Book cover of Blood on the Tracks

Book description

An Amazon Charts bestseller.

A young woman is found brutally murdered, and the main suspect is the victim's fiance, 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…

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Why read it?

5 authors picked Blood on the Tracks as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I was excited to read another book with fascinating characters and of course, a great K-9. Nickless’ characters are well-developed and very believable. Her fictional K-9 Clyde is captivating and while he’s technically retired, still has the skillset to help his handler, Sydney Parnell.

I love the character arc with Sydney in each book as she recovers from the traumas of serving in the military. I also love that Nickless had Sydney return home to Denver to work as a railroad police special agent. This is a law enforcement job that I haven’t seen in any other book. I appreciated…

From Kathleen's list on K-9 books that take a bite out of crime.

Okay, so you’ve read cop stories, PI tales, and lawyer crime fiction. How about a railroad detective? Yeah, they are for real.

Special Agent Sydney Rose Parnell and her trusty dog have an intimate knowledge of the railroad and who uses it. Not often is she called in for murder but when she does she bites off more than she can chew. She occasionally has a bit of romance with someone so it fills out that end of things.

She is vulnerable yet tough. I never knew railroad police went so deep into investigations. Gotta read her tales.

Barb Nickless came out with a debut novel to die for. I think it’s absolutely the best debut I’ve ever read. Then she followed it up with four more in the series and four in a new series. In Blood on the Tracks, we’re introduced to Sydney Parnell and her K-9 partner, Clyde. They are ex-military turned railroad cops, and both suffer from PTSD. Nickless brings to life the underground world of rail riders and the obscure job of the railroad cop as Sydney investigates the brutal murder of a young woman found on the tracks. The crimes are…

If you love Blood on the Tracks...

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

Yes, it’s another tough female detective as my fave. Who’d of thought a railroad detective could end up in so much trouble with so much crime and murder going on? It isn’t simply arresting hobos and vandals. The protagonist Sydney Parnell and her K9 partner, Clyde make a great pair. Sydney’s time in Iraq serves her well as her toughness comes through, yet she still has her vulnerable side. The bad guys here are really bad and most of the other cops from other orgs are indifferent toward her, believing she’s a lightweight. The added bonus is Clyde, the dog,…

Something different here, a contemporary mystery set in Denver, Colorado, featuring Sydney Rose Parnell and her K9 partner Clyde. Both are Iraqi War vets and now they work for the railroad. Sydney is a railroad police special agent and she’s brought into a murder case by the Denver police. She finds herself sleuthing amid the community of homeless rail riders. A gripping thriller that’s the first in a series.

From Janet's list on mysteries on (and off) the tracks.

If you love Blood on the Tracks...

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

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