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Hard Truth (Abridged) Audiobook
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(3.01) - 2,488 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Just days after marrying Sheriff Paul Davidson, Anna Pigeon moves to Colorado to assume her new post as district ranger at Rocky Mountain National Park. When two of three children who'd gone missing from a religious retreat reappear, Anna's investigation brings her face-to-face with a paranoid sect—and with a villain so evil, he'll make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end
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"This was given to me as a gift. Perhaps a run-of-the-mill title, but not a genre I read a lot. I thoroughly enjoyed this crime/drama/whodunnit. Two protoganists, one a female park ranger I understand is the repeat star of a series of titles by this author featuring crimes in National Parks, the other a paraplegic woman, former climber, just adjusting to her new wheelchair bound life. Both were believable to me and likable. Although plot driven of course, there was enough characterization that the MAIN characters were not wooden or TOO flat. A little disturbing at the end when you finally get to the facts of the actual crime. I would be interested in checking out more of the titles in this series. This one takes place in Rocky Mountain National Park, and I have been there, so my experience with the park was a bonus to me in reading this. I will say though that if ALL the crimes turned out to be this disturbing (this one features a definite psychopath/sociopath criminal) I might become disenchanted."
— Stephanie (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Barr again proves her skill in putting believable characters in peril against a backdrop of breathtaking scenery.”
— Publishers Weekly
Hard Truth Listener Reviews
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" The premise of this AP mystery was a recent move to Rocky Mountain to take a district ranger job. When she arrives, she finds that 3 children have been long missing in ROMO's moutainous terrain, and their LDS-like parents aren't even actively looking for them. Main characters included a recently paralyzed rock climber and her Dr./aunt, and a young male youth group leader. I have to say I was disapppointed in this one. It seems that the author Barr has truly mastered the building-up-suspense and plot-developing aspects of her mystery novels, but in the last couple books I wasn't entirely thrilled with how she sealed the deal. Frankly, I found this ending truly unenjoyable and less than climactic. Once I realized what was happening, I just wanted to get it over with. I think I am going to take a hiatus from reading AP mysteries. "
— Christie, 2/20/2014 -
" I can't believe I couldn't remember reading this book when I was adding the Barr's to my "read" list. I did though, and wow did it come rushing back while leafing through it at trusty B and N. Excellent tension, good read. I really enjoy this series. This one got a little rough for me with the victims but it really was a good addition to the series. Now I can start Winter Study! "
— Joanna, 2/18/2014 -
" 3.5 This probably fits in pretty well with our recent Norwegian and Swedish mystery reading since it is equally dark. A serial killer poses as a park ranger in Rocky Mountain National Park and kidnaps three girls from a polygamist commune. The warped killer violence is definitely Scandinavian in tone and is atypical for Nevada Barr. This one is a good fit to Rocky Mountain National Park. The excellent descriptions of backwoods beauty make you want to go there (after they have locked up all of the serial killer park rangers). "
— Dick, 2/10/2014 -
" I found this Anna Pigeon novel very enjoyable. "
— Jill, 2/9/2014 -
" As good as reported to be but I didn't get into the head of the protagonist as much as I might have wished to as the storyline was spread over two. "
— Hal, 1/25/2014 -
" Read years back when I was on a Pigeon streak. "
— bookczuk, 1/23/2014 -
" I finished this, and I will go pick up the newest Anna Pigeon book which is on hold for me at the library, but I don't know if I will read any more of Nevada Barr's books. If I wanted to watch a super gruesome episode of NCIS, I would watch a super gruesome episode of NCIS. "
— Rebekah, 1/18/2014 -
" 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, 1/7/2014 -
" well-written, incredibly disturbing: girls kidnapped and abused. images continue to haunt me. not for the faint of hear. "
— Becky, 1/2/2014 -
" Excellent Nevada Barr book. Had to get the rest of her books that I haven't read yet on tape so I could listen to them all. "
— Merceda, 12/11/2013 -
" Read by Barbara Rosenblatt. Nevada Barr's writing style is becoming more evil. I'm not sure I like it. "
— Pithee, 12/8/2013 -
" I usually love Nevada Barr's stories, but this one was a bit hard to read because of all the violence. Either I've gotten more sensitive to it or Nevada Barr stepped up the gory details in this book. "
— Shakti, 11/19/2013 -
" This is one of those books where you stay up until 2:30a.m. on a work night so you can finish it. "
— Carolina, 11/10/2013 -
" Overall a good read. Fast. Cliffhanger. Not entirely sure about the accuracy of her natural history facts, but a good bloody ficticious romp. "
— Krista, 12/22/2012 -
" It moved along--a little slower than some of the other Barr series "
— April, 11/21/2012 -
" I really liked Heath and hope to heck there are more tales with her. "
— Susan, 6/21/2012 -
" I finished this book on the plane back home from Maryland. It was a good one but I've liked some of her others better. This one kind of had a lot of things going on at once and evil children is hard to swallow although believable. I just don't like to think that way. "
— Paula, 5/28/2012 -
" Being an avid hiker and having visited al lot of the national parks, I love this series. However, I find this latest adventure a little to disturbing. Hope the next Anna story does not continue on this track. "
— Susan, 4/30/2012 -
" Nevada Barr is still one of my top pick's to listen to on a trip! "
— Thimbleberry, 4/20/2012 -
" Love the whole "series". Anna Pigeon is a great character and I love reading about the National Parks - especially ones I've been too. After a while the pacing gets predictable, but they make entertaining lighter reading, without being too graphic. "
— Deb, 4/15/2012 -
" I usually enjoy Anna Pigeon's adventures in the National parks, but I found this one to be too violent and the bad guy very unbelievable. "
— Gail, 4/6/2012 -
" who doesn't like a good myserty now and then, easy reading for road trips or just to have a quick good read, all the Anna Pigeon series books are good, but fun to read in order so you know some history from book to book, but not necessary if you just want to try one out "
— Shirlyn, 2/16/2012 -
" Finally, since I started this book in the spring, on and off, I got it done. So now I'm all set to request and reserve Winter Study next week. A great series, with a touch of realism of past events like from the Texas cult scandal, to everyday life. A good story. "
— Kristen, 2/13/2012 -
" 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, 12/18/2011 -
" Bit gross, quite frankly. I needed a mass market paperback for the bus and to fit in my teeny bag for a weekend trip and this fit the bill. I like the idea of an NPS ranger heroine but the plot was pretty disgusting. "
— Anna, 9/26/2011 -
" Really enjoyed it until the very end when the villain was shown to be so horrible in what he did to his victims ... that was a bit hard for me to take ... "
— Marcia, 8/14/2011 -
" 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, 5/28/2011 -
" This was not my favorite Anna Pigeon story. It was pretty awful as a matter of fact. Nevada Barr is a great writer but the story was very sad. "
— Perlinda, 5/10/2011 -
" Rocky Mtn NP. Typical Nevada Barr but I love Anna Pigeon - she is my hero. "
— Candy, 4/6/2011 -
" Audiobook - <br/> Not bad , but a little heavy on the violence . "
— Angie, 3/18/2011 -
" It was a good read. I couldn't put it down. A little different tact than Barr has taken with her others. I liked the emotional care she had for the people, and I've always had a crush on Paul myself. He seems like my kind of guy. "
— Carol, 3/18/2011 -
" Read by Barbara Rosenblatt. Nevada Barr's writing style is becoming more evil. I'm not sure I like it. "
— Pithee, 2/26/2011 -
" Excellent Nevada Barr book. Had to get the rest of her books that I haven't read yet on tape so I could listen to them all. "
— Merceda, 11/8/2010 -
" I liked the character of Anna Pigeon. This was a really fast, and exciting read. "
— Sara, 10/23/2010 -
" I finished this, and I will go pick up the newest Anna Pigeon book which is on hold for me at the library, but I don't know if I will read any more of Nevada Barr's books. If I wanted to watch a super gruesome episode of NCIS, I would watch a super gruesome episode of NCIS. "
— Rebekah, 9/7/2010 -
" I always like Nevada Barr, though this one took some time to get into it. <br/> "
— Charles, 8/22/2010 -
" Bit gross, quite frankly. I needed a mass market paperback for the bus and to fit in my teeny bag for a weekend trip and this fit the bill. I like the idea of an NPS ranger heroine but the plot was pretty disgusting. "
— Anna, 7/19/2010 -
" One of her most disturbing and least predictable yet, I think. Hard to put down, especially at night. "
— Abigail, 7/5/2010 -
" I've liked all the Anna Pigeon books I've read "
— Anna, 6/21/2010
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 Joyce Bean
Joyce Bean is an accomplished audiobook narrator and director. In addition to having won several AudioFile Earphones Awards, she has been nominated multiple times for the prestigious Audie Award. Equally adept at narrating fiction and nonfiction, and she also narrates audiobooks under the name Jane Brown.