A review by cnorbury
Blood on the Tracks by Barbara Nickless
5.0
An outstanding debut novel, one of the best books I've read this year. Certainly deserving of the numerous awards it has won.
Be warned; this is a dark story about an Iraq veteran (who happens to be a woman) and her K-9 dog partner, Clyde, and how they cope with PTSD while trying to do their jobs as railroad police for a fictional police force in Denver. The nightmares and ghosts that protagonist Sydney Rose Parnell deals with seem deep, dark, haunting, and real. A fascinating study on watching someone attempt to do a stressful and dangerous job while teetering on the edge of sanity and reality.
Dialogue is some of the most genuine and realistic I've read, characters are flawed and barely coping, setting matches the story (winter in Denver--mostly gloomy and stormy for the story), and the editing is tight as can be. Grabs you from sentence one and holds on until the end.
Highly recommended.
Be warned; this is a dark story about an Iraq veteran (who happens to be a woman) and her K-9 dog partner, Clyde, and how they cope with PTSD while trying to do their jobs as railroad police for a fictional police force in Denver. The nightmares and ghosts that protagonist Sydney Rose Parnell deals with seem deep, dark, haunting, and real. A fascinating study on watching someone attempt to do a stressful and dangerous job while teetering on the edge of sanity and reality.
Dialogue is some of the most genuine and realistic I've read, characters are flawed and barely coping, setting matches the story (winter in Denver--mostly gloomy and stormy for the story), and the editing is tight as can be. Grabs you from sentence one and holds on until the end.
Highly recommended.