The purpose of Thrifty Thursday is to read a book which was free (at some point).
Kindle freebie on September 19, 2016 (currently $4.99 and in Kindle Unlimited as of writing this post)
Overall rating 4.21 with 20,831 ratings and 1,583 reviews
Blood on the Tracks by Barbara Nickless
Series: Sydney Rose Parnell #1
Published by Thomas & Mercer on October 1, 2016
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 386
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm
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?
I continue on my K-9 series binge. I rediscovered this series because one of the later books in the series was a freebie and, lo and behold, I had book 1 as a freebie from 2016. My habit of checking out the freebies nearly every day has served me well.
Blood on the Tracks is a longish and dark story. Syndey is dealing with family issues and issues from being a veteran. She is a flawed character with the horrors she saw in the military and the loss of her family and fiance. She does have Clyde and they help each other with the PTSD. I do like the amount of actual K-9 work in the story.
Sydney is now a railway cop and deals with many of the homeless and people who ride the rails. There is a lot of danger and many don’t care about the deaths and crime in this population. The case ends up with Sydney facing differences with her made family, past military folks and traditional law enforcement. Everybody has their own moral compass without having the same lines. It’s a twisty case. Sydney really shows her fortitude and perseverance for the truth. I loved that.
There is a touch of romance. It might be considered enemies to lovers or friends to lovers, depending on how you look at it. Sydney doesn’t want to let anyone close, other than Clyde. But we all need someone and he’s not a bad guy. I definitely will go on with this Sydney Rose Parnell series. I have KU right now so it will be easier than if I had to buy them or find them at the library.
These are only Kindle freebies I get, or ones through author newsletters which anyone can sign up and get for free. I don’t include things like Kindle Unlimited or Prime Free Reading (I do have it). Both Tantor and Audible have occasional free audios (to anyone) and I do include those. Since I one-click on 1-2 freebies a day or probably at least 5 a week, I came up with this feature to make sure I start reading them.
- 🎧 Red River Road by Anna Downes @whatannawrote @MaddyWithington @MinotaurBooks @MacmillanAudio #LoveAudiobooks - October 3, 2024
- A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer by Maxie Dara @MaxieDara @jaimebee @BerkleyPub @PRHAudio @sophiarose1816 #LoveAudiobooks - October 2, 2024
- 🎧 Candle & Crow by Kevin Hearne @KevinHearne @luckylukeekul @DelReyBooks @PRHAudio#LoveAudiobooks - October 1, 2024
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- C21-Spring
I’m with you in liking a K-9 story to include a lot of K-9 work. Now, that is neat that she’s a railroad cop. I’ll have to put this series on my list.
I really really liked it. The beginning was a bit weird but it was great overall.