A Superior Death

Anna Pigeon Mystery: 2

ISBN: 0-7887-1896-7 Order from: Recorded Books

A tense mystery with quirky characters, this novel succeeds well on its description of National Parks, while suffering from telegraphing the mystery long before the protagonist uncovers it.

Reviewed by David on August 10, 2001

Genre: Mystery (Police Procedural)

Synopsis: This is an unabridged recording of A Superior Death. Ranger Anna Pigeon, used to the hot parks of the Southwest, moves to Michigan's icy Lake Superior. Even in summer, the weather is cool and chancy, and a job amidst water and cold is a hard transition for Anna. As she slowly adapts, and starts to appreciate the beauty of the northern lake, the people around her present the greatest challenges.

When tensions and arguments graduate to a suspecious death, Anna has to take place in a perilous investigation both above the lake and under it. For a relatively inexperienced diver like Anna, the lake presents a risk and a terror. But, as in many other cases, the humans can make even the most inhospitable environment worse.

Full Review: An excellent mystery, full of details of nature around Lake Superior, this book has a good protagonist, a fanciful but plausible plot, and many colorful characters.

A couple of issues detract from the quality of the reading experience. One is the relative grimness: there are moments of happiness, but these are few, and their absense is felt. The second is that the resolution of the central mystery is telegraphed early, and it takes a long time for our heroine to discover the perpetrator.

On the whole, this is a good, entertaining book.

Overall: 6; Plot: 5.5; Characters: 6; Style: 5; World-building: 6; Originality: 6;

ISBN: 0-7887-1896-7 Order from: Recorded Books