November 2024: “Track of the Cat” by Nevada Barr

Oct 25

Spoiler-Free Story Blurb

Anna Pigeon’s life is unrecognizable from what it was only a few years ago. After the death of her husband, she left New York City to build a new life for herself as a Law Enforcement Ranger at Guadalupe Mountains National Park in west Texas. Out of the concrete jungle and into the desert, Anna finds herself surrounded by uprooted newcomers and “good ol’ boys” alike. And what was supposed to be a calm and uneventful fresh start in life is turned upside down when Anna and her colleagues discover the lifeless body of Sheila Drury, a fellow National Park Service park ranger.

Claw marks and paw prints indicate that Sheila Drury most likely fell prey to a mountain lion. But Anna’s instincts that the evidence is too good to be true is impossible for her to ignore. The more Anna uncovers, the more she doubts what the official records state happened to Sheila. And only incomplete pieces of the puzzle are emerging. Who could the young ranger have gotten on the wrong side of in less than a year after joining the park staff? Was the young woman a prey to wildlife? Or was she the victim of a different kind of predator?

Discussion Questions

Track of the Cat was published in 1993. How well has the narrative and storytelling aged after over three decades?
How well did Nevada Barr develop the mystery within Track of the Cat?
According to 2024 statistics from the National Park Service, an average 7 deaths per week occur in national parks across the United States. Did Track of the Cat draw attention to these nationwide occurrences? Or did it have a more narrow focus on Guadalupe Mountains National Park?

Click on the book cover image to see what people are saying about Track of the Cat on Goodreads. Check out my book review for Track of the Cat in the Mystery bookshelf.

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