Blood on the Tracks

Sydney Rose Parnell Series, Book 1

By: Barbara Nickless

Narrated by: Emily Sutton-Smith

Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

A young woman is found brutally murdered, and the main suspect is the victim's fiancé, a hideously scarred Iraq War vet known as the Burned Man. But railroad police Special Agent Sydney Rose Parnell, brought in by the Denver Major Crimes unit to help investigate, can't shake the feeling that larger forces are behind this apparent crime of passion.

In the depths of an icy winter, Parnell and her K9 partner, Clyde - both haunted by their time in Iraq - descend into the underground world of a savage gang of rail riders. There, they uncover a wide-reaching conspiracy and a series of shocking crimes. Crimes that threaten everything Parnell holds dear.

As the search for the truth puts her directly in the path of the killer, Parnell must struggle with a deadly question: Can she fight monsters without becoming one herself?

©2016 Barbara Nickless. (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Great debut, looking forward to more from this author

I am very impressed with this debut novel by Barbara Nickless. I thought she did a superb job with this book and I thoroughly enjoyed her writing style. This is another one of those who done it books that really keeps the reader/listener guessing right up to the very end.
A woman is brutally murdered, she's kind and helpful to the down and outers and the hobos who pass through hitching rides on the railroad. Some say she's like an angel others say she's a busybody getting involved with the wrong people. And then there's her fiancé a badly burned Iraq veteran who is arrested for the crime.
I could go on and describe the railroad police and the detective from the major crimes unit but you can read all that on the synopsis provided.
What you won't see there is that while the main story is playing out there are multiple subplots going on concurrently. Each of these subplots ties into the main story and each provides another suspect but don't get too attached to anyone in particular because the ending will throw you for a loop.
Emily Sutton-Smith gives an Excellent performance.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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NOT what the summary implied

What disappointed you about Blood on the Tracks?

The story is not at all a mystery or a suspense. It's more a story about a woman who suffers from PTSD, and often suffers flashbacks. It's a military story that depicts horrible things that happen in Iraq, and the mental anguish that soldiers suffer post war.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Janet evanovich 23

Great start for a first time author

Blood on the Tracks was my Kindle First selection last month so I had the opportunity to read the ebook before the October 1 release date. I was so impressed that I decided to listen to the audiobook also. This is an incredibly strong debut novel by Barbara Nicklass. The Sydney Rose Parnell series promises to be a favorite. Parnell is a 27 year old ex-Marine currently working as a special agent for the railway police in Denver. She and her K9 partner Clyde are both veterans of war in Iraq and both suffer from PTSD. This police thriller is superb. Emily Sutton-Smiths narration is excellent.

Probably a good read; not a great listen

There are a lot of things to like about this book. The writing is quite good and the protagonist is unique, flawed, and interesting. The author clearly has firsthand knowledge of the Marine Corps and railway police or she did a lot of very effective research. On the other hand it does tend to drag on at some points, adding length without necessarily adding any depth to the story or the characters.

Unfortunately, the narrator detracts from the story so I cannot honestly say how good the book is. This is especially true in regards to the dialog, which felt very mechanical. It's entirely possible that it would have felt natural had it been read by someone else. This could also be the reason that all the male characters were completely indistinguishable from one another. Why they would choose a narrator with a single male voice (and a bad one at that) to read a book that is dominated by male secondary characters is beyond me.

Personally, I do not care for books with high body counts and no repercussions. It feels very unrealistic. So for me that was a negative. Otherwise the story might have been four stars.

The book is set up for a series and I would be tempted to read more, but I would not listen again.

Could not finish

Would you try another book from Barbara Nickless and/or Emily Sutton-Smith?

I love Emily Sutton-Smith as a narrator, but even she couldn't save this story.

What could Barbara Nickless have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Label it properly.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

There is nothing wrong with the performance.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Blood on the Tracks?

I didn't get all that far.

Any additional comments?

I don't even know if this is a mystery after about 2 hours I was over it. This is maybe a murder mystery with PTSD. I have great respect for people who went to war for us, but this book was just trying to be poetic with PTSD or I don't even know. I am not all that intellectual, but this was not for me. Also, how often can someone be called Sydney Rose. Nick couldn't just call her Sidney? Or Sid? I had enough of hearing her full name pretty quickly. Also, pretty early on I didn't think that the characters had a whole lot of depth. This one was not for me.

Good twist

I would have given the narrator five stars, but she kept pronouncing Semper Fi ...Semper FEE ...and it bugged me. I'm not a marine, but I know a few of them. It would bug them too. anyway other than that good story, a lot of twists and turns, keeps you guessing till the end.

Wow! What A Fantastic Book And Under $8.00

Wow! I was impressed by this book. I got it because: it takes place in Denver and because it has a dog in it, and because it has trains in it. I was surprised all the way around regarding the reasons I chose this book...and in other ways too.

I am love trains. I'm not talking modern Amtrak trains but good old-fashioned passenger and freight trains. And I've been lucky enough throughout my life to ride on many different types of trains. This is a murder mystery that revolves around trains, or actually more around the people who run and use trains. I loved that part of this story.

But I actually liked all the different pieces of this tale.

A young woman who was known to be kind to hoboes (the men and women who ride the rails) is brutally murdered. And initial clues point to a war damaged Marine as being her killer.

Senior Special Agent Sydney Rose Parnell with the Denver Pacific Continental Railway starts in investigating this terrible murder along with her K9 partner, Belgian Malinois Clyde. Both Sydney Rose and Clyde served as Marines in Iraq and that is an integral part of this story, too.

This book is different and that's a good thing. It doesn't fit any mold of police procedurals, mysteries, or thrillers that I've listened too. It is one of the best books I've listened to in 2016 - and that covers a lot of territory. I rarely give 5 stars but this book is one of those great books.I can't wait for the next book in the series.

Emily Sutton-Smith as always was brilliant with the delivery of the story.

Engaging Mystery with Many Twists & Turns

This story took a lot of implausible twists and turns, but it held my interest and I did want to see where it was going. There are some ties to war, skin heads and violent crimes, which may be off putting for some (not my normal fare). The narrator is good and does well with many voices. If you like a good mystery and don't have a problem with violence, it's a not a bad listen.

Wonder Woman

She manages tremendous odds and battles. She's like a Timex; takes a licking and keeps on ticking. The plot was good and very unusual. The ghosts popping in and out , the cocktail of drugs (uppers/downers) plus booze and PTSD might have had something to do with that. The narrator does not do male voices well at all so if she had just kept this to a straight read I would have liked her better. But actually I did enjoy it!

Semi slow starter -- but hang on for the ride !

I really liked that the book described how the soldiers were thinking and feeling after coming home from the war. I have always heard about ptsd - and about half of my co-workers suffer from the condition. Their responses to questions are vague at best.
True or not , I feel like reading this book gave me some insight into the behavior of the people I with with.
Naturally, my favorite character was Clyde - dogs are effected by the war too!
The narrated did a great job. I really appreciated the emphases she was able to carry across in the sardonic humor of our heroine.
I would have liked a bit more out of Her love interest - maybe a bit more back story.
All in all a great story that took me to a place I have never been before - a glimpse into the lives of soldiers come home and those around them.

Refreshing...

I really enjoyed this book. It was refreshing to have a female lead who was not the usual stereotypical woman and the added elements of being an Iraq Vet plus having a K9 in the war was brilliant.

Very bleak at times

This story of a war ravaged ex woman marine was not short on bleak imagery. But the story is a good one. Plenty of back story and twists and turns and at least it ended with hope

Great !

Great story twisting this way and that . Loved it and will look for more from this author.

enticing

The narration is well done, and the story both current and back are intriguing. All in all a very good introduction to a new series.

great story well narrated

A great story, exciting from start to finish, such good detail and polish. fab l

Strong story

Wasn’t sure I would finish this. It felt too heavy, but I persevered and was rewarded with the compelling finally. Once I reached the last few chapters the overwhelming effects of our hero’s head chatter came into focus, I forgave the author. Not sure I want to try another I prefer a little humour with my dead and dying.

Slightly overrated in terms of reviews

The idea of PTSD of war veterans is an important topic, and I understand that the author attempted to raise the issue, but the constant appearance of ghosts with not much impact on the narrator seems to trivialise the effect of trauma. She seems to have learnt to live with them.

The story itself felt too much of a mishmash of several themes from the far right to soldiers of war. It would have been better to stick to one area. I would have been more interested in hearing about Iraq and how it is more clearly linked with the current crime. It just seems to fall short in developing the major themes.