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- Mystery - |
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Blind Descent |
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 Blind Descent byNevada Barr Avon Books Paperback - 372 pages, 1999 ISBN 0380728265 Reviewed by PJ Nunn Read our review of Deep South by Nevada Barr Anna Pigeon, park ranger, is back and ready for action or at least she thinks she is. But when she learns her latest assignment is underground - she's not so sure. Aptly titled, Blind Descent allows us to ride along with Anna as she crawls deep down into the bowels of Lechuguilla - natural caverns near Carlsbad, New Mexico. An old friend who has been injured far beneath the surface is calling for Anna's help. Stifling her claustrophobia (while provoking mine), Anna joins the rescue team. We're privy to her thoughts and fears as she takes us along on a two day trip to Frieda's side. Thinking the worst is behind her now, she settles in to help carry Frieda back out, but her nightmare is just beginning. In and out of consciousness, Frieda rouses long enough to tell Anna - her injury was not an accident. Suddenly, Anna finds herself in a dark, unfamiliar place, unarmed, not knowing who to trust. Author Nevada Barr gives great attention to detail, painting vivid word pictures of a foreign environment for most of us. One of her greatest strengths lies in her ability to bring the environment to life - making the reader smell the damp earth and feel the tangible texture of total darkness underground. A little wordy at the beginning, the action picks up as the story progresses, leading us through a series of literal cliffhanging events. Soon, we're thrust in the midst of landslides and lies, not knowing who will emerge from the cave alive. By the time the rescue team surfaces from underground, Anna's hot on the trail of a murder suspect, but no one believes her. Even when one of the team members is found shot and Anna's racing across the desert with bullets dancing around her feet, she cannot convince the authorities. Desperate for clues that will reveal the truth, Anna swallows apprehension and goes back down into the cave, proving her suspicions were founded. Unfortunately, there's a dangerous murderer down there who knows his way around better than Anna. Blind Descent is not cozy in the traditional sense nor is it a spine tingling thriller, but it is a good mystery with a likable protagonist and a scenario you'll remember long after the story is read. |
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