An Amazon Charts bestseller.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 … 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?
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What a great book! And a great canine sidekick. Very rarely am I dumbstruck by how well an author writes, but Barbara Nickless is a master. The book(s), there is a sequel and the third is coming out early next year, all take place in Colorado. As a native of CO for most of my life, it is amazing how perfectly she conveys the landscapes and even city streets down to the exact detail. A must read.
4.5
*Book source ~ Kindle First
Special Agent Sydney Rose Parnell and her K-9 partner Clyde have come back from Iraq with scars, but they do their best to keep moving and do their job as railroad police in Colorado. When the Denver Major Crimes unit calls them in on a brutal homicide of a young woman with a connection to hobos (and thus trains), Sydney discovers a connection to her past in Iraq with Mortuary Services and the main suspect in the murder. As Sydney works the case, she tries hard not to let PTSD pull her or Clyde under again, but it’s a tough road to travel. Can she solve the murder and keep the past secret or will it all come tumbling down around her and Clyde?
Wow. Just, wow. There is a lot going on in this suspenseful murder mystery, but it’s not a bad thing. Sydney’s a remarkable woman who has survived a lot of hardship, but she keeps on when most would just give up. The mystery surrounding Elise’s murder seems to be straight forward, but it is not. Oh, boy, it is not. Sydney’s nose for getting to the truth rivals Clyde’s and the story just pulled me, a willing participant, along for the ride. I didn’t want to put the book down. The addition of train and hobo trivia is fascinating to me. These are subjects I had no clue about and loved learning everything about them. And I love how Sydney and Clyde work together. In my opinion, this book is unputdownable. There is a thread that goes unfinished and I’m hoping it will lead into book 2. I’m looking forward to more of Sydney Rose and Clyde who I call Wonder Dog in my head.
Bonus points for the capitalization of Marine, but points off for calling them soldiers. Soldiers are Army. Marines are Marines, always.
Blood on the Tracks was an incredible story about the effects of war and PTSD. The main character Sydney Parnell is an ex-marine who now works as a railroad cop. She’ s asked to assist on a brutal murder of a young woman who befriend the Hobos. Sydney battles her own ghosts of war and this case hits close to home. It is an intriguing read with many twists and turns. She’s a strong heroine who I look forward to reading more about!
This was a great story. An author to watch. I don’t like that there was a string left that leads onto the next book, but it was done in such a way that I’ll read the next book – because the main story was so good.
Highly recommended (ignore the one or two bits of grammatical slips, and one section where the dialogue doesn’t fit the character – the story is worth it).
This is a wonderful book! Parnell has all the makings of a tough, damaged but endearing series character. Plus, she’s got an adorable sidekick, Clyde. The story takes hold and doesn’t let go and you’ll leave wanting more of Parnell now… or at least I did.
Barbara Nickless is my new favourite author. A stellar, layered crime thriller with an unusual heroine (railroad cop) and her canine partner. I’ve nominated ‘haunting’ because of the charater’s background in Iraq; these passages are beautifully and evokatively written. Highly recommended.
Great book
This is not the type of book you’d expect from a woman author—railroad cops, homicide, marines, hobos, ghosts (either real or imagined)–but Barbara Nickless handles all these with what feels like expertise and experience. Complex broken characters trying to make their way in a world that keeps going wrong. Excellent in every way I can think of. I highly recommend Blood on the Tracks.
It is amazing that this is the first effort as a stand-alone novel for this author. This moving, beautifully drawn story portrays individuals as not black and white but shadowed in grays. It evokes the ways in which war haunts military survivors and weaves a seamless story filled with finely portrayed protagonists. Even the “villains” are not one-sided – the hell of combat and the hell of domestic abuse, fragmented families, poverty, anger and loneliness damage just about everyone in this book, some more than others. There is violence, mostly explained after the fact, not close up and personal, and there is evil. But, in the end, sanity outweighs insanity, and kindness wins out against animal instincts. As strong, brave and deeply wounded veteran Sydney Rose says to reassure her equally brave and damaged military dog, “Clyde, we’re still good.”
A heart wrenching look into the minds of returned war vets. An absolute page turner with a you’ll-never-guess-whodunnit ending. The best book I’ve read in a long time, and I read a lot.
I love this book it is my favorite!!!!!!!
A good book has a great plot. A very good book has interesting characters. A great book, tells the story in a way that draws you in, makes you care about the characters and gets you invested in the outcome. Blood on the Tracks is a great book!
Sydney Rose Parnell is a railroad cop in Denver who is looking for the murder of a young women, Elise. Sydney Rose is also a former marine haunted about her time in Iraq. She struggles with the deaths she has seen, including her lover, Dougie, and is hiding a secret. Syndey Rose adopted Clyde, Dougie’s K9 partner. Clyde is also struggling with the loss of Dougie. Two damaged creatures helping each other move forward.
The story starts slow, painting a picture of Sydney Rose and Clydes lives and the railroad community that they deal with. While slow, it is interesting to learn about the railroad and the homeless hobos that the use the trains to move around.
It is not difficult for Sydney Rose to relate to and feel empathy for them. Like many of the hobos, she is damaged and is running from her past.
With the murder of Elise, the story quickly ratchets up. It soon becomes clear that not everyone is the person we thought they were and circumstances test everyone’s moral compass.
Would you do anything to save someone you love? Even if the act of saving your loved one is itself evil? Are you still a good person?
Are you born good or bad person, are you the result of your experiences or are you in control of your own destiny?
If you are emotionally damaged, can you be healed? Do you deserve to be loved? Can anyone really love you if they really know how damaged you are? Are you even capable of loving someone?
These are themes that run throughout the book. Nothing is black and white. There is no clear answer too any of these questions, but there is hope that Sydney Rose can heal, can love and be loved and can escape from her past. But there are no guarantees.
The book does a brilliant job of weaving these themes without slowing down the story. The last part of the book was riveting and horrifying but left you with some hope for Sydney Rose and Clyde.
Some of the characters I loved despite their damage and faults, some I hated because of their evil actions even if they had some redeeming features while others left me conflicted; at times hating them, at other times loving them, and in many instances just feeling sorry for them. But the key is that I was invested in each character as if they were a living, breathing part of my world.
If you want a feel good story, this is not for you. If don’t want to read a story about loss, pain and damaged people, this is not for you. If you want to read a compelling story, filled with interesting, complex characters that explores important issues, this is the book for you.
I should also note, that as a part of Sydney Rose’s PSTD, she she’s ghosts. Now, I am not normally that interested in paranormal stories but these ghosts are in her mind, part of her damage. They are the dead have been a part of her life. They haunt her but also help her function. Will they go away if she can open up and deal with her emotional issues instead of internalizing them? Will they go away if she can start connecting to people again? We don’t know, but Sydney rose has elected to try.
Having known Barb for many years, I did not expect this from her! She absolutely kicks ass! Highly recommended!
Well written. Good character development. Interesting female protagonist. Can’t wait for this author’s next book.
I am a big fan of Barbara Nickless. I was drawn to the lead character’s story of rebuilding her life after a traumatic time in military service. I love her connection to her “partner” ( a military dog). The author makes you feel like you are right there with her through her job adventures, her psychological healing process, and her numerous challenges in life. I started with the first book and couldn’t put them down until I had read all four!
Ah the twists and turns … the characters … the intermixed story lines … all deeply developed and fabulously adapted to one EXCELLENT read. One you can’t put down. And so now on to her next book. Keep writing girl, you’ve got me hooked … and I’m telling EVERYONE!
A great story. An almost broken woman and her dog – more than a companion, and a story that compels to keep reading.
Nickless gets it right. I know more about veterans with PTSD than I wish, and her portrayal of Sydney’s issues made me assume she was a vet. Nope. Just a great writer.
This is a cracking good story with great characters that will have you reading “one more chapter” until its way past bedtime.
Emotional, raw, intense, complex, real and startling. I was truly blown away by the ending, did NOT see that one coming. (No spoilers) Kudos for the realistic railroad terminology and the life of a Sr. Special Agent. Having worked for the largest Railroad company in America (thanks for the “Building America” plug when describing a locomotive, btw!), albeit mostly in offices, AND being a woman I felt that same “having to prove myself” constantly when working in a male dominated field. Wish I would have been as badass as Sydney.
Blood on review was a great book. Eagerly waiting to read next one.