An Amazon Best Book of the Month: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
“Well-researched…” —Kirkus Reviews
“[In] this intense psychological thriller…Evan and Addie race to prevent more bloodshed. Hints of a romantic relationship between the pair enliven the story, and references to Beowulf and Viking history add depth. Readers will hope to see more of Addie and Evan.” —Publishers Weekly
“Brilliant Evan Wilding, with his goshawk and unusual friendships, will fascinate those who read for character.” —Library Journal
“At First Light is a winner.” —Denver Post
“…a high intensity thriller that will take your breath away…Barbara Nickless is an awesome talent.” —Mysterious Book Report
“The moment I finished this intelligent and pulse-pounding psychological thriller, I was ready for Book Two…Dr. Evan Wilding is one of the most interesting fictional characters I’ve met in some time…Author Nickless’s prose is crisp and, at times, poetic. Her descriptions are vivid but balanced. I became immediately attached to her engaging and well-drawn characters. In some respects, At First Light is reminiscent of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. I highly recommend this book to fans of fast-paced thrillers that include riddles, ancient languages and literature.” —Claudia N. Oltean, for the Jacksonville Florida Times-Union
“At First Light is a stunner of a tale. Barbara Nickless has fashioned a deep exploration into moral depravity and the dark depths of the human soul in a fashion not seen since the brilliant David Fincher film SE7EN. This wholly realized tale is reminiscent of Lisa Gardner, Karin Slaughter, and Lisa Scottoline at their level best.” —Jon Land, USA Today bestselling author
“Barbara Nickless has crafted a dark, twisty thrill ride with a bad guy to give you nightmares, and a pair of protagonists you will want to come back to again and again. Lock your doors and curl up with this book!” —Tami Hoag, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Boy
“At First Light by Barbara Nickless is one of the best books I’ve read in a long, long while. With unique and unforgettable characters who match wits with a devious, sophisticated and ritualistic serial killer, this complex and compelling story is as powerful as a Norse God and just as terrifying. I can’t wait for the next book in the series featuring Detective Addie Bisset and Dr. Evan Wilding! Bravo!” —Lisa Jackson, #1 New York Times bestselling author
11/01/2021
Nickless's ("Sidney Rose Parnell" series) new police procedural features Chicago police detective Addie Bisset and her best friend, Dr. Evan Wilding, whom Addie calls on when untangling weird cases. Evan, who has dwarfism, is a brilliant University of Chicago forensic semiotician who studies murderers—the rituals they perform and the symbols or writing they leave at crime scenes. Addie needs Evan's help with a new murder case, whose victim was killed not once but thrice, with a blow to the head, his throat slashed, and a tightened noose around his neck; all over the crime scene are mysterious glyphs, and a second murder soon turns up, with a similar M.O. Evan translates the glyphs (Viking Age runes) and proposes that their writer sees themself as a Viking poet taking revenge and is pledging to commit five ritualistic killings in all. A competing theory from a TV runologist insists that the runes are in fact espousing Nazism. Addie's the one who spots "the sparrow" repeated in the runes—a reference to Evan's nickname; could he be the killer's target? VERDICT Nickless's police procedural isn't for the squeamish and spends too long on the runes, but brilliant Evan Wilding, with his goshawk and unusual friendships, will fascinate those who read for character.—Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN
2021-09-01
The Chicago Police Department turns to a forensic semiotician when mysterious runes are found on a corpse.
Amateur falconer Evan Wilding notices things. Out hunting with his hawk, Ginny, he notices that someone’s been killing pigeons, not for food or sport, but cutting them with knives as though practicing. Around the same time, the discovery of a body on the banks of the Calumet River gives Detective Addie Bisset, Evan’s friend and sometime collaborator on human murders, her next case. Struck by the deliberate arrangement of the body, Addie suspects that this crime is different. Her suspicion is fueled by the discovery of a series of symbols, almost like letters, nearby. Addie’s happy to have an excuse to connect with Evan. While the rest of the department sometimes looks down on Evan, often literally given his short stature as a person with dwarfism, Addie’s always been impressed with his wealth of knowledge as a forensic semiotician. After all, the University of Chicago doesn’t hire just anyone, and Evan’s expertise is so impressive that it sometimes makes Addie consider giving up her penchant for bad boys to pursue something with him. Although Evan and his research assistant can figure out the symbols are runes associated with the Viking Age, their discovery doesn’t shed much light on the murder. So Addie’s colleagues consult Ralph Rhinehart, a specialist in cultural anthropology and dark magic who wastes no time developing a profile of the perp. But Evan hesitates to adopt Rhinehart’s easy answers, and the rivals’ verbal one-upmanship does little to help the department catch a killer whose body count is rising.
Well-researched enough to satisfy those up for a deep dive. Casual readers may look elsewhere.
