Click here to read Luan Gaines' take on Borderline.
Borderline (An Anna Pigeon Mystery)’s non-stop action begins when National Park Ranger Anna Pigeon comes back following an awful incident where she wound up killing someone. Even though it was in self-defense, she is having a hard time dealing with it and has been told to take some time off. Paul, her husband, agrees that getting away for a while is a good idea to get her mind off this horrible experience; the fact that the person Anna killed was a serial killer still doesn’t help make her feel any better.
Paul sets up a rafting trip on the Rio Grande River. Anna decides that ro really get away from it all, they’ll book their trip with some college students and an experienced guide named Carmen instead of going with fellow workers. Anna and Paul agree that the decision was the right one at first - the trip starts off with great fun and a great group. They even help to rescue a poor cow trapped by high river waters. However, things begin to go bad quickly. First their raft is destroyed against some rocks, then one of their fellow rafters discovers a body while leading the cow to safety. The body is a pregnant Mexican-looking woman, lying in the shallow area near the bank. She seem to be dead, but they realize that she is still alive - barely. When the baby is delivered, Anna takes over and becomes very protective of this newly born infant. This isn’t the kind of sights Anna and Paul had hoped to see. How did this woman get there, who is she, and was this a murder attempt?
To top it all off, a sniper appears high up on the cliffs and begins to fire and kill off rafters. Protecting the baby, Anna and her group dodge bullets in a scene reminiscent of an old war movie.
Nearby, an important political conference is being held; a certain mayor is expected to announce her bid for governor there. As the river rises, so does the suspense. How does this politician fit into the picture beginning to form about this newborn and her relationship to others in the story?
As sharp as ever, Anna Pigeon is a heroine readers can cheer for and, even in some awful situations, remains for the most part believable. This is a suspenseful and heart-wrenching story, especially where the baby is involved. Barr brings together murder, natural disasters, politics, and immigration in a classic Anna Pigeon story that will gain many new followers and certainly retain her many existing fans.