Destroyer Angel

Starred review from February 10, 2014
Bestseller Barr’s gripping 18th Anna Pigeon novel (after 2012’s The Rope) takes the National Park Service ranger on an autumn camping trip along the Fox River of the Iron Range in upstate Minnesota. Anna’s first vacation since her honeymoon three years earlier doubles as a get-together with Heath Jarrod, a paraplegic; Heath’s daughter, Elizabeth; Leah Hendricks, who designs outdoor gear; and Leah’s daughter, Katie. For Leah, the trip also is a “shakedown cruise” to test a new line of equipment to make the outdoors accessible to the handicapped. On their second night, four armed men invade the campsite while Anna is on a solo canoe float. Barr touches again on her recurring theme, that man is the biggest threat in nature, as Anna works unseen to disarm the thugs and free her friends. Barr’s gift for depicting breathtaking scenery elevates the story, as does Anna’s complex, ever-evolving personality. Agent: Dominick Abel, Dominick Abel Literary Agency.

Barbara Rosenblat is the de facto voice of protagonist Anna Pigeon in this renowned suspense series--and for good reason. With 15 of the previous audiobooks to her credit, Rosenblat demonstrates once again in this eighteenth book why she's so often chosen to narrate. The range of emotions and voices would tax many narrators, but Rosenblat handles them all, whether it's the menace of the villain or the fearful cries of a terrified teenager. In the north woods of Minnesota, Anna fights for her life, and the lives of four friends, when they're kidnapped by a band of thugs. Regular listeners know that Pigeon prevails in the end; how far she goes to protect her friends and the emotional and physical costs to all are the crux of the story. M.L.R. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

May 15, 2014

After a two-year absence, Anna Pigeon returns with a vengeance. Her short canoe trip in the Iron Range of northern Minnesota with two friends and their teenage daughters turns into a nightmare when four brutal kidnappers invade their wilderness camp. Anna, briefly away from her companions, escapes with only the clothes on her back, and her chances of rescuing the others before they are executed or flown out of the country are slim. The suspense never lets up as Anna and her friends, each of whom is responsible for a young daughter, face equally hard decisions. Barbara Rosenblat returns as the voice of Anna and delivers one of her best performances. This book contains strong content and language. VERDICT The latest in a long series (after Burn), this book stands well on its own and should satisfy most mystery lovers. ["Barr lays down a riveting mystery and permeates the pages with scrupulous descriptions of Anna's struggle with the cold, with the night, and with the terror and fear of not rescuing her friends," read the starred review of the Minotaur: St. Martin's hc, LJ 1/14.]--Janet Martin, Southern Pines P.L., NC

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