(audio) Good story about park ranger Anna Pigeon who is called on to help bring back a friend deep in the depths of a newly explored cave in NM. Murder and intrigue ensue. Good to the last page.

Park ranger Anna Pigeon is assigned to go down into Lechugilla Caverns in Carlsbad National Park, New Mexico, to rescue a fellow ranger who has gotten trapped. But when events turn tragic, Anna begins to suspect that a simple accident may not have been so simple after all. And solving a crime becomes much more complex trapped underground with someone who may be willing to kill again. This one had lots of angles… troubled marriages and former lovers… shady business practices… park politics. There were so many possible suspects, I was left guessing up until the end.

Content Warning: I was warned before reading this one that if you are claustrophobic, this is a ROUGH book to read. I am not particularly claustrophobic, but in places, this made me shiver. Author Nevada Barr has a real talent for vivid, visceral descriptions and bringing her settings to life, which is what I LOVE about her books. I feel like with each book in the series, I am visiting each National Park Anna is assigned to. But in this one, be prepared, you’re definitely trapped in a cave!

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
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I liked the descriptions of caving, but the mystery does not hold up. ( )

One of her best. If you've ever been a spelunker, (to which I plead guilty), you will be thrilled. ( )

Another Anna Pigeon adventure - this one in Lechugilla Cave at Carlsbad. Typical stuff happens - there's an accident but it could be murder and Anna will crack the case even if her superiors tell her to mind her own business.

But I have to wonder this. Every year someone is killed and Anna says "It wasn't an accident!" Then someone tries to kill Anna but she stops them and they turn out to be the murderer. She's always right. So why, every year when this happens and Anna says, "Hey, that wasn't an accident!" they don't believe her? Also, in reality, she might have decided to go into a different line of work. . . .

But they're book candy so I keep on reading! ( )