Starred review from December 23, 2002
When it comes to a vibrant sense of place, Barr has few equals, as deliciously demonstrated in her 11th Anna Pigeon novel (after 2002's Hunting Season), set in little-known Dry Tortugas National Park, 70 miles off Key West in the Gulf of Mexico. Anna takes up her new post on Garden Key, home to Fort Jefferson, a notorious Union prison during the Civil War, after fleeing a marriage proposal from just-divorced Sheriff Paul Davidson. As she goes about her duties, Anna quickly becomes ensnared in one life-threatening situation after another. Anna's fans expect no less; all her postings somehow turn dangerous. Indeed, the contrast between the natural beauty of the landscapes and the human evils within them is a recurring theme. But this one has an added twist: a mystery concerning alleged Lincoln assassination conspirator Dr. Samuel Mudd interweaves with current crimes. In a coincidence best left unscrutinized, Anna's great-great-great-aunt was the wife of the fort's commanding officer, and her letters, relating a story of intrigue and murder, have surfaced. The two stories are told in alternating chapters, and only Barr's skill keeps this familiar device fresh. The pitch-perfect 19th-century phrasing in the letters makes it easy to forgive the occasional over-the-top prose in the modern scenes. But this is a quibble. Those who already admire the doughty National Park ranger will rejoice in this double-layered story with its remarkable setting, passionately rendered; new readers have a treat in store. (Feb. 10)Forecast:Backed by a 20-city author tour, this one will shoot up the bestseller lists.
January 1, 2004
This is not your typical Barr suspense novel as she interweaves two different stories set nearly 150 years apart. Ranger Anna Pigeon is temporarily assigned to duty in the isolated paradise of the Dry Tortugas, and her half of the tale takes place underwater and in a Civil War fort/prison turned National Park. The other mystery occurred at the end of that war, involving Dr. Samuel Mudd of the Lincoln conspiracy, and is revealed in a series of letters written by Anna's great-great-great-aunt. The novelist manages to sustain the tension in both stories and leaves one begging for more as each chapter moves back and forth in time. Reader Barbara Rosenblat masterfully captures all the characters in both time periods. An excellent example of what an audiobook should be.-Joyce Kessel, Villa Maria Coll., Buffalo, NY
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