Liberty Falling

March 1, 1999
Tenacious park ranger Anna Pigeon leaves the country wilderness for the wilds of New York City, where her sister Molly is hospitalized, in this seventh installment of Barr's popular series (Blind Descent, etc.). Although Anna is on leave, she gets involved in the investigation of two murders. An unidentified child falls to her death from the Statue of Liberty. The main suspect dies. Anna is attacked. An actress is fatally bludgeoned on Ellis Island. Anna's conviction that these events are connected leads to a cross-country search for a right-wing fanatic. As expected with Barr, the narrative teems with memorable characters-among them Charlie DeLeo, the caretaker of the Statue of Liberty's torch, and Anna's former lover, FBI Agent Frederick Stanton, now smitten with Molly. Though Barr ties up the many subplots in an action-packed finale, the mystery is slow to develop and there's little doubt that Molly will recover. Barr's atmospherics remain potent, however. Her evocation of the isolated, exotic nature of the two famous tourist attractions is a particular treat, bringing home how nature is inexorably reclaiming buildings and records a stone's throw from bustling Manhattan. Mystery Guild main selection; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club alternates.

Anna Pidgeon, the intrepid park ranger in the Nevada Barr mystery series, takes up temporary residence on Liberty and Ellis Islands in New York Harbor. As usual, when Anna arrives, havoc follows. Rosenblat keeps the reader in the middle of that havoc, with all of its excitement, terror and pain. A lover of author Barr or narrator Rosenblat will be very pleased with this production; a lover of both will be enthralled. R.E.K. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine

February 15, 2000
Park ranger Anna Pigeon heads east to New York City to be with her dangerously ill sister. She bunks with a Park Service buddy at Liberty Island, where the majestic statue and the abandoned buildings of Ellis Island are a backdrop to a series of unexplained and tragic events. Anna's intense curiosity and her sympathy for the victims lead her to investigate two untimely deaths of "jumpers" and bring her to the attention of unsavory villains. As her sister slowly recovers, Anna makes peace with an old boyfriend, soon to be her brother-in-law, and puts together the disparate clues that bring her to the violent climax. Barbara Rosenblat is comfortable with the role of Anna, and her interpretations of the other characters is equally flawless. Expect an interesting look at our favorite monument, a puzzling mystery, and an accomplished reader. Recommended.--Juleigh Muirhead Clark, John D. Rockefeller Jr. Lib., Williamsburg, VA

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