Destroyer Angel (Anna Pigeon Series #18)

by Nevada Barr Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat

Overview

Anna Pigeon, a ranger for the U.S. Park Services, sets off on vacation-an autumn canoe trip in the to the Iron Range in upstate Minnesota. With Anna is her friend Heath, a paraplegic; Heath's fifteen-year-old daughter, Elizabeth; Leah, a wealthy designer of outdoor equipment; and her daughter, Katie, who is thirteen. For Heath and Leah, this is a shakedown cruise to test a new cutting edge line of camping equipment. The equipment, designed by Leah, will make camping and canoeing more accessible to disabled outdoorsmen.

On their second night out, Anna goes off on her own for a solo evening float on the Fox River. When she comes back, she finds that four thugs, armed with rifles, pistols, and knives, have taken the two women and their teenaged daughters captive. With limited resources and no access to the outside world, Anna has only two days to rescue them before her friends are either killed or flown out of the country, in Destroyer Angel by Nevada Barr.

Editorial Reviews

The New York Times Book Review - Marilyn Stasio

…an excruciatingly suspenseful wilderness adventure…Anna isn't the only soldier in this woman warrior adventure. The mothers and their daughters prove to be brave, resourceful and remarkably ingenious at befuddling the goons while Anna, the silent hunter lurking in the woods, picks them off one by one.

Publishers Weekly

★ 02/10/2014
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. (Apr.)

From the Publisher

A harrowing survival story, well imagined and forcefully told.” —Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review on THE ROPE

“Gripping…suspenseful…a tightly coiled story about trust and rebuilding a life, set against a stunning landscape.” —South Florida Sun Sentinel on THE ROPE

“Engrossing…this is pure joy for a real fan. Barr has outdone herself.” —Charlotte Observer on THE ROPE

“Terrifying…Dark and visceral, the novel is sure to appeal to Barr's legion of fans, especially those who have been clamoring for the author to light the shadows of Anna's past...A crisply written and revelatory entry in the Pigeon series.” —Booklist on THE ROPE

“Barr's exciting 17th Anna Pigeon thriller takes readers where they've wanted to go for years—to Anna's beginnings as a park ranger.…Misdirection and a rising body count ratchet up the tension.” —Publishers Weekly on THE ROPE

“Barr's luxuriant depictions of desert landscapes with its colors and hues and details about Lake Powell's tourist population are interwoven into the narrative as an indispensable element of her popular series. Anna emerges from this canyon escapade as a strong, determined woman...Verdict: Another awesome winner for Barr.” —Library Journal on THE ROPE

“This uncharacteristically urban novel may not present Anna with any endangered species to protect or environmental threats to ward off, but it does give her a chance to prove that her outdoor skills are adaptable to city streets. The harrowing plot...provides Barr with an opportunity to sharpen her characters. ..[With Burn] Barr is writing with the kind of ferocity she usually saves for her backcountry adventures.” —Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review on BURN

“Nevada Barr is one of the best.” —Boston Globe on BURN

“Engrossing...ingenious...inventive and sharply observed.” —The Washington Post on BURN

“Anna Pigeon remains an irresistible protagonist; but, to Barr's credit, Claire Sullivan is her finest fictional creation since Anna...Burn finds Nevada Barr turning out prose that practically sizzles.” —Denver Post on BURN

“Outstanding…. Anna's complex personality continues to elevate the series, and the ranger's sojourn to New Orleans further energizes this always reliable series.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) on BURN

“Suspenseful plotting.” —Oregon Live.com on BURN

“Abundant suspense.” —The Oklahoman on BURN

“Burn will smolder in your heart long after you're done.” —Madison County Herald on BURN

“Barr's strong, evocative writing explores the scenery as well as the characters.” —South Florida Sun-Sentinel on BURN

“From the fabric of fiction Barr creates real worlds, sometimes beautiful, sometimes terrifying, but always convincing.” —San Diego Union-Tribune on BURN

“Solid and suspenseful plotting. A definite winner.” —Booklist on BURN

“Barr has written another hit [that] her fans will devour.” —Library Journal on BURN

“A rare treat…Told with all Barr's usual verve and eye for detail and with a solid, tight plot.” —The Globe and Mail (Toronto) on BURN

Library Journal - Audio

05/15/2014
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

MAY 2014 - AudioFile

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

Kirkus Reviews

2014-03-06
Park ranger Anna Pigeon faces down—or, more accurately, hides from and bedevils—an unusually dangerous criminal in upstate Minnesota's Iron Range. When you work in the national parks, what do you do with your time off? If you're Anna, you take a camping trip with your friends Heath Jarrod, a paraplegic who once saved your life, and Leah Hendricks, an outdoor gear designer, as well as their respective daughters, so Heath can test the latest equipment Leah's designed for other-abled campers. And if you're Anna, things quickly turn violent. A gun-toting heavy dubbed "the Dude" confronts the party with three equally well-armed minions and announces his plan to kidnap Leah and Katie Hendricks and kill Heath and her adopted daughter, Elizabeth. Luckily for the women, Anna happens to have stepped out for a few minutes to spend some quality time alone with nature, and although the Dude has been informed that there's a fifth woman, he's easily persuaded that she canceled out at the last minute. So begins a prolonged game of cat and mouse in which Anna, unarmed and accompanied only by Heath's elderly dog, Wily, stalks the oblivious predators and their victims, watching for her chance to disarm or kill the small-time thugs—leering Sean Ferris, witless Jimmy Spinks and gangbanger Reg Waters—or grab the brass ring by neutralizing the Dude. The formula guarantees nonstop suspense (though not so much if you're convinced that Anna and her friends will survive), but Barr (The Rope, 2012, etc.), writing as usual with welcome delicacy and feeling, works a surprising number of variations on her theme, right up to the predictable but satisfying final twist. A tour de force that's both the most one-dimensional and the most satisfying of Anna's recent adventures.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170020683
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	04/01/2014
Series:	Anna Pigeon Series , #18
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

ONE
 
 
Hands thrust deep in the pockets of the absurd checkered hunter’s coat—protective coloration in northern Minnesota—Charles stared at the campground. Gray ash, blown into ripples, exposed an old campfire ring. On the edges of the clearing the ash melded into gray hills, low and still in death. Black spikes, the last rebellion of living trees, thrust up through the misery of destruction.
Giving God the finger, Charles thought. Never a good idea. Like most Catholics, Charles prayed to Jesus and Mother Mary when he bothered to pray. Jesus was in the redemption business. Not God; God was in the smiting business.
“What’re we gonna do, Dude?”
Charles slid his eyes toward the Fox River. The fire had been stopped by the water. Its final act of destruction was the campground. On the far bank, vegetation was a lush mockery; verdant greens, rich golds, and loud reds thrust out over the water like so many jeering faces.
“What’re we gonna do, Dude?” repeated the goon, slouching between Charles and the river.
Known facts automatically played in Charles’s mind: Sean Ferris, small-time muscle. Philadelphia, Chicago, then Detroit. Served three years for rape. Obedient, loyal. Attack dog. Ferris was old for this work, and fat. The black leather coat and pointed-toe boots stuck him in the sixties, too overdone even to pass for retro.
Charles took his cell phone from the pocket of the blanket coat and pushed the number three.
“Calling Mr. Big?” asked another of the goons Bernie had stuck him with.
James R. Spinks, forty-one years of age, out of Detroit, Michigan, connected to what passed for Mafia. Scum for hire. IQ of 84. Went by the name Jimmy. Grown men who liked to be called by little boys’ names needed to be hung by their tiny dicks, Charles thought.
Bernie picked up on the second ring. The fool must be hunched over the phone, waiting for news of his cunning foray into crime.
“Campground is burned,” Charles said. “Nothing to acquire.” The job was supposed to be a clean smash-and-grab. Bernie, Mr. Big, hadn’t done his homework. The fool actually believed Charles had no idea who was the so-called brains behind this caper. Bernard Iverson, forty-six, Edmondson, Canada, marine equipment, massively overextended, net worth five million dollars and still not worth the bullet it would take to kill him.
“One second, please,” Bernie said.
Unblinking, Charles waited, listening to a clatter that suggested Bernie was using his cell phone as a hockey puck. He gritted his teeth, his jaw muscles bunched into hard knots. This was the only outward show of emotion he allowed himself. Humans were masters at reading faces. A second’s hesitation, a flick of the eyes, a smile at the wrong time telegraphed weakness. Even people who didn’t understand what they were seeing retained enough feral instinct to home in on any chink in the armor. From that day forth they hammered at it until the chink became a crack and the crack a break. Once the soft flesh was exposed they went for the entrails with talons and tongues as sharp as harpies’.
The only earth the meek inherited was six feet down and capped by a stone.
A final scrimmage and Bernie was back. “There’s a second campsite about four miles north on the same side of the river. It looks like it didn’t burn. They probably stopped there.”
Charles kept waiting. Four miles, no trail, probably: not good enough. The whole setup was Mickey Mouse. Bernie didn’t know Charles, but Charles knew him. Michael had once said the so-called Mr. Big was nickel and dime, undermining unions, cutting corners, slighting on materials. That was why they’d bought him out. When it came to fundamental criminal activities, Charles doubted if he could steal a peek at a nudist camp. Given half a day, Charles could have come up with a better crew than Bernie’s bottom-feeders.
“I’ll get a bird’s-eye’s and call you back,” Bernie said finally.
Charles punched the disconnect. Jimmy, dressed in a coat identical to the one Charles wore, but with a matching hat and earflaps, spit a stream of tobacco juice into the ash. Mostly into the ash; a drop or two of spittle remained in the Ted Kaczynski–style beard he sported.
“What’s the deal?” Jimmy asked. His teeth were stained brown.
Charles looked away. “The target may be four miles upriver. The pilot’s doing a flyby. We wait here until we have a positive ID.”
“Then what?” This from Reg.
Reginald Waters, African American, thirty-one, Detroit. Ex-gangbanger, low-end drug dealer, con man. Into bookies for a hundred and seventy-three grand. Last call for repayment before the bad boys came for him.
“If the target is located, we move to acquire it,” Charles said without looking at Waters. Eye contact was an invitation to intimacy. Flee, fight, fornicate, or, Charles’s least favorite, ask stupid questions. Open honest intercourse was not a paradigm for leadership that appealed to him.
“Even with others he works alone.”
Charles’s brother had said that. A photograph of Michael clicked onto the screen in Charles’s mind, the black-and-white glossy taken for his senior yearbook. Next to it appeared the picture of the target lifted from the Internet.
Payback is going to be a bitch, Charles promised his little brother.

 
Copyright © 2014 by Nevada Barr

Videos