The search for a missing child leads a courageous railway cop down a twisted trail of murder.It’s been five months since Special Agent Sydney Parnell survived a violent confrontation with a gang of brutal thugs, an encounter that left her physically and emotionally scarred. Deep down, Sydney fears she isn’t ready for another investigation. But when a woman is murdered on the train tracks and a … train tracks and a child goes missing, she knows she’s the only one who can lead the hunt for the killer. While Denver police and the FBI chase down blind alleys, Sydney focuses on a single cryptic clue left behind at the crime scene—one that will send her down a path of greed, violence, and long-ago love.
With Denver beset by a series of monsoonlike thunderstorms that threaten to flood the city, Sydney and her K9 partner, Clyde, must wade through a murky trail of murder that stretches back thirty years—all to rescue a child…and catch a killer with a long memory and an insatiable appetite for destruction.
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I know a lot of my readers love Sydney Rye and her dog, Blue and their tales of action, adventure, and murder. If that’s you, you absolutely must read Dead Stop and meet Sydney Rose Parnell and her dog, Clyde. (Sydney Rye: Sydney Rose – coincidence, huh?) I tell you, you’re going to just love Clyde! So, if you love women sleuths, especially if there’s canine action, jump into this series now while this book is just 0.99!
Cant wait for the next book!
This book is number Two in a series by Barbara Nickless. Dead Stop is completely stand-alone, but reading Blood on the Tracks first will only add to the depths of this story. Dead Stop is available on Kindle Unlimited.
Sydney Parnell is an experienced former Marine who is currently a train cop in Denver, Colorado following a couple of tours in Iraq. Sydney brings to the table all the loyalty and solidarity of a soldier to her work for the railroad and her interactions with fellow police and military. Sydney’s helped by her partner, a Malinois named Clyde that she was able to bring home with her from Iraq. Both she and Clyde are in therapy for Post Traumatic Stress.
Dead Stop is going to require lots of interaction between local and state cops, the FBI, and Sydney and her co-workers at DPC to solve this multiple murder and find kidnapped 8 years old Lucy, the only surviving member of Ben Davenport’s family. Ben is formerly military, the son of the owner of the Denver Pacific Continental Railroad. Ben and the twin boys were shot during a home invasion. Ben in hospital and coma shot at the same time his young teen boys were murdered. Daughter Lucy and wife Samantha were taken in that same home evasion. Samantha was later killed at the railroad overpass, formerly known as Deadman’s Crossing on Potter Road out by the defunct cement factory.
Every level of investigators are involved in looking into the local rail companies, always adversaries, and currently rivals for a large government grant for setting up a high-speed train from a Denver Hub to surrounding metropolises. As the hours go by, more victims are found, and Sydney is sorely afraid Lucy is running out of time…
A great suspense that will keep you reading!
She draws you into story. So realistic you can smell, taste, hear, and see what she is writing about. Clyde and her are a wonderful team. Looking forward to her next book. I am hooked!!!
Dead Stop by Barbara Nickless
Sidney Rose Parnell #2
Gripped from the beginning I could not put this book down. I have found a new-to-me author that I admire as a writer and story teller. I felt, learned, was made to think and was kept on my toes throughout the story and even though I had read the last few pages out of order still was surprised more than once while reading this book. I wrote to my siblings recommending it and recommend it to all of you, too. This is a story of a Marine war veteran with PTSD, a K-9 partner, who sees ghosts and has a mind that sees the minutiae of a case and finds her way to answers that others miss. I learned about police for the railroad, heard terms that were new to me, felt for the characters, cared and am eager to read what comes next in this series or anything written by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
Dead Stop by author Barbara Nickless is a fast paced suspense thriller which will keep you turning pages! The story opens with the Davenport family who live close to Denver, CO. Ben Davenport is writing a book about the history of the railroads. Although he has a slight limp and unspeakable memories from his time in the war, he is happy to be home with his family. Ben’s beautiful wife, Samantha is a professional photographer and they have two sons and a young daughter, Lucy.
What happens next sets the pace for the mystery and the suspense of the story. The weaving together of events from Ben’s family’s history results in a current twisted tale of greed, murder, and deceit.
I won’t post spoilers, but this is a very well written murder mystery which will have you feeling compassion for K-9 Detective Parnell. If you read the previous Sydney Parnell mystery, Blood on the Tracks, you will understand Marine Corporal Parnell’s ongoing struggle with PTSD and dealing with the various griefs of war. I have enjoyed reading the quotes of “Sydney Parnell’s Personal Journal” as much as I have enjoyed the drama of the story. Sydney Parnell and her K-9 partner Clyde are inseparable and determined to find and bring little Lucy home! Great Story!