Once again, I find myself reading books in a series out of order. I had read the first book, Blood on the Tracks, and found it decent, if not great. Skip ahead to this book. Sydney has moved on from the railroad to the Denver PD as a Homicide detective. But her first case involves the discovery of a mutilated body in a refrigerated rail car.
Once again, this is a decent, not great story. Sydney is still dealing with her ghosts, although her PTSD seems to be improving. Her new partner, Len, works well to flesh out the story and I appreciated how their relationship grew as the book progressed. Clyde, her K9 partner, figures prominently in the story, which is always a plus in my book.

Thanks to #Netgalley and the publishers of #GonetoDarkness for an advance reader's copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

"My counselor tells me that at my core, I am a good person. That we all come into the world as unblemished as God made us, and then the world starts to act on us. We can get back to that good core, he tells me. Back to our true selves. But I’ve seen too much. You can scrub all you want. But a darkened heart will always be dark." —Sydney Parnell. Personal journal.

I thought this book was a good read, although not quite the page turner I was going for. It can be read as a stand-alone but I suspect part of the reason it wasn't a page turner for me was because I had not read the first three books of the series. I think the book may have flowed at a faster pace had I done so.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Sydney and her K-9 partner Clyde. I also liked the eventual camaraderie between the detective and her work partner, Bandoni. I found this book well written. It was also apparent that the writer had put some time into researching various procedures and relevant topics. I would recommend this book to readers who Iove police procedurals and crime thrillers. I would also recommend reading the first three books first.

"We are all trying to create a good place in the world. That place where maybe we give a little more than we get." —Sydney Parnell. Personal journal.

I give this book a solid 3 stars ⭐⭐⭐ with the possibility of a higher rating if I read the other books on the series

This was my first novel from Barbara Nickless. It won't be my last! She creates compelling characters and writes gritty crime fiction.

I enjoyed the character of Sydney Parnell and her police dog partner, Clyde. Sydney is a driven investigator dealing with her demons as she's trying to solve the case and find justice.

I enjoyed the background Nickless wrote for Sydney Parnell. She's an Iraqi war vet and former railway cop who becomes the younger homicide detective in Denver's Major Crimes Unit.

Nickless will get your attention from the start with her gritty story telling and will keep you reading until the end.

I haven't read the 3 books that preceded this one, and I don't think my reading experience suffered any for it. I really enjoyed this book, the characters and of course, Clyde! In fact, I enjoyed this one so much that I have plans to get the three that came before it.

Trains aren't something I know much about, so their inclusion gave a different twist, for me at least. I enjoyed watching Sydney put the clues together, and her multi-layered and difficult relationship with her badge-partner. Lots of baggage, angst and secrets in this!

A must-read as far as I'm concerned!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this great book in exchange for my opinion.

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

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

2.75 Hearts This is the 4th in a series that I have not read before. And to say I felt a bit like I had no idea what was going on with the characters would be an understatement. Maybe if I had read the first one and understood Sydney a bit I would have enjoyed the story more but since I didn’t I was a bit out of sorts.

That being said the story is good. I loved Clyde, Sydney’s K9 partner. I always enjoy a book that really incorporates a dog and gives him a personality not just a “working dog”. Clyde is great.

The suspense was good. Didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat but I didn’t want to DNF it either.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Book 4 in the Sydney Parnell series sees Sydney and her partner, Clyde, in the Denver PD. The first three books of this series were an arc that tied together her job as a railway cop and her service as a marine in Iraq. Gone to Darkness provides a new start for Sydney as a homicide detective, but all of the thrills and twists of her previous cases remain. This works as a stand-alone; I read this first, and was immediately hooked on the character (and have gone back and read the first three in order). Recommended for fans of other female cops and K-9 partners.

Thanks to Thomas&Mercer and NetGalley for a digital ARC.

Gone to Darkness by Barbara Nickless is the latest installment in the gritty crime series featuring former railroad police officer Sydney Parnell and her K9 partner, Clyde. This book is set six months after the events in Ambush, and Sydney and Clyde are now members of the Denver Police’s Major Crimes Unit.

Sydney investigates a call from a railroad colleague and finds the body of a man in a refrigerated train car. The body was cruelly tortured and beaten to death. Sydney, Clyde and her new partner, Len Bandoni race to solve the case as the killer commits more horrifying crimes and silently stalks Sydney.

Gone to Darkness may be read as a standalone, but reading the first three books will result in a richer understanding of Sydney and her K9 partner, Clyde's intense relationship honed by their time in Iraq.

I enjoyed and recommend this fast-paced, well-written police procedural.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the eARC.

A great police procedural with a hefty dose of mystery. All the moving parts played well off of one another. The book reads well as a stand alone but better as a part of the series. Barbara Nickless can’t possibly give justice to the history of Parnell’s character in summarization. For those familiar with all things Sydney Parnell, the character arc is fantastic as we see more normalization and softening as she continues to transition from soldier to civilian.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC #GoneToDarkness which was read and reviewed voluntarily by @wayward_readers

"...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.

Sydney's left the rails and is now a homicide detective in Denver, working alongside her K9 Clyde. Yes, K9s aren't generally partnered with homicide detectives but go with it because he's a great character. She's also got a partner in Len, an older, wiser cop. Ironically, her first case with the PD involves a body found in a railcar- with things carved in his body. Her investigation takes you into the world of incels (how topical!). Know that Sydney, who served in Iraq (with Clyde) has PTSD and ghosts from her past speak to her (don't worry- not woo woo). She's struggling less this time around but would still benefit from a little help. It's a good mystery and you, like me, may learn something. I think this will be fine as a standalone, in part because it starts a new chapter in Sydney's life. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I requested this book because I enjoy reading books with strong females as main characters plus I liked the author's previous books. Spoiler alert: this book contains an awful lot of horrible, evil actions perpetrated against other humans. You'll need a strong stomach or nerves to read this one.

Sydney has moved on from her railway position and joined the Denver PD murder squad. This new book is well written with a decently complex plot - definitely qualifying as a dark mystery/thriller. I found the mutilation and subsequent investigation too much to stomach, so at the 70% mark I jumped nearly to the end of the book needing to know how it ended. Perhaps one day, in bright daylight, I can go back and read the quarter of the novel I couldn't bear to read.

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 an excellent police procedural with mystery and action. The plot is very good and the characters are great.

Always an enjoyable read and page-turning experience. This installment is it bit more predictable but the characters are just as strong and the plot just as fast-paced.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas/Mercer for the ARC to read and review.

Few authors write crime novels with the detail provided by Barbara Nickless. As I began reading “Gone to Darkness” I wondered if she would be able to achieve the same level of excellence I had enjoyed in her previous books. Thankfully, Ms. Nickless exceeded her former accomplishments on several levels.

Sydney Rose Parnell is the heroine, a railroad detective who recently moved on to the Major Crimes Unit in Denver. Accompanied by her canine partner Clyde, she discovers a major case that is shrouded with mystery, one that will require her to use every skill she has at her disposal. It is interesting to note that Sydney’s demon’s – remnants from her service time in the Middle East – still haunt her, and Ms. Nickless has allowed Sydney’s short time as a detective (coupled with her previous railroad job) to darken her thoughts. Sydney works in a profession where the job changes you (no one gets out without scars) and many writers neglect to add this element when crafting a crime series.

The five-star element of this book is Ms. Nickless’ attention to detail. This is a police procedural, and the author keeps the thoughts and conversations interesting, never allowing the story to become dry. The plot contains some unexpected twists and turns, and at the end I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Ms. Nickless fills the book with descriptive writing, realistic dialogue, and a believable plot. What more can a reader ask for? Five stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for a complimentary electronic copy of this title.

I didn’t realize this was a series of stories while reading. The characters are well developed in this story on its own; however, now that I know there are other books in this series, I want to know more about the characters.

<i>Puedes encontrar esta reseña en español al final.</i>

This novel is not titled by chance. This will be the first clue to find out if this story is what you usually read or if it´s a bit <i>darker</i> than you tolerate.
On the other hand, this is the fourth book in the series. There is no point in starting here, and if you have already read the previous three, it doesn't matter what I tell you, you will be hooked on this author and her series, as I am.

With that said, the best Sidney Rosie Parnell is back. It was a real pleasure.
In this installment, the plot and characters are more consolidated, perfectly defined, so the author ventures (with great success) to grow, mature her characters without letting them lose their essence.

At this point in the series I can add little more. The suspense is still outstanding, as are the original and interesting plots. To say that I have never read this line of suspense before is almost a miracle, since I have been enjoying this genre for more than thirty years now.

I can´t find it a fault, really. Being (a lot) persnickety, I would say that I would have love to read more about the heroine´s personal life. It is very interesting and deals with topics totally allien for me, that's why it attracts me so much.

In short, a fourth installment that improves its predecessor and that sets the bar high for the fifth. Because there will be a fifth, right? 😉

***

Este título no está puesto al azar. Esta será la primera pista para saber si esta historia es lo que sueles leer, o es un poco más <i>oscura</i> de lo que toleras.
Por otro lado, este es el cuarto libro de la serie. No tiene sentido empezar aquí, y si ya has leído los tres anteriores, da igual lo que te diga, estarás enganchada a esta autora, como lo estoy yo.

Dicho esto, la mejor Sidney Rosie Parnell está de vuelta. Es un auténtico placer.
En esta entrega la trama y los personajes están más consolidados, perfectamente definidos, así que la autora se aventura (con gran acierto) a hacer crecer, madurar a sus personajes sin dejarlos perder su esencia.

A estas alturas de la serie poco puedo añadir. El suspense sigue siendo sobresaliente, las tramas originales e interesantes, decir que esta línea de suspense no la había leído nunca es casi un milagro, ya que llevo más de treinta años disfrutando de este género.

No sé qué pega ponerle, la verdad. Por ser un poco quisquillosa diré que me gustaría haber visto algo más de la vida personal de la protagonista. Es muy interesante y lidia con temas totalmente desconocidos para mí, por eso me atrae tanto.

En fin, una cuarta entrega que mejora su antecesora y que deja el listón altísimo para la quinta. Porque habrá quinta, ¿no? 😉

Sydney Parnell is one of my favorite lead characters (plus Clyde her dog) and I am really enjoying this series.

Quote at 27%: "Death is a song with a million melodies that always ends on the same discordant note." I like Sydney's reflective observations.

The start of the book really pulled me in and I had a hard time putting it down. The plot moved along really well with only a slight lull in the middle. There were quite a few characters for the police to investigate and there was a point where I got a couple of characters mixed up, but that's on me. I think it was pretty easy to figure out the bad guy, but identifying him and catching him was a lot more difficult.

I enjoyed this one, recommend it, and look forward to the next in the series.

Barbara Nickless is a master of suspense. In each one of her books, she's drawn me in right from the start with the threat of impending danger. But Gone To Darkness, Book 4 of the Sydney Rose Parnell series, takes it a step further. This time, the threat is personal. Someone is after her.

From the grisly murder of a young man found in a refrigerated train car to the heart-pounding climax, Gone to Darkness grabbed me by the throat and didn't let go. As Sydney and her K9 partner, Clyde, delve into the sinister world of incels and gutter punks, they uncover a horrifying conspiracy to destroy innocent lives. And Sydney comes face to face with pure evil, a madman intent on destroying her.

My thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Barbara Nickless for my review copy.