.
My little drunk’s name was Heather.”
The floor of the graveyard was oddly barren, as if the ground had been sewn with salt by the wash of tears from those whom the dead had left behind.
studied this short symbolic history written in the soft earth. {a print}
Stumbling was the likelier scenario. She was drunk, it was dark, she was wearing silly, teetery shoes.
Taco, being a dog and, so, having a brain about the size of an apricot, would have few trepidations about scrambling up the bank.
Anna’d thought, should she ever stoop to owning a dog, she would get a small frothy lady’s lapdog, a Lhasa apso or a shih tzu—some animal that had at least the vestigial charm of a cat. Big dogs had big mouths and loved closing them around the hapless and helpless.
tardiness was a form of covert hostility.
Lonely lies the head that wears the crown,
Anna’d forgotten he was there. She chose to forget again.
Sheriff Davidson, hat in hand, was standing over the sad little heap of rotting flesh that had so recently been a pretty girl going to her high school prom. Anna’d never seen a cop doing it before, but she could have sworn the sheriff was praying. For some reason it bothered her.
Most sexists and sloths lacked the intellectual acuity or energy to commit crimes of much intricacy.
They were fat, like garden slugs, the color of mud and so nearsighted it made them mean. (Cottonmouths)
Anna was haunted by the South. Things were out of whack. The land refused to show you its skeleton. Sheriffs prayed openly for the souls of the departed. Children frolicked in cemeteries. Used-car salesmen captained armies of ghosts. In the South, it seemed, the dead, like the poor, were always with you.
It had been Anna’s experience that people almost invariably wanted to be the one to tell. So much so it was common for them to make things up just so they could feel important, be part of the action. When they didn’t want to, it could mean any number of things, usually that they had something to hide or something to fear.
This venture into the 90210 of Dixie had worn her out.
When men were sexist, they were scared.
“Is Mr. Posey home?” “He’s always somewhere or other.”
She’d bring some girl home and I’d say that girl’s just fixin’ to be trash
This crazy rotten remnant of a woman was talking about one of her rangers.
Don’t stand out there in the rain.” Anna hesitated and he added: “Don’t mind the dogs. These old boys wouldn’t hurt a flea.” Anna didn’t believe him but trusted he wasn’t fool enough to let them eat a federal law enforcement officer without a pretty good reason.
Anna thanked him and left him to his barn and his dogs and his rusting equipment.
Make sure racism’s not all you look for. If it is, it’s all you’ll find. But it’s nowhere near all there is.”
Periodically, she swore off the stuff. Occasionally she admitted she might just possibly have a problem. Tonight she wanted a drink and a cat on her lap.
Life on the Trace was going to be hell if she didn’t either win those boys over or think of some way to kill them and get away with it.
It had merely been doing what alligators do, without conscience, without malice, without blame.
May 19, 2023
Anna has decided it's time to take on a managerial role. So she's taken the one job that will actually have her, and that means schlepping herself and her cat and her dog to the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi.
Of course she won't do anything sensibly, and choses to drive nonstop from her previous assignment to her current without verifying the directions. Her decision comes after a career of being hazed, abused, and nearly killed by a number of men, including coworkers. Of course the last piece of the instructions are wrong and she's nearly stranded.
Rather than taking a day or two to unpack and acclimatize, she jumps into the first emergency which then leads to a horrific murder. Again, not knowing the area or the strengths and weaknesses of her fellow rangers, she takes lead on the investigation. Because that now shows "leadership."
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2023/comm...
Of course she won't do anything sensibly, and choses to drive nonstop from her previous assignment to her current without verifying the directions. Her decision comes after a career of being hazed, abused, and nearly killed by a number of men, including coworkers. Of course the last piece of the instructions are wrong and she's nearly stranded.
Rather than taking a day or two to unpack and acclimatize, she jumps into the first emergency which then leads to a horrific murder. Again, not knowing the area or the strengths and weaknesses of her fellow rangers, she takes lead on the investigation. Because that now shows "leadership."
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2023/comm...
May 14, 2014
Eh. This wasn't as bad as the last one, Liberty Falling. At least here we didn't have to deal with Anna's or Molly's sex lives. And the novel contains situations concerning workplace misogyny, which behoove us. But the solution to the murder mystery was underwhelming. When the murderer was revealed, I wasn't even sure who that person was. Race was sprinkled throughout, as the book is set in Mississippi, but for the most part it proved to be a red herring.
It might sound like a strange complaint, but Barr has a bad habit of not clearly identifying someone's race. She'll describe the shade of brown their skin is, but for several people it was unclear to me if these were suntanned white people, or African Americans. She also spends a lot of time on the whites of people's eyes, for some reason.
August 22, 2024
I forgot how good the Anna Pigeon series is. It might be 20 years since I read the previous 7 and am so glad I have rediscovered her. Anna’s personality really comes out in this story, both her strength and vulnerability along with a great sense of humor. Combining mystery and the National Parks hits a sweet spot for me, now I have a new park on my bucket list to visit. Barr has a gift for making you feel like you know the park without having ever been there, along with developing characters that are tangible and real. Can’t wait to download the next book in the series to see what park we visit next,
April 2, 2022
I love Nevada Barr's descriptions of each park that Anna finds herself in. She really has a gift for immersing you the colors, sounds and smells so you feel like you are there with her. Even though the plot line dragged a bit in the middle of the book, it sure finishes with a bang! I'm rounding my 3.5 star rating up because Barr really had me walking with Anna every step of the way.
April 7, 2024
One of our very favorite experiences was driving to NOLA via the Natchez Trace Parkway. We were in no hurry, stopping at pull-offs, parks, mounds, rustic rest areas with no water. We visited the sunken trail, a cemetery, and a church. I’m almost sure it was the area referenced in this book. It was like stepping back to the Civil War. Reading this book took me right back. But oh, what we saw in the daytime, wasn’t what Barr described after the sun went down. Because of my firsthand knowledge of the territory, parts of this book were downright spooky. I loved it.
January 17, 2021
3.5 Stars
A solid murder mystery, with an added Civil War discovery thrown in for a little alternate history.
A solid murder mystery, with an added Civil War discovery thrown in for a little alternate history.
September 7, 2021
Anna leaves a Trace in the South. She’s like a Timex. I was excited when I saw the preview of Flashback at the end as I picked up a copy at the Dry Tortugas NP gift shop but it’s not the next book so will need to go on the travel bookshelf.
October 20, 2017
Good book. Liked the ending. Not who I thought did it.
November 3, 2024
Rereading this series with relish .. and even knowing Anna Pigeon will live to risk her tough tho petite life again, so much detail told with humor, attitude, and a love for the National Parks delights. I do recommend audio .. the reader brings adult impatience to the fore with joy.
September 20, 2021
I am really enjoying reading the Anna Pigeon books in order. This was another great story with mystery and interesting characters. Nevada Barr manages to bring each national park to vivid life in her novels and I could see the greenery, hear the frogs and smell the Mississippi Spring as I read.
March 16, 2017
4 1/2 stelle
I libri di questa serie sono, per certi aspetti, "duri": qui, per esempio, si parla di razzismo e maschilismo all'ennesima potenza. E la protagonista rischia più volte la vita, solo perché qualcuno vede male una donna in una posizione di comando. Bello il mistero: avevo adocchiato il colpevole, ma avevo sbagliato su tutta la linea per quanto riguarda il movente. Infine, sembra che finalmente Anna possa avere una svolta positiva nel campo affettivo: speriamo perché se lo merita proprio!
I libri di questa serie sono, per certi aspetti, "duri": qui, per esempio, si parla di razzismo e maschilismo all'ennesima potenza. E la protagonista rischia più volte la vita, solo perché qualcuno vede male una donna in una posizione di comando. Bello il mistero: avevo adocchiato il colpevole, ma avevo sbagliato su tutta la linea per quanto riguarda il movente. Infine, sembra che finalmente Anna possa avere una svolta positiva nel campo affettivo: speriamo perché se lo merita proprio!
July 25, 2025
This is my second book from Nevada Barr, but first in her famous Anna Pigeon series. I found the plot to be engaging and an interesting read. I liked the southern setting and liked learning about the Natchez Trace Park. I am unsure I will like that every book is a different park we have to learn, but maybe. This one dealt with quite a few hot button issues like racism, sexism, and even a bit of homophobia. I do think the chapters could have been shorter. I never like books that cannot find a way to make a chapter less than 40 pages. I also sometimes found her writing to be too descriptive where it started to just be page filler covering the same thing over and over. But, overall it’s a series that while I will not rush to consume I will definitely pick up more.
November 1, 2022
This is the 8th book in the Anna Pigeon National Park Ranger series. While it is a series, I do feel each book can be read as a stand-alone. She does reference some things that have happened in previous books, but nothing that takes away from the current story.
The series centers on the different National Parks that Anna has been stationed at. This is the main appeal, in my opinion. The reader gets to experience each of these parks as they read the adventures that Anna comes across while working as a National Park Ranger.
Anna is now stationed on the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi. She has taken a promotion and is now the new district ranger. A position, she finds out, that has not ever been filled with a female park ranger in the past. Not only does she have to contend with a new administrative position, but she must also deal with the begrudged employees she inherited.
After arriving in Mississippi, she finds out things are very different in the South. There are still many racial undertones, and the good ole’ boy system is in high gear. She must navigate through all of this to figure the murderer of a young high school girl that was found in the park with a sheet covering her head and a noose around her neck.
For fans of books with strong female character, this is for you!
The series centers on the different National Parks that Anna has been stationed at. This is the main appeal, in my opinion. The reader gets to experience each of these parks as they read the adventures that Anna comes across while working as a National Park Ranger.
Anna is now stationed on the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi. She has taken a promotion and is now the new district ranger. A position, she finds out, that has not ever been filled with a female park ranger in the past. Not only does she have to contend with a new administrative position, but she must also deal with the begrudged employees she inherited.
After arriving in Mississippi, she finds out things are very different in the South. There are still many racial undertones, and the good ole’ boy system is in high gear. She must navigate through all of this to figure the murderer of a young high school girl that was found in the park with a sheet covering her head and a noose around her neck.
For fans of books with strong female character, this is for you!
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