Week 19: A Superior Death by Nevada Barr (Berkley, 2003, paperback)
This is the second of three novels I read while I hiked Isle Royale National Park. Isle Royale is a large wooded island in Lake Superior. I selected this one on recommendation of one of my hiking partners, as it’s a crime novel set on Isle Royale. The main character is Anna Pigeon, a park ranger stationed on the north side of the island. While not a true detective, she takes it upon herself to investigate two mysteries—first, the disappearance of another park ranger’s wife; and more significant, the death of a park ranger.
I’m not much of a reader of mystery novels, but I wanted something light (in tone and weight) for my backpacking. This fit the bill, although it didn’t do much to make a reader of these types of novels. Reading these novel, you have to know that there is not insignificant detail, which is probably what appeals to its target readers. But that fact that all details serve the plot keeps the story one-dimensional. Even Anna’s conversations with her sister, which are used to show us in her vulnerable moments, ultimately plays into solving the mystery.
I’ll admit that Barr does try to build Anna’s character, showing her struggling with her husband’s death and her reliance on wine (again part of the mystery) to soothe her pain. However, I didn’t feel much real character building beyond Anna. I also wanted to get a true sense of the locale, of Isle Royale, and I didn’t feel this. So much seemed generic—it could take place on any island or any coast—that I didn’t feel that Barr conveyed an honest sense of the location for this mystery. There is so much that makes Isle Royale unique that doesn’t come through in this novel.
I readily admit I’m not the audience for these types of novels, but I do appreciate that Barr is using National Parks as her setting. Hopefully that will draw more people to these parks.
Next week . . . Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger.