Winter Study (Anna Pigeon Mysteries) | Nevada Barr | Moody, atmospheric writing, littered with...

Winter Study (Anna Pigeon Mysteries) | Nevada Barr | The show-down was way too long ...

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Winter Study (Anna...

	Winter Study (Anna Pigeon Mysteries) Nevada Barr G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2008 - 370 pages average customer review:based on 41 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Moody, atmospheric writing, littered with several irritating inaccuracies

This represented my first Nevada Barr novel and I found it fast-paced and enjoyable to read. The kids and my husband and I just got back from a trip along the Minnesota shore-line of Lake Superior, including taking a boat out to Isle Royale . (Does anyone else feel that Isle Royale obviously correctly ought to be part of Minnesota? It's far closer to Minnesota geographically, topographically, and distance-wise than it is to Michigan.) I got the book from the University library where I work thinking it would be an apt read for our trip. My husband read it first (he's more of a mystery/suspense buff than I) and then I read it. I really found that I could hardly put it down as it just moved along and drew me in, beautifully creating a creepy atmosphere and on-the-edge-of-your-seat suspense. Bravo for that!

On the con side however, there were some errors that were highly annoying. Early on, mention is made of the boatloads of visitors who arrive daily from Grand Marais, MN. Au contraire, the commercial Minnesota boat tours depart from Grand Portage, NOT Grand Marais. In the description of the unfortunate researcher who is brutally savaged and whose ankle is broken, Anna talks about a compound fracture of the femur. The femur is the large thigh bone, not a bone in the ankle. Near the end of the book Anna's shoulder is dislocated, but in the initial description of the event it is mentioned that she felt her ulna pull loose. The ulna is one of the two bones in the lower arm--I'm guessing Ms. Barr meant the humerus, the long bone that runs from shoulder to elbow. These are minor errors, but are more than mere typos. They distract from the novel and can make a reader lose respect for the writer. Doing your research means not making errors of this sort that feel hasty or lacking in smarts.

Also, as a few other reviewers have noted, the story didn't hold together as well as it might've as it drew to an end. I felt a little let down as some of the details (distance of hikes or ski excursions, recovery time from significant physical hardships) were unrealistic and the denouement was a bit of a stretch.

In all, though Winter Study wasn't a "great" novel, this was an enjoyable read and I looked forward each day to the evening when I could pick up the book and get engrossed in the spooky excitement.

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The show-down was way too long ...

Can't say that I'm a big Nevada Barr fan. I've read a couple of her books, (High Country and Ill Wind) but just didn't find anything that tripped my triggers.

I tried the new book because it sounded interesting. Scientists studying wolves, isolated on an island in the middle of Lake Superior, discover DNA evidence of what might be a hybrid wolf/dog. It's the middle of winter and cold permeates everything and everyone. When one of the team is brutally killed, all evidence points to the wild hybrid.

The story is number 14 in a series about Anna Pigeon, a tougher-than-nails park ranger who regularly finds herself in the middle of a crisis - think Jessica Fletcher of "Murder, She Wrote" set outdoors.

The story bogs down with too many red herrings and ancillary sub-plots. I guessed the villain early on, not because I'm clever, but because the author eliminates everyone else from the suspect list.

When the story lines converge and Anna finally faces the bad guy, the author spends 49 pages drawing out the action. Frankly, it was about 39 pages too long. I knew Anna would win because she's the good guy, but I didn't really care how it played out. I just wanted it to be over.

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