When it comes to a vibrant sense of place, Barr has few equals, as
deliciously demonstrated in her 11th Anna Pigeon novel (after 2002's
Hunting Season), set in little-known Dry Tortugas National Park, 70 miles
off Key West in the Gulf of Mexico. Anna takes up her new post on Garden
Key, home to Fort Jefferson, a notorious Union prison during the Civil
War, after fleeing a marriage proposal from just-divorced Sheriff Paul
Davidson. As she goes about her duties, Anna quickly becomes ensnared in
one life-threatening situation after another. Anna's fans expect no less;
all her postings somehow turn dangerous. Indeed, the contrast between the
natural beauty of the landscapes and the human evils within them is a
recurring theme. But this one has an added twist: a mystery concerning
alleged Lincoln assassination conspirator Dr. Samuel Mudd interweaves with
current crimes. In a coincidence best left unscrutinized, Anna's
great-great-great-aunt was the wife of the fort's commanding officer, and
her letters, relating a story of intrigue and murder, have surfaced. The
two stories are told in alternating chapters, and only Barr's skill keeps
this familiar device fresh. The pitch-perfect 19th-century phrasing in the
letters makes it easy to forgive the occasional over-the-top prose in the
modern scenes. But this is a quibble. Those who already admire the doughty
National Park ranger will rejoice in this double-layered story with its
remarkable setting, passionately rendered; new readers have a treat in
store.
