It was supposed to be a
simple and relaxing float trip for National Park Service Ranger Anna Pigeon and
friends. Heath Jarod and her daughter, Elizabeth, will be along as will Leah
and her daughter, Katie. Both the girls are teens and have little in common. The
Fox River in Northern Minnesota is the destination. The trip is to serves as a much
needed break for Anna as well as a way to test various methods and equipment for
paraplegics to access the wildness. For Heath the trip is another step in
trying to get her life back after the fall that broke her back.
Too much group togetherness causes
Anna to go off to the river by herself for a little personal time at the end of
a very long day. That loner instinct may ultimately save all their lives when a
group of four men arrive in camp. They are not here to enjoy the beauty of the
north woods or the companionship of their fellow travelers. They are there on a
kidnapping for ransom mission and have very specific targets in mind--- Leah
and Katie. The men may be much more at home in the city, but they have a plan,
weapons, and plenty of cruelty and find the women without weapons and with no
cell service no way to reach the outside.
What follow is a sort of Die Hard type scenario as Anna uses the
element of surprise to begin to turn the odds in the captives. As the stress
for all ratchets up and the unforgiving environment takes a toll it becomes
questionable who will survive this rolling north woods confrontation.
The 19th book in the series that
began with Track of the Cat is a good one. While there is plenty of action
and mystery involved, human psychology is the primary component of the book.
Delving into the mind of Anna as well as the other characters to showcase how
things are being dealt with as various events occur occupy large sections of
the book. Despite that happening, the overall pace the story remains constant steadily
pulling readers along to the ultimate final violent confrontation. The book contains
the briefest of mentions of earlier events making it possible to read as a
stand-alone if you are new to the series.
Destroyer Angel: An Anna Pigeon
Novel
Nevada Barr
Minotaur Books (St. Martin’s
Publishing Group)
2014
ISBN# 978-0-312-61458-4
Hardback (also available as an
e-book and audio)
350 Pages
$26.95
Material supplied by the good folks of the
Plano Texas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2014
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