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.
Having majored eons ago in Semiotics, I was thrilled to discover a character whose career was in forensic Semiotics. The book became much more interesting to me once he showed up.
And six months ago, I couldn’t have told you what an Incel was. Now, this is the second book I’ve read that had them as part of the plot.
My thanks to netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of this book.

I have thoroughly enjoyed each book in the Sydney Parnell series and I am impressed every time with Barbara Nickless' skill in creating a meaty plot, great action, and complex characters. In this latest installment, Sydney and her K9 sidekick Clyde are in transition from railroad cop to murder cop. Their first homicide case includes enough of the railroads to satisfy fans of that aspect of the series, but adds in lots of new elements -- pickup artists, gutter punks, social justice warriors, and the language of killers. With her usual high-quality prose Nickless delivers once again, weaving it all together into a finished product that kept me turning pages right up to the end.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this arc.

Gone to Darkness is the fourth book of this series and I was really glad to see it as something about book 3 just felt so final to me. There's a big time gap as Sydney has left the railroad and has joined the Denver PD and has worked her way up to the Major Crimes Unit as a detective along with her dog Clyde. ( little jarring maybe as usually K-9 units are separate from Murder/Major Crimes in most US police departments, but never mind). I was just glad to see them back.

After a night of celebrating Sydney's transition from the railroad to the police department/promotion, Sydney is on her way to retrieve her PD badge back from one of her former railroad officers before the new boss finds out she's "lost" it. Instead she finds her former fellow railroad officer out of his vehicle and out cold on the ground some ways away from his vehicle (and her badge). Well something's wrong. She insists the train be stopped in the RR yard for a search and she searches again until she finds a horribly mangled and mutilated body. She's got a case!

The pacing was good and I enjoyed the read. I liked her new partner Len and just adored Clyde, but the many, many plot contrivances somewhat spoiled it for me overall.

Police thriller with great characters,especially the dog. Fast moving and exciting,a great storyline with lots of red herrings.

Gone to Darkness by Barbara Nickless is the 4th book in the Sydney Parnell and her K9 partner Clyde series. I saw it recommended on someone's blog, but can't remember whose. Anyway, I'm glad I gave it a try!

Although there are references to previous books, Gone to Darkness worked just fine as a standalone.

An Iraq war veteran, Sydney Parnell and Clyde, a Belgian Malinois, worked with the railroad police in the earlier books, but have just joined the Denver Homicide Squad. She has a new partner in Detective Len Bandoni, a weathered veteran of the force.

When Sydney gets a call-out from a colleague in her former unit with the railroad police, she has a personal reason to reply to her friend. When she arrives on the scene and finally locates him, Heinrich is unconscious from a blow to the head. When he comes around, he remembers little about what happened.

Sydney and Clyde do a preliminary search of the area to see if Sydney can determine more about what happened. She discovers what appears to be a small makeshift shrine and a bit of bloody chiffon.

With the second sense of a war veteran, Sydney is certain there is a body involved--but where?

Sydney, Clyde, and Bandoni find themselves in an investigation that gets deadlier and more threatening. Well-written and suspenseful, the plot involves Incels (Involuntary Celibates) and the Manosphere.

The only thing I didn't like was the prologue. Too many books begin with a prologue now and sometimes they work. For me personally, this is the kind that doesn't work because it gives too much away. Aside from my dislike of the prologue, the characters, police procedural, and narrative kept me riveted . I will most definitely be looking for the previous books in the series.

Read in April. Blog review scheduled for May 10.

NetGalley/Thomas & Mercer
Crime/Police Procedural. June 2, 2020. Print length: 364 pages.

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.

Gone to Darkness was the first Barbara Nickless book I had ever read. After finishing it in a few days I can say that I will be trying to find the other books in the series! In this book Sydney Parnell, a recently promoted detective with the Denver PD, finds herself one again investigating a case that involves the railroad. As she and her partner Len Baldoni investigate the murder of a man found on a refrigerated train car they discover a sinister group called the Superior Gentlemen. The victim had been a member but recently left the group. The deeper Sydney and her K9 partner Clyde dig into the group the more disturbing they become. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to other readers.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the eARC.
The first I read in this series and I don't know if I liked it or not.
Sidney Parnell and Clyde, her canine partner, have joined the Denver Major Crime Unit after leaving the Denver Pacific Continental Railway. Her human partner, detective Len Bandoni, doesn't seem too impressed with her and she can't help wanting to impress him. Sidney still suffers from PTSD after serving in Iraq, as does Clyde. Clyde is the one being she trusts 100% and they're inseparable.
After two horrific murders the 3 of them get involved in a case that involves some of the most evil humans imaginable, one of whom has his sights set on capturing Sydney. This is where I found myself losing interest. The theme of a woman stalked and captured in the end by the madman who hates women is so prevalent in the mystery genre that it bores me. It's too much 'same old, same old'. The best parts of the book were Clyde (loved him) and Bandoni and Sydney's growing relationship.
I don't think I'll read any more in the series.

I have always enjoyed this series and I must say I think this one is the best.

Sydney leaves her job with the railroad to join the homicide squad taking her beloved companion with her. Right out of the door her first case sends her back to the railroad when a body is discovered in one of the refrigerator cars. The body will lead her into a cabal of evil, one that preys on women, and leaves her wondering if she made the right decision.

I love the characters and how the author especially develops Sydney. A Marine war vet with inner demons of her own and a K-9 companion she trusts more than anyone brings to life the struggles with her past and the hope for her future. I believe my favorite parts of each book are the chapter headings where Sydney reveals her feelings and perceptions of her experiences.

If you haven't read any of these I urge you to. You will not be disappointed. Plus, the ending on this one is worth the read. A nail biting, knee jerking doozy of a finish with an evil you want to jump into the pages and help Sydney yourself.