From a Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Newly minted homicide detective Sydney Parnell faces a savage killer whose endgame is to capture her. And keep her.
Iraqi war vet and former railway cop Sydney Parnell is now the youngest homicide detective in Denver’s Major Crimes Unit. In the past, gut instinct has served her and her K9 partner well. But it’s not a trait Len Bandoni, her old … Len Bandoni, her old nemesis turned reluctant mentor, admires. Not until Sydney’s instincts lead to their first case: a man tortured and beaten to death, then left in a refrigerated train car with cryptic messages carved into his body.
The victim is a well-liked member of an elite club called the Superior Gentlemen. At first glance, the club appears harmless. But beneath its refined surface swim darker currents.
As Sydney; her K9 partner, Clyde; and Bandoni investigate the grisly murder, the three develop a bond that carries them through a shocking series of crimes and a horrifying conspiracy that threatens the detectives’ lives and promises to bring their beloved city to its knees.
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Sydney, a former marine, is now a detective with the Denver PD and finds herself partnered with Leonard Bandoni, a long-time, hard-nosed cop. Their first dead body leads them to a group of men who call themselves the Superior Gentlemen, and as it turns out, they are quite superior at rape and murder. With her K-9 partner, Clyde, at her side, Sydney and Len find themselves in a life and death fight with these evil mass murderers. The banter between Sydney and her new partner is witty and entertaining as their relationship grows and Len begins to accept Sydney into his world as an equal. Full of suspenseful twists and explosive action, this fourth installment in the series was as much a page-turner as the first three. Another winner for Barbara Nickless.
Love the Sydney Parnell series
I’m addicted to the Sydney Parnell series, and this latest addition is no disappointment. Page-turning tension all the way.
This novel from Barbara Nickless, along with several others, is available on Kindle Unlimited. I read this work of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of Gone to Darkness. Nickless writes a tight tale with well-rounded protagonists and a story that touches your psyche in many ways. This is a very dark tale, a continuation of the history of Sydney Rose Parnell and her growth into the world of civilian life, still giving protection and safe zones to those around her. Once a Marine, always a marine. And Clyde is still happy, and an important part of Sydney’s days. A win-win, but at the last minute this time~! A book I could not put down.
Sydney has started her new job as the youngest detective on the Denver Police Force. She has a lot to prove. And when Sydney’s first murder case does not even have a body….she is struggling to find out exactly what is going on.
Sydney is a character after my own heart. She is smart and she is tough. She is a marine for goodness sakes. So, don’t mess with her. But this does not stop some people from trying. When this murder leads her to an elite, underground club her life becomes a target.
And then there is Clyde. Clyde is her K9 partner and he is the best character in the book!
I do not know how I have missed this author. But, I thoroughly enjoyed this read. It moves quickly and I was hooked on the cryptic symbols….you have to read this to find out. Captivating to say the least. I have not read the other books in this series and I will remedy that soon. This is a stand alone read and you do not want to miss it! Plus! It has a dog! I am all about a dog!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
I love this series and the author did not let me down with Book #4.
Gone to Darkness by Barbara Nickless
Sydney Rose Parnell #4
Gripping, gritty, gruesome beginning to what proved to be an excellent story. I was hooked from page one and wanted the bad guy put away before I even read what he would eventually do. Evil stepped off the page and made me glad I would never have to interact with such a creature…at least I *hope* I won’t!
Sydney’s move from railway cop to homicide detective comes with a whole lot of having to prove herself. She is a rookie that everyone expects to fail or bail before her probation ends. Her mentor is a curmudgeonly sort that grew on me. Her boyfriend and his cousin were a delight – would love to hear more about Evan Wilding in future books. Clyde the K-9 partner is special and endearing and a force to be reckoned with. Sydney definitely holds her own and also uses her contacts with the railroad to solve the murder as the body was found in a refrigerated car on one of the trains that passed through town.
What I liked:
* Sydney: she seems like someone I would enjoy knowing. Her background in the military left her with an empathy with the dead and a connection stronger than most.
* Clyde: a K-9 with skills beyond those of his training
* Epigraphs that begin each chapter…interesting and well worth reading
* Bandoni: seasoned detective not easy to warm up to at first but a great character by the end of the story
* Cohen: seems to be a good book boyfriend to Sydney…and smart, too.
* Evan Wilding: a brilliant man in his field
* The police procedural parts
* The train information
* Learning about Pick-Up artists bent on seduction – learned some new terms, too
* Seeing into the minds of evil doers
* That the bad guys were caught in the end
What I didn’t like:
* The predators and what they did
* The women treated as less than human
* The creepiness…but I liked it, too
* Knowing I will have to wait awhile for the next book in the series.
Did I enjoy this book? Definitely
Would I read more int his series? Without a doubt!
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
“…The past is not my enemy. It’s my fear of the past that brings me down.”
This is the fourth book in the excellent Sydney Parnell series. Sydney is a former railroad cop/former Marine who works with her K9 partner Clyde. They are both now working for the Denver Police Department in the Major Crimes Unit.
The story starts with a mutilated body being found inside a railroad refrigerated car and the brutal murders don’t stop there.
Sydney and her human partner, Detective Bandoni, are soon on the trail of the murderer and trying to find possible victims before the killer does. Or is there more than one killer?
I enjoyed this book a lot. I missed Sydney’s connection to the railroad in book three and in this offering the railroad is a key component again. Also, a character was added in this book that I hope to read about more in future books.
I highly recommend this book and this series.
I received this book from Thomas & Mercer through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
I held my breath, I checked behind closets, and made sure all my doors were locked even though I have a husband and 2 large dogs. This is part of series, but stands on its own. You are not befuddled. I read book one in this series, and it was good read, but didn’t tag me the this one does. This one makes me wonder if I have missed out, I will need to see. Sydney and Clyde (her K-9) are really coming into their own. They each still grapple with PTSD but you can see them growing, and letting a little bit of sun into their lives. She is now a Detective and partnered with her old nemesis Bandoni. Their relationship was well done, it wasn’t over the top and I enjoyed the growth there. As she catches a case on the railcars by unusual circumstances, we are off. This really made me think about Gentlemen clubs (using Gentlemen loosely), the immigrants and flat out gave me the shudders in parts. A great thriller, with suspense and mystery showing you how they tug on all the strings to try and solve a case and shows you the darkness touches everyone, no one is safe. Thank you Barbara Nickless for writing this book, Thomas Mercer for publishing and allowing me through NetGalley to receive and arc. I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions, nothing was solicited.
This is the fourth book in this series. I wasn’t too keen on the messages left in the scene put me off reading some at the beginning but kept going and story got better as it went along. It was real good with the service dog murder and physic storyline all in all a good read caught your attention had to keep reading to see who the stalker was!!
362 pages
4 stars
Sydney Parnell, an Iraq war vet, and her canine partner Clyde are now with the Denver Major Crimes Department of the Denver Police Department. Sydney now has a police partner as well. His name is Len Bandoni. He is you might say a reluctant friend and “rabbi” (police-speak for mentor), of hers.
Sydney and Clyde discover the body of a man who has been beaten and murdered. She is assigned the case. The scene has some kind of coded messages scrawled on the walls. What do these messages mean? Who is the victim?
Clues lead her to a club called Superior Gentlemen. This is not an organization that one leaves.
This is a well written and crafted novel, as are all of Barbara Nickless’ books. One event follows another in a logical progression in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the previous Sydney books and this one is just as good. Her characters are filled out and true-to-life. I like Sydney – and Clyde – what’s not to love? I look forward to reading more of Sydney and Clyde’s adventures in the future.
I want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for forwarding to me a copy of this very good book for me to read, enjoy and review.