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Nevada Barr

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Nevada Barr

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1952-03-01 （Yerington, Nevada, United States）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English

Career

Occupations
Author, Park ranger
Active Years
1984-

Education

University of California, Irvine
Theatre
Country: United States
Studied theatre and related subjects.

Awards

Agatha Award (Best First Novel)
1994
Work: Track of the Cat
Category: Best First Novel
Organization: Malice Domestic (Agatha Awards)
Result: winner
Anthony Award (Best First Novel / New Writer)
1994
Work: Track of the Cat
Category: Best First Novel / New Writer
Organization: Bouchercon (Anthony Awards)
Result: winner
Dilys Award (nominee)
1995
Work: Superior Death
Organization: Mystery Booksellers Association (Dilys Award)
Result: nominee
French Crime Fiction Award
1997
Work: Firestorm
Organization: French awarding organization
Result: winner
Anthony Award (Best Novel) nominee
1997
Work: Firestorm
Category: Best Novel
Organization: Bouchercon (Anthony Awards)
Result: nominee
Anthony Award (Best Novel) nominee
1999
Work: Blind Descent
Category: Best Novel
Organization: Bouchercon (Anthony Awards)
Result: nominee
Dilys Award (nominee)
1999
Work: Blind Descent
Organization: Mystery Booksellers Association (Dilys Award)
Result: nominee
Macavity Award (Best Novel) nominee
1999
Work: Blind Descent
Category: Best Novel
Organization: Mystery Readers International (Macavity Awards)
Result: nominee
Barry Award (Best Novel)
2001
Work: Deep South
Category: Best Novel
Organization: Deadly Pleasures (Barry Awards)
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Track of the Cat

1993 Mystery

Series debut featuring Park Ranger Anna Pigeon investigating a murder tied to natural-resource conflicts set in a national park.

National parksHuman vs. natureSurvival
Translations
  • Track of the Cat

Superior Death

1994 Mystery

Anna Pigeon investigates a crime set among isolated landscapes; explores tension and ecology.

IsolationEnvironmental issuesInterpersonal relationships
Translations
  • Superior Death

Blind Descent

1998 Mystery / Thriller

A cave-set thriller in which Anna investigates a deadly incident tied to subterranean exploration.

CavesClaustrophobiaHidden pasts
Translations
  • Blind Descent

Deep South

2000 Mystery

Set along the Natchez Trace in Mississippi; local history intertwines with crime.

Regional historyHuman motivesNatural environment
Translations
  • Deep South

Firestorm

1996 Mystery

A mystery set against wildfires; examines how natural disasters intersect with human culpability.

WildfiresEnvironmentEthics
Translations
  • Firestorm

Bibliography

  • Track of the Cat
  • Superior Death
  • Ill Wind
  • Firestorm
  • Endangered Species
  • Blind Descent
  • Liberty Falling
  • Deep South
  • Blood Lure
  • Hunting Season
  • Flashback
  • High Country
  • Hard Truth
  • Winter Study
  • Borderline
  • Burn
  • The Rope
  • Bittersweet
  • Seeking Enlightenment: Hat by Hat: A Skeptic's Path to Religion
  • 131⁄2

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Realistic prose emphasizing natural descriptionConcise sentences that maintain tensionExpository elements reflecting concern for environmental issues
Recurring Motifs
National parksConservation and resource conflictsIsolated landscapesWildlife

Legacy

Nevada Barr is best known for the Anna Pigeon series and has made significant contributions to eco-mystery fiction set in national parks. She has received and been nominated for several genre awards, and her blending of natural description with environmental themes is widely regarded.

Trivia

  • Her given name "Nevada" derives not from the state but from a character in a book her father liked.
  • She worked as a park ranger for the U.S. National Park Service, an experience that informs her fiction.
  • Her spouse is listed as Richard Jones (worked in theatre).
  • Official website: http://www.nevadabarr.com