Review: 'Boar Island' among best in series from Nevada Barr

Nevada Barr's vivid novels about National Park Service Ranger Anna Pigeon have allowed readers to take visceral tours of more U.S. national parks than most could ever arrange to visit.

A breathtaking look at nature's beauty and stunning vistas is standard for Barr's series with its ongoing theme of man's ruthlessness.

"Boar Island" does all that, but the plot unfolds in more inside locations — a crumbling lighthouse, a deteriorating house, a local bar — with just enough jaunts to Maine's exterior to showcase the state's beauty.

Barr excels in producing a nuanced view of the rangers' lives and the economic hardships the area lobstermen and their families face.