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Summary and Reviews of Hunting Season by Nevada Barr

Hunting Season by Nevada Barr

Hunting Season

by Nevada Barr
  • Critics' Consensus (3):
  • Readers' Rating (1):
  • First Published:
  • Feb 1, 2002, 320 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Feb 2003, 352 pages
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About This Book

Book Summary

Tightly plotted, brilliantly suspenseful, and beautifully written, Hunting Season offers solid evidence that mankind can be as unpredictable and dangerous as the great outdoors.

When Anna answers a call to historic Mt. Locust, once a producing plantation and inn on Mississippi’s Natchez Trace Parkway and now a tourist spot, the last thing she expects to encounter is murder. But the man Anna finds in the stand’s old bedroom is no tourist in distress. He’s nearly naked, and very dead, his body bearing marks consistent with an S&M ritual gone awry. On a writing table nearby is an open Bible, ominous passages circled in red.

It seems the deceased is the brother of Raymond Barnette, local undertaker and a candidate for sheriff, who wants to keep any hint of kinkiness out of the minds of the God-fearing populace. Ray may be hiding a house full of secrets in the old family homestead, but before Anna can start her investigation, she’s waylaid by malevolent poachers, peevish coworkers, and a suddenly turbulent romantic life. And when hidden agendas and old allegiances are revealed, it’s suddenly Anna’s life that’s on the line.

Tightly plotted, brilliantly suspenseful, and beautifully written, Hunting Season offers solid evidence that mankind can be as unpredictable and dangerous as the great outdoors.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

People Magazine
Readers familiar with Barr's entertaining national park mystery series know that Anna rarely finds tranquility in God's country. Her fans can only be grateful that there are still plenty of national parks left for Anna Pigeon to visit.

Booklist
Starred Review. This latest entry in Barr's popular series marks a definite return to form after the disappointing Blood Lure. The edgy, fast-paced tale generates plenty of tension, making the most of several nighttime crimes, and Barr does a good job of developing the character of Anna, adding romance to the mix and giving the ranger plenty of opportunity to display her slightly dark, off-center wit.

Kirkus Reviews
Barr's tenth [is] as inventive, as ingenious, and finally as riveting as the very best...

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Read-Alikes

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  • The Poacher's Son jacket

    The Poacher's Son

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    Published 2011

    About this book

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    Set in the wilds of Maine, this is an explosive tale of an estranged son thrust into the hunt for a murderous fugitive---his own father. A sterling debut of literary suspense. Taut and engrossing, it represents the first in a series featuring Mike Bowditch.

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