Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Anna Pigeon #8

Deep South

Rate this book
Anna Pigeon finally gives in to her bureaucratic clock—and signs on for a promotion. Next thing she knows, she’s knee-deep in mud and Mississippi. Not exactly what she had in mind. Almost immediately, as the new district ranger on the Natchez Trace, Anna discovers the body of a young prom queen near a country cemetery, a sheet around her head, a noose around her neck. It’s a bizarre twist on a best-forgotten past of frightening racial undertones. As fast as the ever-encroaching kudzu vines of the region, the roots of this story run deep—and threaten to suffocate anyone in the way, including Anna...

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Loading interface...
Loading interface...

About the author

Nevada Barr

48 books2,180 followers
Nevada Barr is a mystery fiction author, known for her "Anna Pigeon" series of mysteries, set in National Parks in the United States. Barr has won an Agatha Award for best first novel for Track of the Cat.

Barr was named after the state of her birth. She grew up in Johnstonville, California. She finished college at the University of California, Irvine. Originally, Barr started to pursue a career in theatre, but decided to be a park ranger. In 1984 she published her first novel, Bittersweet, a bleak lesbian historical novel set in the days of the Western frontier.

While working in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Barr created the Anna Pigeon series. Pigeon is a law enforcement officer with the United States National Park Service. Each book in the series takes place in a different National Park, where Pigeon solves a murder mystery, often related to natural resource issues. She is a satirical, witty woman whose icy exterior is broken down in each book by a hunky male to whom she is attracted (such as Rogelio).

Currently, Ms. Barr lives in New Orleans, LA.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/nevada...

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
2,410 (27%)
4 stars
3,901 (44%)
3 stars
2,042 (23%)
2 stars
248 (2%)
1 star
84 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 451 reviews
Profile Image for Thomas.
880 reviews204 followers
December 25, 2023
My wife and I drove the Natchez Trace Parkway in the spring of 2000. We recommend driving it in the spring when the dogwood is in bloom. I read this book in 2002, 2 years after I rode the trace, and shortly after I retired. Both my wife and I enjoyed this series and we recommend it to National Park and mystery fans.
Profile Image for Kat.
Author 12 books556 followers
January 27, 2024
In DEEP SOUTH, park ranger Anna Pigeon has been transferred again, this time in order to get a promotion, which are hard to come by in the park service. She’s being sent to the Natchez Trace in Mississippi, and as she drives all her worldly possessions down to her new park, she quickly feels like a fish out of water. But soon she discovers boys messing around in a graveyard after dark, a young high school girl left drunk and alone in a party dress, and soon after, the body of a second girl.

This mystery went in some interesting directions as Anna is forced to investigate despite uncooperative new colleagues at her new ranger station, good ol’ boy locals, and an unfortunate number of hungry alligators lurking about. I thought the investigation part was especially methodical this time and liked the way the new romance as well as conflicts with colleagues played into it at times. Bonus points for great scenes with her cat Piedmont and especially with dog, Taco.
Profile Image for Choko.
1,379 reviews2,660 followers
October 9, 2015
Gosh, another very tough read... With Anna being as weird and depressed and the author expressing the horribleness of things we can not change, this book totally depressed me... It is not that it is a bad book, quite the opposite. It is another murder solved in a very observational and still quite unlikely way... Once again nature is the main hero, but this time loneliness and hate permeate the book and it just made me ... sad ... Rangers have very little as a leverage, apparently, when it comes to investigating murder. I am not sure how to rate it. I would go with 3.5***, but this whole series is not for those who prefer light reading or humor with their mysteries. And I would still cut it down with about 1/4th - observation is good, but it can get just tedious at times.
Profile Image for Bill.
1,808 reviews103 followers
March 10, 2019
Deep South is the 8th book in the Anna Pigeon mystery series by Nevada Barr. I have read 10 or so books in the series and I have to say this is one of the better ones.

Anna Pigeon is a Park Ranger for the US National Park Service. Each story highlights a different national park around the US. In this story, Anna decides to bite the bullet and apply for a promotion and gets the job as District Ranger on the Natchez Trace in Mississippi. With some trepidation she moves to this new job; it being a new area for her and she feeling somewhat nervous about becoming a boss and dealing with the the administrative aspect of the job and of having to lead Rangers instead of just being one.

She gets off to a somewhat rocky start as her two subordinates feel some resentment in being bossed by a woman and leave her to her own devices in the first two incidents. Anna gets involved in a ruckus at the campground where she is housed, two cars of teenagers causing problems with the campers. During this Anna discovers a young girl, drunk an abandoned. It turns out another girl is missing and she is found later, nearby and unfortunately, murdered. The body has been covered by a white hood with eye holes cut out and a noose placed around her neck. During the upcoming investigation, Anna and her two rangers and the local sheriff must keep racial implications in the back of the mind.

In its way, it's one of the more straight-forward mysteries of this series. As incident after incident crops up, Anna deals with it and continues with the investigation. She is threatened by an alligator (maybe left at her place on purpose), she deals with feelings for this new sheriff, she deals with the obstructionism of her deputy rangers and all the time she learns of her new district and continues to investigate.

It's an excellent mystery, lots of tension and sufficient action to satisfy you. Anna must deal with being somewhat of a stranger in a strange land, being a woman, white and a Northerner in this area of the US. The story works on many levels. My one minor complaint is that I find it somewhat difficult to believe that she would gain such familiarity with the areas so quickly, since she only just arrived there. But it's a minor complaint as the story is totally engrossing. And, you'll understand this when you read it. Give you doggie a hug. Excellent story! (4 stars)
Profile Image for Jeanne.
536 reviews16 followers
June 15, 2012
At the beginning of this series I though detective Anna Pigeon showed a lot of potential for depth and personal growth along with the adventures at various National Parks. Now I'm not so sure. I liked the interactions with her new colleagues and how she had to establish herself in her new position. I thought the detective work was pathetic with lots of holes in the process of uncovering the mystery. Mostly I am really tired of the inevitable scene where Anna fends off incredible injuries and pain to somehow manage to continue on to catch the bad guy. Again. Oh, and she can function just fine on 2 minutes of sleep per night. Riiiiight.
112 reviews
July 12, 2021
This was the first Barr book that I have read and I am interested in reading more of her books. The story was good and the book has a good pace. I enjoy how she makes her characters, especially Pigeon, real people and not super people. If you enjoy mysteries with some action, I would certainly recommend you give her a try.
Profile Image for Carol.
338 reviews1,150 followers
May 29, 2014
This was an interesting and pleasant read, the first of Barr's novels that I've read. Some of the characters didn't ring true - purported teens using Princess Di and Kurt Russell as frames of reference, for example. Still, I enjoyed the focus on the outdoors and Nat'l Park Service processes and procedures, for a change from other mystery novel authors dominating the marketplace.
Profile Image for Jim.
1,292 reviews85 followers
April 1, 2023
I've been enjoying the Anna Pigeon series for years now, although I have been reading them out of order ( I don't think it has made a big difference!). This is the 8th one in the series and I've been reading a lot of the later ones that came after this one. So it seemed like it was going back to an earlier stage of Anna's life. I've enjoyed the series mainly because each book is set in a different National Park unit and this one finds Anna on the Natchez Trace in Mississippi. This is a very different location for the ranger--as it's not out West and she's not in an isolated setting, such as at Mesa Verde. This "park" is essentially a trail, natural land being on both sides of the trail along with campgrounds and historic sites. And there are towns and farms and just a lot of development close at hand.
I thought it was interesting to learn something about the Natchez Trace but I have to say I find the other parks I read about in the series to be more interesting. The same concerning the book's murder mystery (naturally, we expect Anna to get involved in a murder case when she shows up at a National Park!). In this case, there is a missing woman whose body is found near the Trace. And, this being the Deep South, there are racial overtones. The mystery--and Anna's investigation--did hold my interest although it began to get tedious more than 250 pages in.
I give this Nevada Barr book 3 stars. Not as good as some others in the series but worthwhile especially if you're a fan of Anna Pigeon--and National Parks. A final note--I have never been to the Natchez Trace, although I have visited Mississippi, and this story has interested me in going there sometime!
Profile Image for Judy.
3,371 reviews65 followers
February 24, 2023
3.5

As always, I liked learning something about one of the National Parks.

And, as always, it was frustrating when Anna made bad decisions -- driving 22 hours straight, walking alone in the dark w/o flashlight, ...

And, as always, she is physically batted with serious injuries. (I have started skimming passages that are brutal.)

p 206
Cars cut rangers off from the natural world, blunted their senses and, Anna was convinced, over time, by some alchemy of metal and glass, turned them from rangers into cops.
1,160 reviews2 followers
August 24, 2023
I listened to Flashbacks years ago and really liked it. I found the books about Anna Pigeon for free on Audible so I started from the beginning. Anna is really doing crazy things at times! Why drive for 22 hours and think you are ok to start a new job in a place where you haven't been before!? There hasn't been a female ranger there before. Anna doesn't seem to understand that they might not welcome a female boss with open arms!

There is a lot going on in this book! I listened to the book which makes it harder to keep track of all the people. I've started writing the names and who they are.

You don't have to read all the books but you want to do it in the right order. People from earlier books are mentioned.
Profile Image for Susan.
919 reviews17 followers
June 26, 2023
Totally engrossing, loved the setting, could almost feel the humidity and hear the mosquitos buzzing. Couldn't wait to sit down and keep reading, my kinda book.
Profile Image for Lighthearted.
264 reviews25 followers
July 21, 2011
In Deep South, Anna Pigeon has just accepted a promotion as District Ranger for the Port Gibson District of the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi. As it turns out, she’s the first female district ranger in this area and that doesn’t go over very well with some of the locals, or some of her staff for that matter. However, Anna’s not only dealing with sexist bigots, she’s dealing with racist bigots as well—not to mention a murder, a suicide and a handful of truly frightening situations.

Anna’s nightmare begins when she discovers one teenage girl drunk in an abandoned cemetery and another dead some distance away with a KKK-type hood and noose tied over her head. Local sheriff Paul Davidson helps Anna sort through the scant evidence and the likeliest suspects; he also assists with some other strange but seemingly separate events.

I love this series! Nevada Barr excels at creating an atmospheric mystery, a variety of believable suspects, and a tough yet vulnerable heroine. My heart did lurch a couple of times in this book and I teared up as well. I’ve encountered my fair share of despicable characters, but Randy Thigpen is definitely near the top of that list. I suspect that there are more than a few real-life Randy’s out there and I just hope there are more than a few real-life Anna Pigeon’s to even things out. And maybe a few Paul’s, for good measure.

*Love Piedmont and Taco . . .
Profile Image for Judy.
1,814 reviews26 followers
August 15, 2018
Chalk up another exciting and informative episode in the life of Anna Pigeon. Anna has been promoted and now is head ranger at the Natchez Trace Parkway, a National Scenic Byway. Again, I learned about another part of our National Park System. Not only does Anna have to adjust to the culture and the vernacular of Mississippi, she is supervising two male Rangers and must prove that a woman can do the job. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, Barbara Rosenblat does such a great job as narrator.
Profile Image for Jan C.
1,050 reviews118 followers
June 8, 2009
This was the first one I read in this series.

It takes place in the Natchez Trace Parkway and I had recently been there. So there was an added interest. Anyway it got me hooked on the series.
Profile Image for Barb.
1,455 reviews
February 24, 2024
I love visiting different National Parks in this series, and was only slightly disappointed to realize that this book takes place in/around Natchez Trace. Although it falls under the National Park Service umbrella - staffed by NPS rangers, etc. - it is designated as a National Parkway instead.

The previous two books in this series had Anna in New Mexico, then in New York City, so she had to deal with culture shock several times during this book - Mississippi is drastically different from these places. I was expecting to learn more about the history of Natchez Trace, but still enjoyed what information was provided. The attitudes and habits of quite a few characters really irritated me, but those attitudes were crucial to the story.

The murder took place very early on, so the rest of the book was dedicated to figuring out whodunnit - and why - all while Anna tried to settle in to her new job at a new location. There were several possible suspects, and my mental list even contained some of Anna's co-workers. I should have suspected the actual killer much earlier in the story, but the motive surprised me.

I look forward to traveling to northern Montana to study grizzly bears with Anna on her next adventure :)
Profile Image for Linda.
2,089 reviews50 followers
April 5, 2019
A new park experience for Anna and the reader. Anna has now received a promotion and is on the Natchez Trace in Mississippi. It was kind of fun to see how out of her element Anna was here and she was learning about a new park and new culture. I liked the story but this whole book seemed slow moving and slow reading for me. Good ending.
Profile Image for Paul Conner.
21 reviews
August 22, 2024
I forgot how good the Anna Pigeon series is. It might be 20 years since I read the previous 7 and am so glad I have rediscovered her. Anna’s personality really comes out in this story, both her strength and vulnerability along with a great sense of humor. Combining mystery and the National Parks hits a sweet spot for me, now I have a new park on my bucket list to visit. Barr has a gift for making you feel like you know the park without having ever been there, along with developing characters that are tangible and real. Can’t wait to download the next book in the series to see what park we visit next,
Profile Image for Jan.
670 reviews32 followers
April 2, 2022
I love Nevada Barr's descriptions of each park that Anna finds herself in. She really has a gift for immersing you the colors, sounds and smells so you feel like you are there with her. Even though the plot line dragged a bit in the middle of the book, it sure finishes with a bang! I'm rounding my 3.5 star rating up because Barr really had me walking with Anna every step of the way.
Profile Image for Bonnie Thrasher.
1,086 reviews3 followers
April 7, 2024
One of our very favorite experiences was driving to NOLA via the Natchez Trace Parkway. We were in no hurry, stopping at pull-offs, parks, mounds, rustic rest areas with no water. We visited the sunken trail, a cemetery, and a church. I’m almost sure it was the area referenced in this book. It was like stepping back to the Civil War. Reading this book took me right back. But oh, what we saw in the daytime, wasn’t what Barr described after the sun went down. Because of my firsthand knowledge of the territory, parts of this book were downright spooky. I loved it.
Profile Image for Bob.
657 reviews44 followers
January 17, 2021
3.5 Stars

A solid murder mystery, with an added Civil War discovery thrown in for a little alternate history.
Profile Image for Jerry Summers.
639 reviews
September 7, 2021
Anna leaves a Trace in the South. She’s like a Timex. I was excited when I saw the preview of Flashback at the end as I picked up a copy at the Dry Tortugas NP gift shop but it’s not the next book so will need to go on the travel bookshelf.
Profile Image for Cindy Veneris.
351 reviews7 followers
September 20, 2021
I am really enjoying reading the Anna Pigeon books in order. This was another great story with mystery and interesting characters. Nevada Barr manages to bring each national park to vivid life in her novels and I could see the greenery, hear the frogs and smell the Mississippi Spring as I read.
Profile Image for Patrizia.
1,730 reviews38 followers
March 16, 2017
4 1/2 stelle
I libri di questa serie sono, per certi aspetti, "duri": qui, per esempio, si parla di razzismo e maschilismo all'ennesima potenza. E la protagonista rischia più volte la vita, solo perché qualcuno vede male una donna in una posizione di comando. Bello il mistero: avevo adocchiato il colpevole, ma avevo sbagliato su tutta la linea per quanto riguarda il movente. Infine, sembra che finalmente Anna possa avere una svolta positiva nel campo affettivo: speriamo perché se lo merita proprio!
Profile Image for Kelley Clemente.
226 reviews3 followers
November 1, 2022
This is the 8th book in the Anna Pigeon National Park Ranger series. While it is a series, I do feel each book can be read as a stand-alone. She does reference some things that have happened in previous books, but nothing that takes away from the current story.

The series centers on the different National Parks that Anna has been stationed at. This is the main appeal, in my opinion. The reader gets to experience each of these parks as they read the adventures that Anna comes across while working as a National Park Ranger.

Anna is now stationed on the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi. She has taken a promotion and is now the new district ranger. A position, she finds out, that has not ever been filled with a female park ranger in the past. Not only does she have to contend with a new administrative position, but she must also deal with the begrudged employees she inherited.

After arriving in Mississippi, she finds out things are very different in the South. There are still many racial undertones, and the good ole’ boy system is in high gear. She must navigate through all of this to figure the murderer of a young high school girl that was found in the park with a sheet covering her head and a noose around her neck.

For fans of books with strong female character, this is for you!
455 reviews2 followers
May 16, 2020
This is another edition of the Anna Pigeon, National Park Ranger, mystery series. It is a terrific series. They are all well plotted mysteries that play out as a follow the clues story. No sudden revelations or bad guy confessions out of the blue. Anna discovers clues, makes conjectures that may fit the clue and tracks that tread further until it dead ends or resolves the case. A sufficient number of suspects keeps the reader guessing right along with Anna. Also, Anna finds enough danger in the investigation to add real tension and suspense. This story has Anna working at the Natchez Trace Parkway National Park in Mississippi. A 16-year-old girl is discovered dead in that park on the morning after Prom night. As the district ranger in this park, it is technically Anna’s case to solve. Of course, she’ll also work with the local law enforcement personnel as well. One of the very compelling aspects to these mysteries are the well developed and detail characters. That applies to recurring characters as well as characters unique to this story. You’ll feel as if you personally know and like the recurring characters.
Profile Image for Kate.
2,085 reviews1 follower
October 11, 2012
"Anna Pigeon finally gives in to her bureaucratic clock -- and signs on for a promotion. Next thing she knows, she's knee-deep in mud and Mississippi. Not exactly what she had in mind. Almost immediately, as the new district ranger on the Natchez Trace, Anna discovered the body of a young prom queen near a country cemetery, a sheet around her head, a noose around her neck. It's a bizarre twist on a best-forgotten past of frightening racial undertones. As fast as the ever-encroaching kudzu vines of the region, the roots of this story run deep -- and threaten to suffocate anyone in the way, including Anna ..."

I didn't enjoy this book as much as the previous ones. The bad guy was painfully obvious to me after the first few chapters. And to my recollection, this is the first book where Anna walks into mortal danger, is seriously harmed, and there's almost a deux ex machina, at least in the form of her physical prowess. But there is an element of romance in Anna's life ... a very interesting development after all her years of clinging to Zack's memory,
Profile Image for Cheryl.
267 reviews27 followers
January 27, 2021
Wow, what can I say about this 8th book in the series that I haven't said in some of my other reviews of Nevada Barr's books, to start, it doesn't really matter in this series if you read them out of sync just like Sherlock it's not just about what is happening in the protagonist's life, it's mainly about the crime and how the pieces of the puzzle finally go together to solve the mystery you are reading about. If you are looking for how things fit in Anna's life, then go ahead read this series from 1 cover to another, but you don't have to, and that's great if your local bookstore has been burned down. Finally, it's not about the instincts, it's truly about thinking through the complexity of what is actually happening around you that gives you the most clues. Enjoy reading this and all the other books by Nevada Barr, they will take you places you've always wanted to go, at least, in book form, after all, some of these activities she gets into are kind of terrifying.
Profile Image for Sarah Sammis.
7,560 reviews245 followers
May 19, 2023
Anna has decided it's time to take on a managerial role. So she's taken the one job that will actually have her, and that means schlepping herself and her cat and her dog to the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi.

Of course she won't do anything sensibly, and choses to drive nonstop from her previous assignment to her current without verifying the directions. Her decision comes after a career of being hazed, abused, and nearly killed by a number of men, including coworkers. Of course the last piece of the instructions are wrong and she's nearly stranded.

Rather than taking a day or two to unpack and acclimatize, she jumps into the first emergency which then leads to a horrific murder. Again, not knowing the area or the strengths and weaknesses of her fellow rangers, she takes lead on the investigation. Because that now shows "leadership."

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2023/comm...
Profile Image for Donna  Davis.
1,858 reviews282 followers
September 2, 2012
I have never chosen to go to the deep South (USA) on a vacation. It isn't the humidity, and it isn't just the heat (though I dread both). There are some really lush, sumptuous parks down there, but I deeply want to avoid the critters.

Barr lets me know I am right on the money. This adrenaline-rush of a page-turner puts Barr's protagonist right in the heart of the heart of Dixie. (As opposed to merely deep in the heart of Dixie). There are some really bad guys out here; Ranger Anna Pigeon is not afraid of the natural features of our horror show, but oh my goodness, I surely am! Every snake, every 'gator makes my palms sweat. The setting itself is a large part of the horror for me. Fortunately, Anna is equal to all of them.

Don't plan to go to sleep too soon after reading this book, even if you finish it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 451 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.