Temporarily working as a presuppression firefighter on Cumberland Island, GA, for three weeks, Anna was ready to soak up the sun, breathe the fresh ocean air, and witness the hatching of the endangered baby loggerhead turtles while raking in some much-needed overtime pay. But, after a fatal plane crash on the island, she finds herself investigating a possible murder as an NPS law enforcement officer. Surrounding her is another cast of quirky, semi-strange co-workers who seem to flock to the National Park Ranger positions. The plot in this fifth book in the series—laced with magnificent descriptions of the local wildlife and landscape—is captivating and suspenseful as Anna gets beat up, attacked by ticks and chiggers, then nearly killed while trying to bring down a killer. Good to the last page. ( )

Anna Pigeon fascinates me as a protagonist- maybe I need to read more mysteries, but I find it refreshing to have a 40-something year old lady park ranger solving mysteries (a nice contrast to all the YA/middle grade I've been reading lately). Five books into her series though and I still sometimes find it hard to keep track of the cast of characters in the park, which in this one had multiple last names that sounded similar (Hammond, Hanson, Hull...)

I came somewhat close on IDing the killer this time though it wasn't obvious to me until the last fifth of the book or so, and even then the motive felt a little late-coming. For completionists' sake, will keep going with this series albeit at a leisurely pace, while enjoying the look back into contemporary 1990s.

There's a B-plot here with Anna's sister Molly and Frederick the Fed trying to figure out who's threatening Molly, but it didn't feel as connected. ( )

The fifth Anna Pigeon novel. Here Anna is on temporary assignment on Cumberland Island, Georgia, where the loggerhead turtles are in the process of laying eggs; heat, humidity and insects plague her existence; drought is making fire watch a necessary function of the National Park Service, and something sinister is afoot. (Shocking, I know.) Anna takes her usual tack of ignoring protocols and even some legal restraints, to do her own sleuthing when a drug interdiction surveillance plane crashes, killing two of their crew. She craves solitude, and never seems to learn that going it alone is how she gets into trouble, personally and professionally. This one had a bit more fun in it than some---more humor, and some amusing banter between Anna and her colleagues. ( )

Park Ranger Anna Pigeon has been sent to Cumberland Island, Georgia as part of a firefighting team. I love this series because I wind up learning so much about the ecology of each park Anna is posted in, as well as the nitty gritty of life as a park ranger. In this book, we have sea turtles! And baby alligators! So interesting. We also have a deadly plane crash and resulting fire, and as Anna and her team are assigned to figure out what may have gone wrong, they may have discovered foul play. I loved the characters, Anna working out the mystery, and also the interesting B-mystery in this one with Anna’s sister Molly and a stalker, that Frederick is in NYC to help with.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
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Author Nevada Barr has created a great combination in Ranger Anna Pigeon novels all set in various US National Parks. Endangered Species is set in Cumberland Island National Seashore in Georgia. Cumberland Island is the southernmost of the Georgia Sea Islands. Anna is sent there on a temporary assignment to join a fire prevention crew. Anna is trained as a law enforcement Ranger but she, like all National Park Service Rangers is a firefighter as well. When the crash of of a drug interdiction plane with a ranger aboard turns out to be sabotage Anna sets out to find who did this. She finds that a park employee has been secretly growing marijuana on park land and suspects that they grower was the one who sabotaged the plane. Was he the killer or is there someone being overlooked? While she digs into the mystery she also struggles with her relationship with Frederick, her FBI agent friend who wants her to move to Chicago to be with him. Anna wants to stay in the wildness of her beloved parks. Who will prevail FBI agent Fred or the natural world? I still have not seen all the national parks, these books really make me want to see more. ( )