Sydney Parnell Series

Blood on the Tracks by Barbara Nickless
October 2016 | Thomas & Mercer | 9781503936867

Blood on the Tracks

Book 1

A young woman is found brutally murdered, and the main suspect is the victim’s fiancé, 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 shake the feeling that larger forces are behind this apparent crime of passion.

In the depths of an icy winter, Parnell and her K9 partner, Clyde―both haunted by their time in Iraq―descend into the underground world of a savage gang of rail riders. There, they uncover a wide-reaching conspiracy and a series of shocking crimes. Crimes that threaten everything Parnell holds dear.

As the search for the truth puts her directly in the path of the killer, Parnell must struggle with a deadly question: Can she fight monsters without becoming one herself?

AWARDS: The Colorado Book Award, presented by Colorado Humanities & the Center for the Book; the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence for mainstream mystery; the Colorado Authors’ League Writing Award for genre fiction. A Suspense Magazine Best Book of 2016.

“Nickless proves a master of both form and function in establishing herself every bit the equal of Nevada Barr and Linda Fairstein. A major debut that is not to be missed.”
—Jon Land, USA Today bestselling author

“Nickless’ writing admirably captures the fallout from a war where even survivors are trapped, forever reliving their trauma.”
Kirkus Reviews
“A suspenseful crime thriller with propulsive action, masterful writing and a tough-as-nails cop, Sydney Rose Parnell. Readers will want more.”
—Robert K. Tanenbaum, bestselling author
Dead Stop by Barbara Nickless
October 2017 | Thomas & Mercer | 9781503943384

Dead Stop

Book 2

It’s been five months since Special Agent Sydney Parnell survived a violent confrontation with a gang of brutal thugs, an encounter that left her physically and emotionally scarred. Deep down, Sydney fears she isn’t ready for another investigation. But when a woman is murdered on the train tracks and a child goes missing, she knows she’s the only one who can lead the hunt for the killer. While Denver police and the FBI chase down blind alleys, Sydney focuses on a single cryptic clue left behind at the crime scene—one that will send her down a path of greed, violence, and long-ago love.

With Denver beset by a series of monsoonlike thunderstorms that threaten to flood the city, Sydney and her K9 partner, Clyde, must wade through a murky trail of murder that stretches back thirty years—all to rescue a child…and catch a killer with a long memory and an insatiable appetite for destruction.

AWARDS: The 2018 Colorado Book Award for best mystery, presented by Colorado Humanities & the Center for the Book; the Colorado Authors’ League Writing Award for best genre novel of 2017; finalist for the 2018 Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence.

Dead Stop is a first-rate, can’t-put-down mystery with a momentum that never slows.”
—Margaret Coel, NYT bestselling author

““Nothing less than epic…A fast-paced, action-packed, thriller-diller of a novel featuring two of the most endearing and toughest ex-jarheads you’ll ever meet.”
Mysterious Book Report

“… riveting suspense. Nickless writes with the soul of a poet. Dead Stop is a dark and memorable book.”
—Gayle Lynds, NYT bestselling author

Ambush by Barbara Nickless
October 2019 | Thomas & Mercer | 9781503901513

Ambush

Book 3

Railway cop and former Marine Sydney Parnell is on the hunt. So is a killer she knows only as the Alpha. They’re in a race to find Malik, an eleven-year-old Iraqi boy with secrets to guard. Sydney wants to help him. The Alpha wants him dead.

From the dark alleys of Mexico City to the mean streets of Denver, Sydney and her K9 partner, Clyde, use their wits and determination to chase down the ruthless killer. But when their path collides with his, Sydney realizes just how far-reaching and sinister the Alpha’s past is. And how far he’s willing to go to save his secrets.

AWARDS: The Colorado Authors’ League Writing Award for best mystery novel of 2019.

“Ambush truly kicks butt and takes names, crackling with tension from page one with a plot as sharp as broken glass. Barbara Nickless is a superb writer.”
—Steve Berry, #1 Internationally bestselling author
“Barbara Nickless’s writing―at turns blazing, aching, stark, and gorgeous―propels this story at a breathless pace until its sublime conclusion.”
—Carter Wilson, USA Today bestselling author
“Exceptional … Nickless raises the stakes and expands the canvas of a blisteringly original series. A wholly satisfying, rollercoaster of a thriller that features one of the genre’s most truly original heroes.”
—Jon Land, USA Today bestselling author
Gone to Darkness by Barbara Nickless
June 2020 | Thomas & Mercer | 9781542092869

Gone to Darkness

Book 4

Iraqi war vet and former railway cop Sydney Parnell is now the youngest homicide detective in Denver’s Major Crimes Unit. In the past, gut instinct has served her and her K9 partner well. But it’s not a trait Len Bandoni, her old nemesis turned reluctant mentor, admires. Not until Sydney’s instincts lead to their first case: a man tortured and beaten to death, then left in a refrigerated train car with cryptic messages carved into his body.

The victim is a well-liked member of an elite club called the Superior Gentlemen. At first glance, the club appears harmless. But beneath its refined surface swim darker currents.

As Sydney; her K9 partner, Clyde; and Bandoni investigate the grisly murder, the three develop a bond that carries them through a shocking series of crimes and a horrifying conspiracy that threatens the detectives’ lives and promises to bring their beloved city to its knees.

“… the story’s narrative and dialogue are authentic and witty and demand compulsive reading. Gone to Darkness is everything you want in thriller fiction.”
—Robert Dugoni, #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author

“Nobody does atmosphere better than Barbara Nickless. With deft strokes, she draws impending doom within bleak settings and then colors them with vivid action and brilliant characters, both human and canine.”
—Margaret Mizushima, award-winning author

“With Gone to Darkness, Nickless expertly crafts a dark tale brightened with heart, humor, and humanity. It’s a tightly woven, always escalating, keeps-you-up-past-your-bedtime novel.”
—Matt Goldman, NYT bestselling author