In Blind Descent, Anna travels to the American Southwest to help a colleague and solve a mystery after being specifically requested in spite of a lack of expertise for her dangerous assignment.
Anna Pigeon Series Offers Special Look at NPS
Each Anna Pigeon novel takes place in a different National Park Service property, offering an insider's look at the country's wildest spots with little interference from overly exuberant tourists and the accompanying neon concession and souvenir stands.
National Park Service Rescue Mission
Although Anna realizes that she is honestly claustrophobic, she agrees to participate in a rescue mission in the Lechuguilla Cavern, only an hour from New Mexico’s famously tourist-friendly Carlsbad Caverns.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Anna feels comfortable in the large, open rooms of Carlsbad but Lechuguilla promises narrow spaces and extensive rappelling in a recently discovered cave that is still undergoing surveying by experienced cavers. As a novice caver, Anna must manage her fears about being hundreds of feet underground while attempting competence while surrounded by highly regarded experts, adding to her list of concerns.
Anna's Mission to Help a Friend
Anna’s link to the mission derives from her relationship with the injured woman, Frieda Dierkz, a colleague from her home park. Anna begins confused as to why Frieda asked specifically for her since the two were never close friends, just friendly acquaintances.
The mystery really begins underground, after Anna and the rest of the rescue group have reached Frieda. While drifting in and out of consciousness, Frieda softly declares that her accident was intentional, leaving the original core group of cavers as the main suspects in her attempted murder.
Anna Pigeon as Long-Running Character
Anna’s character enjoys the intricate past details of a multi-volume series, with returning characters supplementing the new cast of confidantes and suspects. Anna remains imperfect, as her days-long subterranean journey achingly details, but her tenacity and dark sense of humor make her an ideal companion, even as she relentlessly follows her trail.
Cavers or Spelunkers as Niche Group
As usual, Nevada Barr effectively describes the local subculture, which in this case is the disparate group of cavers. Their camaraderie, hard won after hiking and repelling through miles of variously sized underground tunnels, and specific lingo is admiringly and unobtrusively explained to the readers as Anna receives her own caving tutorials.
Anna's attempts to avoid panicking at her physical situation while trying to determine whom she can trust makes her bristly to the more comfortable members of her group but making her even more identifiable to the reader.
Barr's Strengths as Writer
Because of Barr's detailed descriptions, readers fond of light-filled open spaces may be especially relieved when the action returns to topside, but unraveling the bonds between the cavers while forging new ties is worth Anna's discomfort and proves rewarding to the reader.
Publishing Information:
Blind Descent by Nevada Barr. Berkley: NY (2009) ISBN: 978-0-425-23063-3
Bonnye Good - Bonnye Busbice Good received an Editor's Choice award for her article on Your Historic Home's Interior Design Secrets and has also written ...
Join the Conversation