Blood on the Tracks (Sydney Rose Parnell Book 1)

I wasn't sure what to expect about a book based around trains. My prior experience with author Barbara Nickless writing was excellent so I decided to get it a try. I was not disappointed. Blood On The Tracks combines emotional flashback of Marines as they try to re-intergrate into normal life. Ghosts from their past haunt each character in different ways, but for Sydney Rose it was much more intense. Her battle field duties were recovering and detailing the death of soldiers in her squad. Yes, she does see dead people. Against this experience she now works as a 'normal' railroad crime investigator at least until a heinous crime pulls her back into a nightmare from her time in-country. I found this to be a very compelling story. For Audible fans, the performance by Emily Sutton-Smith could not be better.

This has got to be the grittiest novel with a female protagonist I have ever read.First, a warning to those unfamiliar with this series of four books. The language is raw and realistic. The violence is graphic, as it usually is in this type of fiction. There is one sex scene and it is not tame either.I was attracted to this book by a few things. The main character is a woman. She is a railroad K-9 cop. I am familiar with K-9 officers and their partners but the railroad aspect is new to me. There was also a mention of hobos, another subject about which I am curious.Although this novel may have disappointed some, I found it very entertaining. One, I am not a veteran, so my military knowledge is limited. Two, the gun issues occur so far into the story and during such an exciting passage that I pretty much ignored them.Sidney Rose Parnell and her partner Clyde are an intriguing team. I love their realistic, intuitive relationship that most times requires only body language and facial expressions to communicate. They were a team in Iraq and, luckily, they remain one in this series, since both left military service eighteen months prior to this story.Sidney's life, both civilian and military, has more than its share of tragedy. She has PTSD, takes medication and is trying to find stability and peace. The events in this novel, including murder, kidnapping, skinheads, etc. provide neither. A woman trying to aid the hobos is brutally murdered and her boyfriend, another Iraq veteran and hobo, is blamed. This murder, and the information gleaned from investigating it, gradually ties Sidney into the case and how it relates to her time in Mortuary Affairs overseas. Her current railroad job and past time in the Middle East make her the nexus for what appear to be unrelated events. I will leave specifics of the story alone at this point.One element of this novel gave me pause but ultimately I approve of the way it was handled. Sidney, much like Haley Joel Osment, sees dead people from her past, long or recent. In this novel they appear to her, moving or not, gesticulating or not, but they appear. Sometimes they appear regularly, depending on the deceased. Unlike in Six Feet Under, they do not talk to her. And, thankfully, this device, while effective, is not overused to the point of absurdity. I worried about that when I started reading.The other element that gave me pleasure was the fact that, because this is book one of a four-book series, the sub-plot, which gradually wriggles from its dark, sinister hole during this story, is by no means resolved at the novel's end. In fact it promises to become more apparent and integral to the rest of the series, as far as I can tell.Despite its flaws exposed by other reviewers, I found this thriller (?) to be quite entertaining. From the beginning the story takes off and quickly moves from event to event with almost no break in momentum. By the end you are waiting for the dust to settle. Enjoy.

This is an important but disturbing story The story begins with background on Tucker Rhodes, an Iraqi war vet with gruesome war injuries. Shortly before he was going to end his tour he was devastatingly wounded by an IED. A very handsome young soldier instantly became a monster. 30% of his body was burned with the worst of the damage concentrated in his face and head. Then Elise, the woman he loved and was going to marry, was viciously murdered. All signs point to Rhodes as perp, but he claims innocence. Matters are complicated by his inability to remember much. Is this self - induced amnesia or is he so traumatized he truly can’t recall? Syndey Rose Parnell, the heroine of the book, is involved in the apprehension and investigation of Rhodes. She is a railroad detective who also served in Iraq. She was in a Marine Mortuary detail. Grim. Can you imagine cleaning battlefields of dead people and body parts? Ever wonder why war vets are divorced, can’t adjust to civilian life, and can’t settle on an identity outside of war? This story will give you insight. As noted, the book is disturbing. But it is also important. Although this is a work of fiction it certainly rings true and must be based on real experiences. Many of our citizens have lived the lives of Rhodes and Parnell. This is not only rough; these experiences take place before they are fully formed adults. As they say “ war is hell.” If you think this is exaggeration BLOOD ON THE TRACKS will put you in the picture. Unraveling the mystery of who killed Elise and the characters involved in the investigation make for a very interesting story. You will probably guess several times who the real killer is; and you will be wrong. I know I was.Fred Dimond

Blood on the Tracks is a wonderful start to a hopefully long series featuring railroad cop and ex-Marine Sydney Rose Parnell. Very believable and well-developed characters, with very human flaws. I’m all set to download Book 2!

I started with Ambush not knowing there was a series. Just finished #1 and now it makes more sense. On to #2. Great author and read by my favorite narrator.

I haven't read anything by this author before, but I definitely would again. I have a cousin who served in Iraq and I felt the author truly captured some of the incredibly mixed emotions of serving our country across the global and returning home. I loved the bond with Clyde, because no one can understand you better than a dog.

I read this book really fast (and I’m not a fast reader). Once I got into it I couldn’t put it down. Great attention to detail and the author (Ms. Nickless) obviously did her homework with research getting police/military/railroad terminology correct.

Really liked reading something so different than anything I've read before. Opened my eyes about what many veterans go through while serving and upon returning. I liked having a strong though flawed female character. Held my interest throughout and I look forward to Book 2. And who couldn't love Clyde?

Yet another hero beset by angst and guilt over wartime incidents. From Vietnam to Iraq to , in this case, Afghanistan. Ive had too much of it - its become a cliche. The detective investigating a murder, in her mind, constantly flicking back and forward between then and now makes for an irritating, muddled first half. The story picks up and is quite well thought out but isn't the super thriller Deaver makes out. It is a reasonable read and builds to a 'race to the rescue' finish. You'll be well ahead of the "who done it" An OK read. Will I be tempted to get the next? Maybe.

This was my kindle first choice this month and definitely a good choice. it was dubbed a police procedural but it is far more of a thriller that involves the police.A young woman is found brutally murdered with strange signs left graffitied on her house. She is known for helping the local down and outs, and is going to marry one of them (known as the burned man). He has obviously been to her house and there is strong circumstantial evidence that he murdered her, but it's all too neat (and you know that it wasn't him). Railroad special police agent Syndey Rose and her canine partner are involved in the investigation right from the beginning and she is also distantly related to the victim. It soon becomes clear that larger forces are at play here but what exactly are they? Syndey Rose and the burned man are both Iraq war vets and clearly something happened in Iraq, so is it to do with that? Or is it related to a gang of skinheads, who are suspected of abducting a young black girl many years ago, and who seem to have resurfaced recently? These two lines of inquiry play along, but towards the end it becomes clear as to how things fit together, but then almost at the end is an additional twist, which you don't see coming. The book reaches a conclusion but leaves a sense of where the next book in the series is headed.The characters in this book are gritty and there is a real sense of how they are constantly having to deal with the trauma and psychological effects that the Iraq war had on them. It helps to bring home the personal and human cost of war. Syney Rose is haunted by ghosts and when this first occurs in chapter one (there is also a prologue), I was a bit confused. But in chapter 2 it all started to make sense. There are also quite a lot of american slang, which I initially found a bit irritating, as I was having to look up what was meant. At this stage I was going to give 4 stars but then after the first few chapters there was a lot less obvious american slang words and phrases and you really get drawn into the story, so it became 5 stars.

I purchased this novel as part of the Kindle First promotion for 99p as the description sounded interesting. It took a little while to get into the story, some of the dialogue was strange and not easy to get into at first but the characters started to grow on me. It took me a while to warm to the main character, Sydney Rose Parnell. She seemed cold and unfriendly at first but as we heard her back story and found out more about her and what she had been through as a marine I started to understand and like her more. I always feel that having an animal in a story endears me to it and Clyde, as a working dog who was highly intelligent, grabbed my heart immediately.There was plenty of drama and excitement, especially towards the end. The story kept me involved and gripped and by the ending I was sorry to be saying goodbye to them all. I definitely have the second Sydney Rose Parnell in my sights.

This book as well as entertaining the reader brings to life the burdens carried by the young men and women who have served their country so bravely and how neglected they have been when they returned home. Add to this an entertaining and intriguing story . I have no hesitation in recommending this series of books and the author.

I'm torn on this tbh. I like the lead (flaws and all), first person style is something a bit different, and there is enough depth in the characterization to make you give a damn about them. The story is bleak to say the least, but that's not a criticism.The main negative is the 'ghosts', which I had not expected and didn't care for. Someone can be haunted without seeing ghosts, so could definitely have done without that. It is unfortunately a little predictable.Whilst it is very readable, I am not sure I'll be back for the series because the ghosts really did irritate a lot.