Yes indeed - a fine tale, and I was amazed that in the whole book I
don't think the words "spelunker" or "spelunking" appear once!
Louise Power wrote:
I don't know how many of you are mystery fiction fans, but Nevada Barr
is one of the best and probably the only one in her specific
genre--mysteries taking place in National Parks. In 1993, she
published /Track of the Cat/, the first of fourteen novels with Anna
Pigeon, a park ranger, as her protagonist. This novel took place in
Guadalupe Mountains National Park, her second posting with the Park
Service.
In 1998, she published /Blind Descent, /her sixth in the series,/
/which took place in a highly disguised Lechuguilla Cave, Carlsbad
Caverns NP:
/*Blind Descent*, the sixth in the Anna Pigeon series, is set in
Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Lechuguilla, the cave the action takes
place in has been largely fictionalized both for plot and because, to
preserve it, the NPS has closed the cave to visitors. Blind Descent
was nominated for an Anthony Award./
Dale Pate was her escort through the Park. The book, a tense murder
mystery, was excellent and provided me with more than a couple of
empathetic moments (flashes of claustrophobia). All of her books are
good. As another federal employee and former Carlsbad Caverns
employee, I can tell by what she says and how she says it that she is
NPS. If you like mysteries, you'll like this series--even though they
don't take place in caves.
