Endangered Species (Anna Pigeon)

National Park Service Ranger Anna Pigeon has been temporarily detailed to help with fire control on the drought-ridden Cumberland Island National
Seashore. A plane crash changes Anna and her peers from patrol to action as
they quickly work to put out the ensuing flames before a disaster strikes.
The dead pilot patrolled drug trafficking form the air while his passenger
was the island's only law enforcement official...
Preliminary analysis by investigators into the plane crash seem to lead
them to think sabotage occurred, but who was the target? Was it the pilot or
his passenger? Or was it someone else who the passenger replaced at the last
moment? Anna decides to do a bit of sleuthing on her own to learn who was the
intended victim and who did it. However, Anna does not yet realize that by
conducting her own personal inquiry, she has placed herself in danger because
no one will interfere with the culprit's plans for the island's treasures....
Anna Pigeon is one of the top female sleuths today because she is not
superwoman breaking down doors or smashing heads with single bound. Instead,
Anna is a thinker, who works her way methodically through her cases.
ENDANGERED SPECIES is a fabulous read because of Anna, an interesting
who-done-it, and the beautiful scenery off the Georgia coast. Fans of female
sleuths should read Nevada Barr's latest tale (and her previous works)
because it is that good. This author, unlike some big name writers, never
disappoints her fans and deserves a spot on the best seller lists.

...Harriet Klausner

As always, Nevada Barr, a former park ranger, delivers wonderfully vivid descriptions of the great outdoors; an abundance of colorful, well-drawn characters; a thoughtful and courageous female sleuth; an inside look at the National Park Service; and an intricate and suspenseful mystery. However, the most mysterious thing about "Endangered Species," set on an island off the coast of Georgia and involving the investigation of a plane crash caused by sabotage, is that the paperback has been extensively revised from the hardcover. Namely, a major character, an exceedingly unpleasant, repulsive person, has undergone a sex change! In the hardcover, Marty is a woman in her 50s; in the paperback, Marty is a man in his 30s. It's not just a matter of changing pronouns; dialogue and descriptions are altered too. For example, in the original version, Marty's long hair is "worn in pigtails like an aging Pippi Longstocking's"; in the revision, it's "worn in pigtails like Willie Nelson in his heyday." There must have been a compelling reason for such changes, since ordinarily paperback publishers don't even bother to fix obvious errors, such as referring to someone by the wrong name. I think the character works somewhat better as a woman, but whichever version you read, you'll likely find it a good, absorbing, entertaining whodunit.

Anna Pigeon is a National Park Ranger who moves around the States giving us views of each park in turn.
In this one she is working in Cumberland Island park off Georgia. The baby Loggerhead turtles hatch out and she is on fire watch. As if that wasn't enough, a small plane flies over and crashes into the saw palmetto brush. The two people aboard die and the crash is deemed sabotage. The marshy remote island holds secrets and Anna in digging them up is putting herself into danger.
Like all the series this is a great read. The writing quality is very good and the descriptions of nature are excellent.

I've been tearing through Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon mysteries ever since I discovered them. The tighest and best story in my opinion is Firestorm - this one was a little harder to follow and I'm not sure I ever totally understood the denouement of the mystery. But like with all the Pigeon novels, the characters and physical setting were interesting and well-drawn, and the story arcs that continue from book to book are intriguing, such as the relationship between Anna and her sister, and the relationship between Anna and Frederick the FBI agent (be prepared to be surprised!) I don't think I'm going to read anything else until I've finished all the Anna Pigeon books out there - on to Blind Descent!

It could have been a better book without the baggage of what the real auther might be experiencing. The whining about relationships, the admission of drug use, the constant complaints about her sister.... I expect the usual flawed heroes but please. give it a rest. Two major mistakes in the book were laughable. A safety lever on a Glock? Seriously? Was that put in for comic relief? The quote "An Armed Society is a Polite Society" atributed to Al Capone? Keep writing about the Park department. Leave the murder details to a co-author.

Set in the lovely and isolated Sea Islands of Georgia, Nevada Barr’s adventure moves along at a captivating pace, perfectly describing one of the most enjoyable places in America. Two more books Sea Island lovers will want to read: Tuxedo Park, a memoir by Jennet Conant and Sailing the Sea Islands, a travelogue adventure by John Grimsrud.

Without giving anything away, I wonder if other readers of "Endangered Species" have noticed the very odd gender change of a major character in the novel (not Anna, of course!) In the hardcover edition available at most public libraries, this character is female. However, in the paperback edition, the same character is suddenly male. I find this completely inexplicable - why the change? Please inform, as I have been curious about this for years.

This author has a wonderful gift and her Anna Pigeon books are an important addition to the genre. The outdoorsy Park Ranger background themes are interesting and colourful and truly complement the mystery in the story. What is wonderful about this author is that when she says Anna is tired, sweaty, drunk, cramped, etc, you can really feel it!
I would recommend this and any other book in the Anna Pigeon series.

This book was not as compelling as her previous ones, I think for several reasons. Placing the reader inside Fred the Fed's head was a mistake; those parts of the book seemed forced and awkward. The motive for the murders seemed pasted on at the last minute without the logical build-up that was evident in her prior books. I still enjoyed reading it as she is a gifted writer.

'Endangered Species' was the first of Barr's books I'd ever read. The book was great! I loved how she worked in the turtles, so it didn't just evolve around the airplane crash. I also like how Barr semi-explained Anna's history, so I wouldn't be lost.

Nevada Barr is one of the most consistently good mystery writers I have ever come across. The heroine, Anna Pigeon, remains fresh and intriguing in this the fifth book of the series. The story moves along at a brisk pace, the characters are colorful, and the dialog is well balanced. Ms. Barr has included a little more humor in this one and it works so well I am hoping she will continue with it in future books. I don't hesitate buying each Nevada Barr book as it becomes available because I know I won't be disappointed.

This book was on somebody's the store.com LISTMANIA for Sea Turtles, so I hunted it down. It is only vaguely about sea turtles, in that it is set on an island in Georgia where sea turtles nest. There is a sea turtle biologist introduced at the very beginning of the book, and then he disappears, so it's obvious that he was involved in the crime.

There are way too many characters in this book to keep track of and most of them are not believable or likable. I wish this book had at least been fun to read but it was tedious and I ended up skimming the whole thing, looking for any sign of sea turtle interaction. Skip this book and send your $6.99 to a sea turtle hospital instead.

Another descriptive and suspenseful tale in an unknnown National Park. I am happy and sad at the end of each of this author's books--happy to have shared another Anna Pigeon adventure and sad that the story is finished.