Destroyer Angel by Nevada Barr, read by Barbara Rosenblat
I've read a lot of the books in the Anna Pigeon series, and this is one of the more recent ones, #18 in the series. Here, Anna has joined her friend Heath, a paraplegic; Heath's teenage daughter Elizabeth, their dog Wylie; Leah, an inventor of camping equipment; and Leah's teen daughter Katie on a vacation that is also a trial of some of Leah's more recent creations, camping in a Minnesota forest.
One evening Anna takes a solo canoe excursion to enjoy some solitude, and while she is gone the camp site is invaded by four armed men who take the other campers hostage. They specifically name Leah and Katie, indicating they are looking for ransom for them. Anna is given enough warning to keep away, but she has no gear and no weapons and must resort to monitoring the situation as closely as she can while looking for opportunities to either facilitate an escape or disable the captors.
This is a story told over a few days, under conditions difficult for all involved. People get hurt, people are hungry, and there is constant worry over the possible killing of some of the hostages.
The details take up a lot of the story, details of the women's thoughts and reactions, of the environment and the obstacles to the forced trek across country to an airfield. There are advances and setbacks for Anna and the other women, and lots of suspense. An engrossing read.
I've lost track of the Anna Pigeon mysteries, but how I loved them when she was up to around 10 or so. Clearly, time to reconnect!
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