Sydney Rose Parnell is a badass Iraq war vet who now works as a railroad police special agent in Denver; while her time in mortuary affairs haunts her on occasion, she proves herself useful by looking at the big picture and trusting her instincts. Better yet, her K9 partner is a fellow war vet named Clyde, who proves he is more than just a cute sidekick. However, when a young woman is found brutally murdered in her home, Sydney and Clyde have their hands/paws full. The main suspect is the woman’s fiance, but Sydney realizes she knows the man and isn’t convinced that he committed the crime. 

As a railroad cop, Sydney often works with the homeless community to connect them with services and occasionally brings them food and clothing. However, her position among them and her experience in the war pulls her into a homicide investigation. Blood on the Tracks is the first installment in the Sydney Rose Parnell series by Barbara Nickless. The victim, Elise, is like a niece of Special Agent Nik Lasko, a man who is also like family to Sydney. Things become more complicated when the main suspect, nicknamed the “Burned Man” for his grotesque physical appearance, is another Iraq war vet who has more in common with Sydney than she realizes. 

Fans of the crime thriller genre will appreciate Nickless’ ability to keep readers glued to the page with complex characters, story development, and the occasional twist to throw us off the trail – not to mention the authentic portrayals of war veterans living with PTSD and having to adjust back to civilian life. Each chapter starts with an excerpt from one of Sydney’s works, i.e. personal journal entries, publications, therapy sessions, etc., providing insight into the war’s long-lasting effect on her mental health. 

Despite her demons, Sydney goes with her gut, leading her to investigate a notorious gang of neo-Nazis who she believes might be involved in framing the Burned Man, real name Tucker Rhodes. However, her connection with Rhodes has her asking questions regarding her time in Iraq and a suspected war crime cover-up. In fact, those in charge learn that she’s been snooping around, which puts a target on her back. Clyde comes to the rescue, but Sydney now knows there is a bigger game at play, along with more serious players involved.

While all of these elements might seem overwhelming for the reader at first, Nickless weaves them in a way that not only engages the curiosity but also foreshadows plots in remaining books in the series (in other words, Nickless leaves story lines open for a reason). Nevertheless, with the help of Clyde and Nik, Sydney catches the bad guys publicly and solves the crime privately – those who finish Blood on the Tracks will know what I mean. 

Dead Stop is the second installment in the Sydney Rose Parnell series, taking place about five months after the events of the first book. An emotionally and physically scarred Sydney is reluctant to assist with any other investigations that might take place, yet investigators call upon her once again when another horrific crime takes place: a woman is murdered on the train tracks, her twin sons are killed in their home, and her daughter is kidnapped. Her husband was attacked in the home as well and is in critical condition at the hospital. Nickless succeeds once again in weaving multiple storylines together and leaving clues for readers as we try to solve the case with Sydney, hoping that the murderer is brought to justice. 

Throughout Dead Stop we learn that the victim’s family is somehow connected to Sydney’s employer, a railway mogul with a decades-long feud with a famous competitor, and a 25-year-old murder case that may not have been properly solved. Sydney follows her own rules, trusts her instincts (again), and races to connect the dots to find the missing girl before it’s too late. When Sydney finally reaches her “ah-ha” moment, readers will be cheering her on until the end of the book. 

The third book in the Sydney Rose Parnell series is Ambush, and it focuses on the open-ended storyline left from Blood on the Tracks. Sydney travels to Mexico City to track down an 11-year-old boy named Malik, whom she befriended during her service in Iraq. As the son of a murdered interpreter, Malik holds secrets that could expose top government officials and weapons manufacturers in a serious crime and cover-up. Naturally, those with the most to lose from such exposure are trying to silence him permanently and destroy any evidence that links them to the crime. 

Sydney gets A LOT of help in this one – not only from trusted, lovable, and competent Clyde, but also from some fellow Marines and someone whom she thought she couldn’t rely on anymore. Nevertheless, she still holds her own as someone who can think quick on her feet and deal with the most ruthless characters, while still showing empathy to those who deserve it.

Nickless continues to deliver suspense to her readers and provides more than enough action to keep the plot going until the very end.
Ambush was nicely wrapped up in a little bow and could stand as a conclusion to the Sydney Rose Parnell series. However, readers who loved these books will get more of Sydney and Clyde in Nickless’s fourth installment, Gone to Darkness, which is expected to be published sometime next year (2020).