Nevada Barr writes novels set in the National Parks. Anna Pigeon is the heroine, and this is book #19 in the series. You don't need to read these in order, as each book can stand alone. This is no exception.

A new theme, cyber bullying and stalking, drives the plot. How do you handle it"? Can the identity of the cyber stalker be found and how do you end it?

I was surprised by plot twists and read this book in a day as the narrative was so compelling.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Anna Pigeon, in her career as a National Park Service Ranger, has had to deal with all manner of crimes and misdemeanors, but cyber-bullying and stalking is a new one. The target is Elizabeth, the adopted teenage daughter of her friend Heath Jarrod. Elizabeth is driven to despair by the disgusting rumors spreading online and bullying texts. Until, one day, Heath finds her daughter Elizabeth in the midst of an unsuccessful suicide attempt. And then she calls in the cavalry---her aunt Gwen and her friend Anna Pigeon.
While they try to deal with the fragile state of affairs---and find the person behind the harassment---the three adults decide the best thing to do is to remove Elizabeth from the situation. Since Anna is about to start her new post as Acting Chief Ranger at Acadia National Park in Maine, the three will join her and stay at a house on the cliff of a small island near the park, Boar Island.
But the move east doesn't solve the problem. The stalker has followed them east. And Heath (a paraplegic) and Elizabeth aren't alone on the otherwise deserted island. At the same time, Anna has barely arrived at Acadia before a brutal murder is committed by a killer uncomfortably close to her.

Nevada Barr has keep readers like me entertained for a number of years with her Anna Pigeon / National Parks mysteries - there is something about the primitive nature of the parks and humans base desires and actions that works for a lot of people.

This novel, however, pretty much diverts from there and takes us into the world on cyber-bullying and the online world, in general. There is also a random death and an investigation. While it is a well-written book, it fails to really deliver the one thing that I read Nevada Barr's books for. A story about cyberspace are a dime a dozen - and this one doesn't really do much to stand out from the crowd. Mystery novels about an abusive husband being murdered and a wife with a cast-iron alibi are even more readily available.

I am only giving this 3 stars as it is a step backwards for me, and it does nothing out of the ordinary with the storylines it follows.


Paul
ARH

This new entry in the Anna Pigeon series gives Anna a unique mystery to solve, and solve it she does. Filled with the requisite amount of danger, the ending is both typical and atypical of Barr's books. One one hand, the villain gets their just reward: on the other hand, the reader can not help but have sympathy for said villain.