BOOK REVIEW: ILL WIND BY NEVADA BARR (ANNA PIGEON #3)

 Hello readers and fellow bloggers. Another day, another book review. Today I'll be reviewing a book I finished yesterday: Ill Wind by Nevada Barr. I don't remember when exactly I started it (without making much progress) but it was a while ago, maybe at the start of this summer. I forgot all about it until the cover grabbed my attention yesterday when I picked it up again and thought to myself: 'Why not?' This was my first novel by Nevada Barr. To be honest, I haven't even heard of her before. I must have picked up this book in Jelsa, where there are these wood boxes for book exchange (great ideas if you ask me, all cities should have them). I'm glad I picked this book up. Ill Wind proved to be a lovely read. It's a murder mystery set in a national park. The heroine of the novel is Anna Pigeon, a park ranger. Now, apparently there is a whole series featuring Anna Pigeon and this novel is the third one in the series. However, I think Anna Pigeon books can be read separately as well. The author actually worked as a park ranger, so she really knows her stuff. If you love descriptions of nature and nature parks plus an awesome female protagonist, than this murder mystery might be the right pick for you too. 

ILL WIND, A NOVEL BY NEVADA BARR, 3/5

A MURDER MYSTERY SET IN MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK IN COLORADO

The novel opens with Anna Pigeon trying to wrap her head against the mystery of no graves in Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. Anna Pigeon is newly assigned to this park and while she loves her surroundings, getting used to dorm living is a challenge. Anna dreams of having some privacy where she could snuggle with her cat. As I mentioned, there is a series of novels about Anna and this one isn't the first. Some mentions of the past are made, particularly of Anne's late husband (tragically run down by a car) but the novel is mostly set in here and now. The opening paragraph is a good example of foreshadowing. Indeed, a dead body will be found in Mesa Verde. The historical remains will became a grave. However, this doesn't happen right away. In fact, you can say that the author is taking her time before the murder occurs. Nevada Barr weaves a slow introduction, allowing us to meet the characters that work in Mesa Verde (with most attention being devoted to the protagonist Anna Pigeon). I didn't mind it, but some might find the plot as a whole a bit too slow moving. 

A SLOWLY PACED NOVEL FILLED WITH RELAXING DESCRIPTIONS OF NATURE

Apparently, this is a signature style of Nevada Barr. From what I read about this author, her Anna Pigeon novels are known to be slowly paced and abundant in descriptions of nature. Every Anna Pigeon novel is set in a different national park. I didn't read the other ones, but I can say that in this one Nevada Barr did a great job of bringing the park to life. In fact, the national park itself almost becomes a character in the novel.  The setting is definitely important for this novel. I think the author really managed to capture the atmosphere of an untouched and mysterious place. As I said, I didn't particularly mind that the plot was moving slowly, especially at the start. I enjoyed getting to know everyone. However, at some points the novel did seem a bit too slow. If it wasn't for such an engaging heroine, the story would drag. 

AN ENGAGING HEROINE WITH A THERAPIST FOR SISTER

Anna Pigeon is an engaging heroine. She's got her heart in the right place and she's courageous in a calm sort of way, the kind of person that shines under pressure and takes care of things. However, at the same time, she's not without her flaws. Anna's quite aware of some of them and takes a self-ironic approach when observing her flaws. Her humour, especially when directed at herself, can be a bit dark but also at times surprisingly warm. Anna's an efficient ranger, a lover of outdoors so in that sense she shines in her role. At the same time, her emotional life is troubled. Professionally, Anna has found a place for herself in this new national park. Emotionally, she is lost, confused and lonely. Her sister often plays a role of her therapist during their phone calls. Her sister IS a therapist. Their phone conversations were very interesting to say the least. 

THE PLOT- ANNA'S PERSONAL LIFE INTERWOVEN WITH THE MURDER MYSTERY

Despite herself, Anna starts to develop feelings towards her partner. Not that she plans to do anything about it, because Stacy is married. There are indications that he is not happy with his wife Rose, but he absolutely loves his stepdaughter Bella. Anna loves Bella too. It's hard not to. Born with dwarfism, Bella is a very sensitive and intelligent six year old. I really enjoyed reading dialogues between Bella and Anna. I think they were written quite well. So, were those between Anna and Stacy- as well as Anna's thoughts concerning the two. Anyhow, things aren't easy for Stacy. For one, Stacy is a park ranger on a temporary contract. He has financial problems and Bella's mother  Rose wants an operation for her daughter- an aesthetic operation of sorts, something neither Bella nor Stacy care for. One day Stacy goes missing and Anna has a bad feeling about it.  Before the disappearance itself takes place, there are a few strange occurrences. More people in need of medical help. More visitors and tourists having health issues and needing evacuation. A young girl (a visitor to the park) dies of asthma attack. There is talk of curses and spirits.  Some suspect Indian spirits, while Anna suspects something more material. She's isn't the type to believe in the new age nonsense. Plus, she is a heroine of a series of murder mysteries so naturally she thinks someone is behind the sudden disappearance and all the strange happenings. 

THE PORTRAYAL OF CHARACTERS IN ILL WIND

Apart from Anna, we don't get to learn much about the inner world of other characters. After Anna, Bella's portrayal was probably the most complex one and I found that interesting. As I mentioned, Bella is quite a sensitive and intelligent child. While the author doesn't really dig into his feelings and inner world in depth, we do see glimpses of Bella's psychological states. This happens mostly while Bella plays games with her aunt Hattie. It's clear that Bella's aunt is a positive character, a woman who can offer the child the emotional warmth her mother Rose lacks. It was lovely seeing Bella and Hattie interact. I wish more space was given to Hattie, she sounded like such an interesting character. Every time the aunt and the niece were playing games in the nature, Anna managed to (conveniently) cross their way and learn more about Bella's inner mood from the games. Even if it was a bit too convenient to be completely credible, I thought that was a nice touch. Anyhow, Bella's character was well developed. The other characters were not examined in depth, still some of them were interesting while other seemed dull. 

A RECURRING CHARACTER- A SPECIAL AGENT

Not long into the story, FBI takes over the murder investigation and a special agent arrived on the scene. It happens to be an agent Anna is already familiar with- having worked with him on a previous murder case. The author still spent a lot of time describing special agent Stanton. I found the chemistry and the dynamics between Anna and Stanton interesting. I suspect this character reapers in novels to come.  However, the story was too slow to develop. It seems the two were forever driving around without getting anything done. The authors often tells instead of shows. Nevada Barr tells us that Stanton is this super intelligent agent, but she doesn't really show it us. As I said, the murder mystery plot is weak. A lot of running in circles and then suddenly  everything gets resolved. Some details just didn't seem to fit. The ending seems so obvious and predictable, one wonders why it took the two so long to put it together. So, the introduction of the  recurring  character (agent Stanton) was only a half success, I'd say.

FINAL THOUGHTS- A RELAXING READ PERFECT FOR NATURE LOVERS

As I said, this was a lovely read. Not a particularly ambitious book, but one filled with wonderful descriptions of nature and the right kind of atmosphere. It is everything you can expect from a book like this. The murder mystery plot was a bit weak and predictable, but I didn't feel cheated because I enjoyed learning more about Anna. Generally speaking, I enjoyed the writing in this one. At times it's overly descriptive and wordy, but I can live with that. If I come across another Nevada Barr novel, I will probably pick it up. On the other hand, I don't see myself actively looking for it. This was fun, but I'm sure there are similar books out there. 

THE STORY OF MY OUTFIT

I don't wear jeans often, but when I do, I often opt for flares. I love to pair jeans with dresses and tunics so that is what I did here. I took advantage of the fresh weather to wear this combo today and I must say I felt really nice. The two of us went for a walk, had lunch at Ruža restaurant and had a coffee date at Tempera cafe. It was a nice day. 

THE WHITE TUNICS- (old). last worn here.

THE BURGUNDY BAG - (borsa store), last worn here.

THE FLARED JEANS last worn here (more ideas here)

THE LEATHER HEELED SANDALS worn here.

THE NECKLACE (diy), originally a part of this dress

IF YOU WANT TO READ MORE LADY WRITERS, FEEL FREE TO CHECK MY 30 READING RECOMMENDATIONS - FEMALE AUTHORS  OR SOME OF MY RECENT REVIEWS SUCH AS BLACKBERRY WINE , GODS IN ALABAMA & GREENHOUSE

IF YOU WANT TO READ MORE MYSTERY, CRIME AND THRILLERS, HERE ARE SOME I REVIEWED IN 2020/2021: 

THE HOUSE GUN BY NADINE GORDIMER 

THE WRONG SIDE OF GOODBYE BY M.CONNELLY

MEDITATION ON MURDER (DEATH IN PARADISE #1), A NOVEL BY ROBET THOROGOOD 

THE FORGER, A NOVEL BY EDGAR WALLACE

HERCULE POIROT'S CHRISTMAS, A NOVEL BY AGATHA CHRISTIE

Thank you for stopping by. Have a lovely week ahead. Stay safe!