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Blind Descent Audiobook
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(4.00) - 3,914 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Award-winning author Nevada Barr fills the pages of Blind Descent with heart-stopping suspense, plots that twist around every corner, and spectacular wilderness settings. When park ranger Anna Pigeon embarks on a thrilling subterranean rescue mission, she confronts personal demons and a multitude of life-threatening dangers-not all of them from the hostile terrain. A fellow ranger is injured in a suspicious accident while exploring the mostly unmapped Lechuguilla Cavern in New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns. During a fleeting moment of consciousness, the victim calls for Anna. Battling her paralyzing fear of small spaces, Anna descends into the lifeless underworld to uncover what really happened. As Anna wriggles through cramped tunnels and climbs rocky precipices, she discovers treachery and destruction lurking in the inky black just beyond her headlamp. Veteran narrator Barbara Rosenblat provides the perfect voice for the courageous, but very human, park ranger and her colleagues.
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"Blind Descent by Nevada Barr: A group of cave explorers get stuck after one of them is murdered. The park rangers, including Ranger Anna Pigeon, have to rescue them and also find the murderer before someone else becomes a victim. Many tight spots (literally) as the characters try to squeeze out of the caves. This was the best for me so far of Barr's Anna Pigeon series. The underground-caverns-setting was frightening to me -- worse than heights -- and the story was tension-filled."
— Elora (4 out of 5 stars)
Awards
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A 1998 New York Times Notable Book for Mysteries
Blind Descent Listener Reviews
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Eva, 7/30/2016
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" I think I liked this Anna Pigeon mystery best of all I've read so far, maybe because I could relate to her terror and claustrophobia while wriggling through "wormholes" deep inside Lechuguilla Cave. "
— Karen, 2/13/2014 -
" Gripping, and an education in cave ecology. "
— Kirsten, 2/9/2014 -
" I feel like I can't give a fully honest rating or review of this book because the library copy on CD was so badly scratched, it skipped in many places. I heard enough to keep going though, and I enjoyed the yarn. It's in the same vein (among the books I have read) as the Sue Grafton novels. A brave, vulnerable woman investigating a murder with clues being slowly accumulated while the noose tightens. Well written. No complaints. "
— Thom, 2/6/2014 -
" brrrr now I'm a bit claustrophobic. Don't ask me to go spelunking! "
— Susan, 1/26/2014 -
" Very interesting. I had no expectations. You are on an adventure, the caves are interesting. It is a rescue, no it is a murder, no it is only a rescue. This feels more life like then most books. The story is not telegraphed. I guess I knew it was a murder mystery from the jacket but it was not typical. I liked the character of Anna Pigeon and enjoyed going on the adventure with her. "
— Ken, 1/23/2014 -
" One of her better ones... "
— Jennifer, 1/20/2014 -
" NOT A FAN. I FOUND THE BOOK RATHER TEDIOUS AND I JUST NEVER GOT INTO IT. SORRY, CAROL. "
— Cheryl, 1/19/2014 -
" I adore all of Nevada Barr's well-written mysteries. Anna Pidgeon is who I want to be when I grow up - down to the long greying braid and independant spirit. This is my favorite of the series because the spleunking scenes are informative and downright scary! "
— Holly, 1/19/2014 -
" I like Nevada Barr for light reads --good for those who frequent national parks or like the outdoors. "
— Mariann, 1/2/2014 -
" If you like caves, you'll love this. It can make you a little claustrophobic. Lots of suspense. "
— Lori, 12/24/2013 -
" Set in 300-mile-long Lechuguilla Cavern in New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns National Park this mystery is absolutely gripping. There is a diagram of the mapped part of the cavern at the front of the hardback edition so you can follow the paths of the characters. "
— Jaylia3, 12/16/2013 -
" Read this while visiting Carlsbad Caverns..but it was a bit too caving/climbing technical for me. I love the idea of a heroine who is a park ranger who solves mysteries though. "
— Molly, 12/11/2013 -
" This story was creepy with all the tight dark places! "
— Mimi, 12/10/2013 -
" Interesting mystery with information on caves and caving. "
— Marylp, 12/9/2013 -
" One of the scariest books I've ever read. If you get claustrophobic underground, it will really affect you. And those evil park rangers! (like my dad!) "
— Julie, 10/8/2013 -
" Nevada Barr always knocks me out, but this one was especially fascinating, as I am NOT a cave person - but would like to be . . . maybe. Great plot, characterization, love that Anna! "
— Carmussel, 9/14/2013 -
" I was a little apprehensive of this at first as I am claustrophobic and I thought her descriptions of the underground caves might be too much for me, but I found it to be the opposite. The descriptions of the caves almost made me wish I was a caver. Good plot, but not one of her best. "
— Babs, 9/3/2013 -
" page turner...stay up late finisher....stay with you image burner "
— Sheila, 8/9/2013 -
" Holy crapola, this was SUSPENSEFUL. I could feel myself developing a crushing fear of enclosed spaces as I read on...GOOD one. "
— Stephenie, 12/11/2012 -
" I would have liked this book more if I wasn't claustrophobic... "
— Cns, 10/28/2012 -
" Its really a 3.5 stars. Too much time spent describing "underworld". Seemed to take a very long time to actually get to mystery. Not my favorite AP book. "
— Mike, 5/31/2012 -
" After reading this book, I want to watch more about caving on The Discovery Channel. Not that you'd ever catch me in one of those black holes. "
— John, 5/18/2012 -
" This is probably one of my favorites of Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon novels. "
— Charlene, 3/12/2012 -
" Very creepy - combines spelunking and rock climbing. In the dark. Ugh. "
— Merry, 10/22/2011 -
" This is a fascinating look into the rigors of caving. Lechuguilla Cavern has now been explored to a length of 134 miles, and some amazing photographs of the cave features are posted online. "
— CatBookMom, 7/22/2011 -
" After reading this book, I want to watch more about caving on The Discovery Channel. Not that you'd ever catch me in one of those black holes. "
— John, 5/5/2011 -
" You can't be claustrophobic reading this one. Another Anna Pigeon novel taking place in a National Park, this time in a cave in Carlsbad Cavern. Just when you think the mystery is solved, another one is around the corner. A good read. "
— Cindy, 3/24/2011 -
" From the minute I started this book, until I was finished I was gripped. My first Pigeon book, and I read with my Book Club. Good read. Have read several of hers since. "
— Carol, 3/18/2011 -
" Murder mystery among spelunkers, with motive of company access to natural gas exploration. "
— Jennifer, 3/6/2011 -
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Deborah, 2/11/2011
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" I have claustrophbia, so this book was really difficult for me to read. It improved, but the cave scenes were upsetting at first. I have been to Carlsbad Cavern and really enjoyed as a child. I wonder how I would feel about it now. "
— Rcpgpugh, 2/4/2011 -
" I almost couldn't finish this book - the scenes in the caverns were so vividly described I got really claustrophobic! "
— Kate, 2/4/2011 -
" Very creepy - combines spelunking and rock climbing. In the dark. Ugh. "
— Merry, 2/1/2011 -
" I read this book when it was first published and it still remains in my mind! Whenever I see another book or a movie about cave exploration, this book comes to mind. "
— Rosemary, 1/24/2011 -
" it was okay - not my favorite author. Well written, but just didn't grab me somehow. "
— Jan, 1/20/2011 -
" Again, where Anna goes, I want to follow. Even though Barr brings the terrifying reality of caving to life, she also evokes the fragility, beauty and wonder of that world... all the while spinning an exciting tale of murder and suspense. "
— Kate, 1/15/2011
About Nevada Barr
Nevada Barr was born in the
small western town of Yerington, Nevada, and raised on a mountain airport in
the Sierras. Pushed out of the nest, she fell into theatre, receiving her BA in
speech and drama and her MFA in acting before making the pilgrimage to New York
City, then Minneapolis. For eighteen years she worked on stage, in commercials
and industrial training films, and doing voiceovers for radio. During this time
she became interested in the environmental movement and began working in
National Parks across the country during the summers. Woven throughout these
seemingly disparate careers was the written word. Nevada wrote and presented
campfire stories, taught storytelling, and was a travel writer and restaurant
critic. She has won both the Agatha and Anthony awards for best first mystery.
About Barbara Rosenblat
Barbara Rosenblat, one of the most awarded narrators in the business, was selected by AudioFile magazine as one of the Golden Voices of the Twentieth Century. She has received the prestigious Audie Award multiple times and has earned more than fifty AudioFile Earphones Awards. She has also appeared in film, television, and theater, both in London’s West End and on Broadway.