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.

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!

Excellent

This is one of the very few books I've read or listened to that was excellent in every way. I eagerly look forward to the next book in the series .

Well done mystery!

I'm writing a review as reading those of other listeners helps me to chose books for myself!
I listen to a lot of mysteries + thrillers and found this story to be well written and interesting! I always looked forward to listening to the next part/chapter! I also enjoy this narrator's voice and thought she did a very good job with this story! Go ahead and get it!

Slow start - totally worth it!

At first I was listening casually and got lost in the details - so I went back and started over. Such an interesting and unpredictable storyline with multiple players and factors. I recommend this one!

Not bad

The actual mystery was creative. However, one can tell that she is a new novelist. Hopefully her writing skills will improve. The narrator was not bad, but not stellar

Twisty plot, great narration

Wow I'm so glad I ignored the negative reviews on this. I generally love this narrator and she captures this story and its action, drama, heartache Rex perfectly!

A little too much war flashbacks throughout book

It took a while for me to get into the story and I really think it is just because it was too much war gore flashbacks going the whole time. I hung with it and do like the character and the story and I didnt figure out the ending (like those surprises) so I will start the next one!

Powerful series debut

Barbara Nickless has opened up a new mystery series with a powerful book and an unusual lead character. Sydney Rose Parnell is a young woman raised in Colorado in a railroad family. Both parents have died and she's raised by her grandmother. She joins the US Marine Corps and serves in Iraq in what would have to be one of the hardest jobs of all time: Processing the bodies of soldiers killed in action in order to ship the bodies back home as part of Marines Mortuary Affairs. During her tour of duty she falls in love with a soldier who's killed in action. She returns home with the soldier's service dog Clyde and becomes a special agent with the Railroad Police while working to finish her education.

Sydney Rose has returned with some terrible memories as well as regular visits from the dead. They follow her everywhere, popping up in her home and as she travels through hobo camps along railway lines dealing with the people who wander the lines. Clyde sees them, too.

As the book develops a woman named Elise is found dead. The main suspect is the Burned Man, an Iraq veteran and now a transient with burns over much of his body. Elise, known by most as a saint, had fallen in love with him and clues at the murder site point to the Burned Man.

Sydney Rose is drawn into the case by Michael Cohen, a homicide detective. Together they investigate the death as the mystery begins to point in multiple directions, one of those back to Sydney Rose' time in Iraq.

Nickless is a wonderful writer and the prose flows beautifully in this book. Each chapter begins with the writing of Sydney Rose, describing her time in the service in papers from her college classes, her journal, and other writings as the book progresses.

The author has created an incredibly complex and troubled main character who still manages to exude kindness and humor despite the fact that her war experiences have made it difficult to become emotionally close with people, which is especially clear as her relationship with Cohen begins to deepen. Most of all Sydney Rose has an incredibly strong will, carrying a Marine's instinct to push through any challenge.

This is one of the best first-in-series book I've read in quite a while. There is a full range of interesting characters, including complex ties through her own family and friends. The mystery is strong and the action sequences draw you in completely.

There's a second book in the series already, called Dead Stop, which is already added to my must-read list.

Blood on the Tracks a masterpiece

This novel was more than a murder mystery, though the mystery was captivating. The story took you to hobo camps where they rode the rails and introduced you to an unfamiliar culture. And then PTSD was like a vine intertwined in the story. You really don’t know the ending until the end, and then you wonder what happens now

A Great Surprise

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Most lead female characters in mysteries are teenagers or socialites. Sydney Rose is a real person that could've been part of any town along the railroad. Since my grandfather retired from working on trains, I would've rather read books with this character than Nancy Drew.