Two children who mysteriously disappeared many years ago are the last thing on Lorna Temple’s mind when she returns to her Pennsylvania hometown to sell the old family property in the wake of her parents’ passing. But instead of memories, the fields where Lorna grew up yield something utterly chilling.
Years ago, Lorna’s nine-year-old best friend Melinda Eagan mysteriously disappeared, followed shortly after by her older brother. Now it turns out that Jason’s bones have been moldering on the Temples’ land for two decades. When Lorna’s enquiries to the local police are only met with hostility, she enlists the help of ex-private eye T.J. Dawson to dig up the dirt of the past and see what lies beneath. But the mystery—and the grave—turns out to be much bigger than the Eagan case, and the killer is still at large.
Download and start listening now!
"In the past, I have read most of the Nevada Barr series books. This is one I re-read today and was caught up in the drama all over again. The evil that lurks behind scenes is frightening and not always pleasant to experience, but right will triumph and Anna Pigeon will survive to fight again!"
— Bj (4 out of 5 stars)
“Takes a tough look at a small community and the secrets kept hidden…Stewart’s characters are rich and the intrigue compelling. A terrific way to spend some leisure hours.”
— RT Book Reviews" A little bit too dramatic, but set in Rocky Mountain park, which is a very good thing. "
— Jennifer, 2/8/2014" Pretty well written and enjoyed the book - but it did seem to get a bit far-fetched toward the end. "
— Rhod, 2/8/2014" Religious fanaticism, oppression of women, social & familial conditioning and the re-introduction of predators into areas to preserve nature's balance are the themes of Hard Truth. A dark novel. "
— Chris, 2/3/2014" Love Anna Pigeon, love Nevada Barr. "
— Jean, 1/29/2014" My friend and I picked this up on CD at a truck stop to listen to on a road trip. It was implausible and boring. It was filled with crazy, off-target metaphors and similes. Every once in a while, a ton of word-a-day calendar words were thrown in, as if the author was trying to make up for bad writing by impressing us with her vocabulary. The personalities of characters Heath and Anna were completely indistinguishable from one another, as were the (bizarre, unrealistic) personalities of all the pre-teen girls in the book. There was not a likeable, believable character in the entire book. This book felt intentionally anti-male and accidentally anti-female. We never did listen to the very last bit of it; neither of us could take it any more. "
— Holly, 1/20/2014" Another fabulous thriller from Nevada Barr. This time, Anna Pigeon is in Rocky Mountain National Park. What an ordeal she goes through! Another character was paraplegic Heath Jarrod. I would like to see her again. The suspense is non stop in this beautifully written novel. "
— Judee, 1/16/2014" National Park Service ranger Anna Pigeon is transferred to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado just in time to help search for three girls who have disappeared. She finds that the missing girls are just the tip of the iceberg in this latest series. If you have visited any of the parks you will find yourselves visiting again vicariously. If you haven't you will find yourselves adding the park to your travel list because of Barr's descriptions. This book could be read as a stand alone but if you haven't read any of the series why not start at the beginning? You'll be glad you did. "
— Sandra, 1/11/2014" This books are alwasy spine tingling for me at at the edge of what I can tolerate violence-wise. But I keep reading them. This one is set in Rocky Mt National park and involves a polygamous sect. "
— Joyce, 12/31/2013" The Ann Pigeon series keeps getting better and better, as Anna gets older and older! A highly recommended series. "
— Chrissy, 12/23/2013" This would have been fine with 10% of the torture. As it was I skipped ahead through a large portion of the book. "
— Eva, 12/22/2013" Woah. I love the Anna Pigeon series, but this is probably one of the darkest, most twisted story lines. "
— Aunt, 12/15/2013" My first Nevada Barr book. Great characters, strong plot. I'll read more of her. "
— Connie, 12/11/2013" Brutal, nasty and/but she does tell a good mystery with the Rockies nat'l park as the setting. "
— Meg, 11/21/2013" The first chapter is a real nail biter. The remainder of the book had me guessing, often wrong what was happening. I enjoyed the twist of having a polygamist religious fanatic in the mix with a bunch of underpaid law enforcement and a psycho killer. "
— Denise, 9/16/2013" The mysteries featuring park ranger Anna, now in colorado, are great. This one involves children of a religious cult who are abducted and returned, though much changed. People are not who they seem, including a newly paraplegic rock climber, a temporary ranger, and a ranger who has a secret. "
— Diane, 8/25/2013" Unlike her other books, which are just scary, this book is disturbing. It is less about the park and natural surroundings than the psychopathic mind of someone you really, REALLY never want to be in the same room with, much less meet. "
— Amy, 8/6/2013" I can't wait to read another of Anna Pigeon's adventures. Truly a book I couldn't put down. Kept you guessing all the way through. "
— Penny, 6/19/2013" I have been listening to these on audio, while I commute to MSU. Nevada Barr still tops my list of great books to listen to on a trip! "
— Horizon, 4/16/2013" listened to as audio book. Classic Anna Pigeon. "
— Kelli, 3/2/2013" Love this series - this one didn't disappoint! "
— Carolyn, 8/29/2012" Nevada Barr's National Park series just gets better and better. This was timely, also, given one of the sub-plots finds a polygamous group suspected of abusing women and children. "
— Cyndee, 4/27/2012" i like the national parks, but i am tired of anna in peril and surviving many injuries. plus the gore in this book was a bit much. "
— Heidi, 2/13/2012" always a great read, she never dissapoints! "
— Annie, 5/29/2011" Got it, but did not read it because it dealt with violence to children. I'll read the newspaper if I want to read about that kinda crap. Lapse in judgement on Nevada Barr's part....... "
— Louann, 5/3/2011" Really good mystery didn't figure out who was the bad guy. <br/>That's always fun, really light on the romance. "
— Kristine, 7/19/2010" I really enjoyed this. The story line was interesting with a few twists that kept me intrigued. I also like the continuation of characters/plot lines from her last novel. <br/> <br/> "
— Heidi, 4/4/2010" I had never read this author prior to Dead Even, but she is good! Great combo of drama, suspense, and even a little (just a little) bit of romance! "
— Joy, 2/1/2010" Another romance/thriller. Though this one was more romance than thriller. It is sort of a filler book until I can get back to the library… "
— Liz, 1/30/2010" Not a terrible book, but not what I have come to love from Stewart. Hopefully the next book in the series picks up a bit more! "
— Nicole, 12/9/2009" So far pretty intriguing I love a good mystery!! "
— Jeannine, 10/12/2009" This is a good series, each book has a great twist. Careful though, they are all murder mysteries, but they all also have mushy romance in them so don't read if that puts you off. "
— Ali, 4/1/2009" Another fast read and enjoyable murder mystery. "
— Joleen, 3/12/2009" This was a good classic mystery. I really enjoyed it and actually, well it could just be me but I kept second guessing who the bad guy could be. I like a mystery that keeps me going until the end. I look forward to reading another one from this author. "
— Sabrina, 2/2/2009Mariah Stewart is the award-winning New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty novels of contemporary romance and romantic suspense, including several novellas and the bestselling Truth series (Cold Truth, Hard Truth, Dark Truth, and Final Truth). She lives in Chester County, Pennsylvania, with her husband.
Kate Fleming (a.k.a. Anna Fields) (1965–2006), winner of more than a dozen Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award in 2004, was one of the most respected narrators in the industry. Trained at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, she was also a director, producer, and technician at her own studio, Cedar House Audio.