Blind Descent is the sixth book in author Nevada Barr’s series about National Park Ranger Anna Pigeon. The idea is that each book is set at a different National Park or National Monument. Anna is experienced in firefighting and search and rescue, so she is often sent to different parks throughout the year depending on the needs.

In the case of Blind Descent, Anna is sent to Carlsbad Caverns National Park after another ranger is injured in a caving accident. Anna does have claustrophobia, but manages to control it most of the time. Going down into these caverns is something altogether different, but Anna doesn’t shirk from her responsibility to her fellow ranger, who also happens to be a friend from her home park of Mesa Verde. Once she and the rest of the rescue team make contact with Frieda, the injured ranger, they prepare for a rather difficult carry-out. At one point, when they are alone, Frieda tells Anna that it wasn’t an accident. Anna isn’t sure if Frieda knows what she’s saying due to the pain from the injury, but she’s concerned enough. Once might have been an accident, but when there’s a second incident, Anna knows one of the people she’s with is a potential killer.

At that point, Blind Descent becomes a typical closed-room mystery. Everyone who could possibly have tried to kill Frieda is there among the cavers and the rescuers. Of all the books in the series so far, this one felt the most thrilling. Nevada Barr writes a great thriller, and the way she described moving about the cave system was so intense. With no natural light, there is little sense of time. The accident happened so far in the system that it will take two days to get to Frieda’s location and more than that to carry her out. I can’t imagine doing that. It set an excellent tone for the book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

It was hard to imagine the motivation for someone to decide to kill Frieda in a cave, but the mystery winds itself out in a way that makes sense. There’s a lot of confusion even after the party arrives above ground, as they are never sure who is where. This is the only part I struggled with, as they usually keep track of who is where when caving pretty strictly, so no one can get left down there accidentally. Too many people were just allowed to do whatever, rather than keeping the situation under control. Overlook that one flaw in the story, and this is a fantastic thriller.

Anna is typical Anna, with some crazy thoughts that she keeps to herself, but alleviates the tension for the reader here and there. It’s really necessary because otherwise I could imagine you’d go crazy down in a cave, not knowing which way is up. Her mountain climbing experience helps her keep up fine with the other cavers, even when it becomes more and more uncomfortable for her to be there. She’s single-minded in regard to being there for her friend.

I think you could read Blind Descent without having read the other books in the series. About the only thing that continues from previous books is Anna and Frieda’s friendship, and it’s a pretty easy concept to grasp as to why Anna would be willing to put aside her fears and come to her friend’s rescue. The other people in the cave with them are new characters whom we learn more about as the story goes on.

The audiobook is narrated by Barbara Rosenblat. She does a decent job, although there were times when she made audible noises that were picked up by the microphone. I thought these lulls were a little too long and could have been edited better. I’d think we’d come to the end of a chapter or section, only to realize the narrator took a break in the middle of the action. This is not the narrator’s fault. I can understand needing a break, but whoever edited together the final product should have done a better job shortening the breaks and getting rid of any extraneous noise.

This is one of my favorite series I’ve come across so far. I love “visiting” so many different parks and different places in the country. Nevada Barr outdid herself with the description of what it’s like to try to enact a rescue inside a cave 800 feet below ground. I can’t imagine actually having to do it, but it made for a great story.

Previous book in the series:

Next book in the series: