My summer of reading Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon park ranger mystery series continues. I’m currently halfway through book #14, Winter Study. If the title doesn’t give away any hints, the story takes place in Isle Royale during the winter season. Between October and May the park shuts down to tourist. This allows fifty-plus years of research to continue, regarding the study of the moose/wolf activity surrounding the island. And that’s a dollop of information best left to experts and the internet to explain to you. I could break the research down–coming from what's given to me via the book. However, it would appear as weak as pre-generic Dollar Store coffee. So with one operational gear of Winter Study aside, my issue is that the book takes place in fiercely below freezing terrain. Terrain chillingly described within Barr's juggle of metaphors (lots of movie references in this one) and icy prose. So far as my reading, Barr's Anna Pigeon has slept in this literary blizzard outside in a tent! A tent which found her and her team under attack by an unidentified creature. (Similar to what happened in Blood Lure, if you're familiar with the series.) However, as of where I stand, the team believes it’s a mutated wolf of some sort. So I must keep reading to see.
Anna has also skidded across a froze Siskiwit Lake while setting up wolf traps, apropos the research. And, as such elementally-heavy mystery books go, she immediately found herself thrown over into the icy waters to nearly drown. What else crazy happened? Oh, the team has to collect snow for water; an interesting nugget of information mentioned that quickly boiled snow is actually bad for you. I never would've known. Also, Anna and the team spend a day dissecting a wolf and examining moose body parts. Cool but grizzly by way of Barr's description of rotting flesh and bloody innards.
There's just a slew of craziness taking place in Winter Study. But because a murder hasn’t happened yet (except for a couple of moose and a fallen wolf), I got a feeling the story is about to get crazier. Like, Jason Voorhees level crazy! Especially as ice and cabin fever sits in.
There's just a slew of craziness taking place in Winter Study. But because a murder hasn’t happened yet (except for a couple of moose and a fallen wolf), I got a feeling the story is about to get crazier. Like, Jason Voorhees level crazy! Especially as ice and cabin fever sits in.
Yet, this is precisely why I enjoy this series; Anna’s always in some crazy-ass situations. And it's in these situations where she has to think her way out, before she gets the ax.
So before I run off to fix a cup of coffee and throw myself into Winter Study, I want to share a few of the national parks Anna Pigeon has got my ass scared to go to! In order from least scary to MOST! But, being the nature lover that I tend to be, this listed is for fun. So of course I’m not serious, because all I've wanted to do since reading these books is start a GoFundMe to see if I can tour all Anna's spots.
So the list goes...