DEAD STOP
Author: Barbara Nickless
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
ISBN: 9781503943384
Genre: Murder Mystery
DEAD STOP by Barbara Nickless is one hell of a twisted read full of taut drama, nail-biting tension, with a compelling plot that utterly blindsided me. But what sets this book apart from other murder-mysteries I’ve read of late is, Sydney Rose Parnell is the kind of character you not only root for but is someone you can identify with. I felt a real affinity for her because of her past, because of the baggage she carries.
Baggage that makes Sydney while not totally unique certainly different. Having done a couple of tours of Afghanistan she’s seen death on a scale we can only imagine. Working in Mortuary Affairs Sydney knows all too well what the true horror of war looks like. From the broken, twisted remains of soldiers blown apart by an IED, to collecting, identifying, and carefully piecing together her fellow soldier, bit by bit, by bit. The weight of the dead with her even after she returns to the US and back into civilian life, to work as a Special Agent for the DPC railway as a cop and dog handler.