From Publishers Weekly
When it comes to a vibrant sense of place, Barr has few equals, as deliciously demonstrated in her 11th Anna Pigeon novel (after 2002's Hunting Season), set in little-known Dry Tortugas National Park, 70 miles off Key West in the Gulf of Mexico. Anna takes up her new post on Garden Key, home to Fort Jefferson, a notorious Union prison during the Civil War, after fleeing a marriage proposal from just-divorced Sheriff Paul Davidson. As she goes about her duties, Anna quickly becomes ensnared in one life-threatening situation after another. Anna's fans expect no less; all her postings somehow turn dangerous. Indeed, the contrast between the natural beauty of the landscapes and the human evils within them is a recurring theme. But this one has an added twist: a mystery concerning alleged Lincoln assassination conspirator Dr. Samuel Mudd interweaves with current crimes. In a coincidence best left unscrutinized, Anna's great-great-great-aunt was the wife of the fort's commanding officer, and her letters, relating a story of intrigue and murder, have surfaced. The two stories are told in alternating chapters, and only Barr's skill keeps this familiar device fresh. The pitch-perfect 19th-century phrasing in the letters makes it easy to forgive the occasional over-the-top prose in the modern scenes. But this is a quibble. Those who already admire the doughty National Park ranger will rejoice in this double-layered story with its remarkable setting, passionately rendered; new readers have a treat in store.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
When Anna Pigeon flees a marriage proposal for ranger service on Garden Key in Dry Tortugas National Park, she finds that the past (the island was once a prison) and the present (an exploding boat scatters unidentified body parts) are eerily conjoined. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
Anna Pigeon has taken the position of supervisory ranger on Garden Key, the last island in the Florida Keys, to think about her forthcoming wedding to Sheriff Paul Davidson. While there, she investigates the explosion of a boat, which injures Bob Shaw, the only other ranger within 70 miles; disappearances; and other things that go bump in the night. Joyce Bean provides an emotional narration marred only by the slight pops and hesitations throughout the entire set of CDs. Though the audiobook cover describes the letters from her great-great aunt and the mysteries that occurred while Garden Key was a Civil War Prison, not a word of those mysteries is told in the abridged version. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
The curmudgeonly, charming forest ranger Anna Pigeon returns in another engaging tale of life in a national park. This time, Anna seeks refuge from her life (needing to "renew herself" while she considers whether to accept the marriage proposal of Paul Davidson, a sheriff in her Mississippi town) by taking on a temporary post as supervisory ranger at Fort Jefferson, a rundown station on an island 70 miles out of Key West. Fearing Anna's peculiar occupation and current isolated location will do her in, Anna's sister Molly sends a box of old family memorabilia. Included in the box are piles of letters written by their great-great-aunt, who coincidentally had been living at Fort Jefferson during the Civil War. The letters are at once fascinating and chilling, a glimpse into the hard life of the times. Anna has her own drama to deal with, though, as the sleepy fort bustles to life when a boat explodes in nearby waters. As Anna investigates the explosion, she begins to unravel an eerie connection between the current turmoil and past troubles documented in the letters. Barr's technique of flashing between the past and present in intervening chapters works magically, weaving the two together into an exciting climax. After many years of being landlocked, it's nice to see Anna back on the water (Endangered Species, 1997). Whether on land or sea, few writers spin a more exhilarating web than Barr. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Flashback finds Park Ranger Anna Pigeon mingling past mysteries with present dangers in one of the most exotic of America's national parks. To give herself time to sort out her feelings, after an unexpected proposal of marriage from her sheriff/priest boyfriend, Anna takes a short-term post as supervisory ranger on Garden Key, in Dry Tortugas National Park. This remote series of islands in the Florida Keys offers visitors beautiful scenery combined with fascinating history. Garden Key itself is the site of Fort Jefferson, where the conspirators in the Lincoln assassination were held along with Confederate prisoners of war. The crumbling fortress holds special significance for Anna, whose several-times-great-aunt Raffia lived at the fort when her husband was posted there￯﾿ﾽespecially after Anna's sister sends her a packet of letters Raffia wrote there after the Civil War. When not fantasizing about that long-ago time, Anna splits her attention between dealing with work, scuba diving, and wondering what really happened to the previous ranger (rumored to have gone crazy after his girlfriend left him). Then strange things begin to happen. The assistant ranger is lost at sea, a small craft blows up, and the bodies of the crew prove impossible to identify￯﾿ﾽand Anna, hardheaded, rational Anna, finds herself adrift in visions involving Raffia and one of the men accused of conspiring to kill President Lincoln. As Anna struggles to untangle herself from deadly puzzles, past and present, she uncovers a modern conspiracy that could end in a devastating bloodbath. Sue Stone

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The five-week New York Times bestseller, now in paperback.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

When it comes to a vibrant sense of place, Barr has few equals, as deliciously demonstrated in her 11th Anna Pigeon novel (after 2002's Hunting Season), set in little-known Dry Tortugas National Park, 70 miles off Key West in the Gulf of Mexico. Anna takes up her new post on Garden Key, home to Fort Jefferson, a notorious Union prison during the Civil War, after fleeing a marriage proposal from just-divorced Sheriff Paul Davidson. As she goes about her duties, Anna quickly becomes ensnared in one life-threatening situation after another. Anna's fans expect no less; all her postings somehow turn dangerous. Indeed, the contrast between the natural beauty of the landscapes and the human evils within them is a recurring theme. But this one has an added twist: a mystery concerning alleged Lincoln assassination conspirator Dr. Samuel Mudd interweaves with current crimes. In a coincidence best left unscrutinized, Anna's great-great-great-aunt was the wife of the fort's commanding officer, and her letters, relating a story of intrigue and murder, have surfaced. The two stories are told in alternating chapters, and only Barr's skill keeps this familiar device fresh. The pitch-perfect 19th-century phrasing in the letters makes it easy to forgive the occasional over-the-top prose in the modern scenes. But this is a quibble. Those who already admire the doughty National Park ranger will rejoice in this double-layered story with its remarkable setting, passionately rendered; new readers have a treat in store. (Feb. 10) Forecast: Backed by a 20-city author tour, this one will shoot up the bestseller lists. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

When Anna Pigeon flees a marriage proposal for ranger service on Garden Key in Dry Tortugas National Park, she finds that the past (the island was once a prison) and the present (an exploding boat scatters unidentified body parts) are eerily conjoined. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

AudioFile

Anna Pigeon has taken the position of supervisory ranger on Garden Key, the last island in the Florida Keys, to think about her forthcoming wedding to Sheriff Paul Davidson. While there, she investigates the explosion of a boat, which injures Bob Shaw, the only other ranger within 70 miles; disappearances; and other things that go bump in the night. Joyce Bean provides an emotional narration marred only by the slight pops and hesitations throughout the entire set of CDs. Though the audiobook cover describes the letters from her great-great aunt and the mysteries that occurred while Garden Key was a Civil War Prison, not a word of those mysteries is told in the abridged version. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews