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cwalter01's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Another good book in the Sydney Parnell series. Clyde makes this series unique for me
donnek's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
We were the Marines the other Marines avoided. The pariahs, the bad luck charms. The ones no one wanted to risk being near. As if we didn’t just process death. As if we brought it.
Sydney Parnell
Personal Journal
In this third installment, former Marines and current Denver Railway cops, Sydney and Clyde (K9 partner) are back and as fierce as ever. Syd is still getting therapy for her PTSD, but she’s still seeing ghost/manifestations (that she has full on conversations with) of Marine friends and colleagues that were KIA. She’s making some small strides in her battles with drugs and alcohol by slowly weaning herself off of them. Her relationship with Denver PD Det, Cohen, still seems as shaky as ever. However, she is still determined as ever in finding Malik, an Iraqi boy she left behind during the war. She finally does locate him down in Mexico where he is being hidden and taken care of by a Muslim security guard (supposedly). This is not a spoiler since it’s basically how the story starts.
Most of us – maybe all of us – are broken in some way. Depending on who we are, those cracks can either let in the darkness or the light.
Sydney Parnell
Personal Journal
The book summary introduces the primary storyline of finding out who the Alpha is and what the Alpha wants with this particular team of former Marines. There is another storyline of an ambush in Iraq that Syd and a bunch of other Marines were in (revealed in previous installments) that led to why they believe the Alpha has been searching for them for a couple of years now. Then, of course, there is the storyline around Syd’s and Cohen’s fragile relationship.
There are good and bad people on both sides of a conflict. The trick is in figuring out which is which. And who is working for whom.
Sydney Parnell
Personal Journal
Most of the story revolves around finding out who the Alpha is, where the Alpha is now and how to end the Alpha’s reign of terror, once and for all. Syd and Clyde and the surviving members of the team from the ambush in Iraq team up to hunt down the Alpha. Deep into the second half, it’s shock and awe and a death-defying attack of military proportions that the Alpha is revealed.
Sooner or later, we all come to the ultimate contest, when it’s just us and the devil. And the devil hates to lose.
Sydney Parnell
Personal Journal
This was a Kindle Unlimited book. The nice thing about a lot of KU books is that you can flip back and forth between the ebook and the audiobook, which I love. This third installment was another fast-paced, action-packed, intense story that seemed to be the end of the Malik arc. It will be interesting to see what direction Nickless takes Syd and Clyde and Cohen too. I look forward to the next installment to see what kind of chaos and mayhem they all get themselves into.
War was the longest period of my life. I was twenty when I enlisted. But by the time I mustered out three years later, I felt ninety.
Sydney Parnell
ENGL 0208
Psychology of Combat
Sydney Parnell
Personal Journal
In this third installment, former Marines and current Denver Railway cops, Sydney and Clyde (K9 partner) are back and as fierce as ever. Syd is still getting therapy for her PTSD, but she’s still seeing ghost/manifestations (that she has full on conversations with) of Marine friends and colleagues that were KIA. She’s making some small strides in her battles with drugs and alcohol by slowly weaning herself off of them. Her relationship with Denver PD Det, Cohen, still seems as shaky as ever. However, she is still determined as ever in finding Malik, an Iraqi boy she left behind during the war. She finally does locate him down in Mexico where he is being hidden and taken care of by a Muslim security guard (supposedly). This is not a spoiler since it’s basically how the story starts.
Most of us – maybe all of us – are broken in some way. Depending on who we are, those cracks can either let in the darkness or the light.
Sydney Parnell
Personal Journal
The book summary introduces the primary storyline of finding out who the Alpha is and what the Alpha wants with this particular team of former Marines. There is another storyline of an ambush in Iraq that Syd and a bunch of other Marines were in (revealed in previous installments) that led to why they believe the Alpha has been searching for them for a couple of years now. Then, of course, there is the storyline around Syd’s and Cohen’s fragile relationship.
There are good and bad people on both sides of a conflict. The trick is in figuring out which is which. And who is working for whom.
Sydney Parnell
Personal Journal
Most of the story revolves around finding out who the Alpha is, where the Alpha is now and how to end the Alpha’s reign of terror, once and for all. Syd and Clyde and the surviving members of the team from the ambush in Iraq team up to hunt down the Alpha. Deep into the second half, it’s shock and awe and a death-defying attack of military proportions that the Alpha is revealed.
Sooner or later, we all come to the ultimate contest, when it’s just us and the devil. And the devil hates to lose.
Sydney Parnell
Personal Journal
This was a Kindle Unlimited book. The nice thing about a lot of KU books is that you can flip back and forth between the ebook and the audiobook, which I love. This third installment was another fast-paced, action-packed, intense story that seemed to be the end of the Malik arc. It will be interesting to see what direction Nickless takes Syd and Clyde and Cohen too. I look forward to the next installment to see what kind of chaos and mayhem they all get themselves into.
War was the longest period of my life. I was twenty when I enlisted. But by the time I mustered out three years later, I felt ninety.
Sydney Parnell
ENGL 0208
Psychology of Combat
Content Warnings
The MC is a former Marine with PTSD and hallucinations of the war and those she knew who were KIA.
She is also struggling to get clean and sober.
eastofthesunwestofthemoon's review against another edition
4.0
4 1/2 stars. This book fills in a lot of blanks from Sydney's past. It also continues to build Sydney's abilities and commitment to resolving bad situations.
chromatick's review against another edition
5.0
I'm still a fan of the Sydney Rose books. What started off in book one as the story about a former marine now turned K9 railroad cop, has grown and now opened up into a much bigger world involving gun smuggling, the CIA, assassins for hire, and a whole lot more. Sydney is such a great character, and of course I love her K9 partner Clyde.
This was another strong effort and easily a 4.5 star read for me. I look forward to seeing where Sydney goes next.
This was another strong effort and easily a 4.5 star read for me. I look forward to seeing where Sydney goes next.
veronica87's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 stars
I really did like this book; I'm especially happy with the choices Sidney made in the end. That said, I'm deducting some points because there was a twist in this book that I've seen done before and I'm not a fan. It smacks too much of a plot line lifted straight out of a daytime soap opera...but the author went there so, fine. What's done is done...but because it was done, the very nature of the twist demands a certain amount of attention. It necessitates that some very serious conversations happen between Sidney and other crucial parties. My biggest issue with this book is that these conversations either don't happen on the page at all, in one instance, or else are so quickly skimmed over that they might as well not have happened. On an emotional level I found that aspect of the plot unsatisfying. As far as the actual case goes, this book closed out the loop on the mysterious Alpha and the events from Iraq that have plagued Sidney since the first book. There were some tense moments for both Sidney and Clyde but they both prove the worth of their partnership. I definitely plan to read the fourth book when it comes out next year.
I really did like this book; I'm especially happy with the choices Sidney made in the end. That said, I'm deducting some points because there was a twist in this book that I've seen done before and I'm not a fan. It smacks too much of a plot line lifted straight out of a daytime soap opera...but the author went there so, fine. What's done is done...but because it was done, the very nature of the twist demands a certain amount of attention. It necessitates that some very serious conversations happen between Sidney and other crucial parties. My biggest issue with this book is that these conversations either don't happen on the page at all, in one instance, or else are so quickly skimmed over that they might as well not have happened. On an emotional level I found that aspect of the plot unsatisfying. As far as the actual case goes, this book closed out the loop on the mysterious Alpha and the events from Iraq that have plagued Sidney since the first book. There were some tense moments for both Sidney and Clyde but they both prove the worth of their partnership. I definitely plan to read the fourth book when it comes out next year.
laurenjodi's review against another edition
3.0
Ambush
3 Stars
Railway detective Sydney Rose Parnell and her K-9 partner, Clyde, join in the investigation into the murder of a railway security guard by a homeless man. Sydney soon realizes that the case is connected to the conspiracy revolving around the deaths of a Marine and interpreter in Iraq as well as the actions of the mysterious Alpha who is determined to keep the events secret.
While it is good to finally have an explanation and closure surrounding Sydney's past in Iraq during the 2nd Gulf War, the plot feels more like a Cold War thriller than a murder investigation. This shift in tone is disappointing as the conspiracy elements seem cobbled together rather than a natural development based on the hints provided in previous books.
The pacing is also rather slow at first, but the twists soon start coming and the tension increases as the story progresses. There are some very surprising and interesting revelations along the way although one or two developments require more than a little suspension of disbelief. Thankfully, Nickless avoids the annoying, and Sydney makes the right choices for herself.
Overall, this is not the best installment in the series, and I hope that the next book returns to the more appealing police procedural style of the first couple of books.
3 Stars
Railway detective Sydney Rose Parnell and her K-9 partner, Clyde, join in the investigation into the murder of a railway security guard by a homeless man. Sydney soon realizes that the case is connected to the conspiracy revolving around the deaths of a Marine and interpreter in Iraq as well as the actions of the mysterious Alpha who is determined to keep the events secret.
While it is good to finally have an explanation and closure surrounding Sydney's past in Iraq during the 2nd Gulf War, the plot feels more like a Cold War thriller than a murder investigation. This shift in tone is disappointing as the conspiracy elements seem cobbled together rather than a natural development based on the hints provided in previous books.
The pacing is also rather slow at first, but the twists soon start coming and the tension increases as the story progresses. There are some very surprising and interesting revelations along the way although one or two developments require more than a little suspension of disbelief. Thankfully, Nickless avoids the annoying
Spoiler
love triangle when Sydney's love interest, Doug Ayres is resurrectedOverall, this is not the best installment in the series, and I hope that the next book returns to the more appealing police procedural style of the first couple of books.
alisonsmithlong's review against another edition
5.0
These books are great. I’ve blown through the first 3 and can’t wait to start the next. In addition to great suspense and writing and good character arcs, the author also includes opportunities to learn more about the worlds she introduces readers to, citing articles and books for further exploration in the afterword. Perfect example of the careful, thoughtful planning that goes into the writing. Still highly recommend. And I love Clyde.
ja_hopkins's review against another edition
4.0
We start with Sydney in Mexico, following up a lead a lead related to the Alpha, the shadowy figure behind the threats to her life, and numerous deaths of people close to her. She and the Alpha are looking for Malik, the young Iraqi boy Parnell was close to whilst on a tour in Iraq with the Marines – his secrets are a threat to both, but only the Alpha wants to kill him.
Parnell’s short time in the dangerous streets of Mexico City end with her being assaulted, but on her return to Denver, she becomes involved in the case of a murdered former marine, linked to the Alpha. With Clyde, her dog/partner, Parnell gradually gets closer to the Alpha, and it becomes clear they will stop at nothing to ensure the information Malik has never sees the light of day.
This is another good outing for Parnell. As ever, Nickless writes the lead character with sympathy and depth. She is not flawless, nor is she impregnable or a superhero capable of everything, although of course we know no matter how dire the situation, Parnell must survive, but that is true of any thriller-lead character. The story is more familiar than previous outings (Iraq War conspiracy theory), but that isn’t a problem when it is as well written as this. My only quibble is one or two stylistic things I could do without, but I already have book 4 on my kindle.
Parnell’s short time in the dangerous streets of Mexico City end with her being assaulted, but on her return to Denver, she becomes involved in the case of a murdered former marine, linked to the Alpha. With Clyde, her dog/partner, Parnell gradually gets closer to the Alpha, and it becomes clear they will stop at nothing to ensure the information Malik has never sees the light of day.
This is another good outing for Parnell. As ever, Nickless writes the lead character with sympathy and depth. She is not flawless, nor is she impregnable or a superhero capable of everything, although of course we know no matter how dire the situation, Parnell must survive, but that is true of any thriller-lead character. The story is more familiar than previous outings (Iraq War conspiracy theory), but that isn’t a problem when it is as well written as this. My only quibble is one or two stylistic things I could do without, but I already have book 4 on my kindle.