At First Light

Written by Barbara Nickless

Narrated by Tim Campbell

Ritual murder. Archaic clues. A visionary killer. In this heart-stopping novel by the Wall Street Journal and Amazon Charts bestselling author of the Sydney Rose Parnell series, words can kill.

On the muddy banks of the Calumet River, a body has been found posed next to a series of mysterious glyphs and bearing wounds from a ritualistic slaying. Chicago detective Addie Bisset knows only one man who can decipher the message left by the killer: her friend Dr. Evan Wilding. A brilliant forensic semiotician, Evan decodes the etchings as Viking Age runes. They suggest either human sacrifice or righteous punishment. But to what god? And for what sins?

Only one thing is clear from the disturbing runic riddles: there are more victims to come.

As Evan races to determine the identity of the Viking Poet, he and Addie uncover the killer’s most terrifying secret yet: the motive. This startling discovery puts Evan’s life in mortal danger, and verse by ancient verse, time is running out.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Dec 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781713551539

Barbara Nickless

Barbara Nickless is the Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of the Sydney Rose Parnell series, which includes Blood on the Tracks, a Suspense Magazine Best of 2016 selection and winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence; Dead Stop; and Ambush. Blood on the Tracks and Dead Stop won the Colorado Book Award, and Dead Stop was nominated for the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence. Her essays and short stories have appeared in Writer’s Digest and Criminal Element, among other markets. She lives in Colorado, where she loves to cave, snowshoe, hike, and drink single malt Scotch—usually not at the same time. Connect with her at www.barbaranickless.com.

Reviews for At First Light

[paulagalvan-323293 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

At First Light is a suspenseful thriller about ancient runes and ritual murder that grabbed me from page one. After reading this author's Sydney Parnell series, I knew this new series would be good, but it has exceeded my expectations. I love this new character, Dr. Evan Wilding, a Semiotician—an expert interpreting signs and symbols left at crime scenes by serial killers. When Chicago PD detective Adrianne "Addie" Bisset and her partner, Patrick, discover a murder victim posed in the Calumet River, her first thought is to call her friend, Evan. As Addie and Evan track down an insane killer out for revenge, the plot takes the reader deep into the history of the Vikings, medieval literature, and the fascinating subject of bog bodies. I felt thoroughly entertained and educated after reading this book! I can't wait to see what these two get into in the next book in this series.

[juju2cat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

So thoroughly entertaining and fast paced that I read it in one day. This book has quite a cast of characters. Hoping this is marked Dr. Evan Wilding #1 that there will be a sequel.

[philipjhunt · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Here’s a clever, experienced and insightful author at the top of her game. Perfectly plotted. Relentlessly paced. Delightful characters and just enough banter and humour to balance the gruesome. I look forward to reading more by Barbara Nickless.

[jenniferrobb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.0-3.5 stars (rating shown may vary depending on site)This was an Amazon First Reads pick. The mystery was interesting but there is a lot of detail regarding Vikings, Norse, Runes, and death rituals. Most of which I wasn't overly familiar with. It started out interesting, but there was so much to remember, particularly about the runes and their translation, that at some point I gave up trying.While it was interesting to have a differently abled main character, none of the characters in the book struck a chord with me to the point where I was rooting for him/her. I did like that Evan connected with Tommy by using methods different than what most others had tried.

[cathygeha · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

At First Light by Barbara NicklessDr. Evan Wilding #1Challenging, intriguing, educational, very well written introduction to a series I am thrilled to have begun. I will be thinking about this one for quite a while!What I liked: * Dr. Evan Wilding: intelligent, master of words (semiotician), brother, professor, riddle solver, historian, into falconry, owner of Ginny, brother to River, police consultant, friend to Detective Addison Bisset, intriguing* Detective Addison Bisset: homicide detective, secretive artist, sibling, dedicated, professional, good friend, serial dater, good friend of Evan, team player, want to know more about her* Patrick: Addie’s police partner* Ginny: Evan’s hawk* Diana: assistant to Dr. Wilding, into axe throwing, strong, attractive, tall, intelligent, intriguing – can see her playing a part in future books* The tie-in to Runes, Vikings, Bog Bodies and Poetry – The puzzle was fascinating* The old Norse myths mentioned and my desire to do further study of them. I have played with runes before and may look for my set that are hiding somewhere in the house* The side characters that may play parts in future books of the series…more than I want to list at the moment but do look forward to seeing them again* That the serial killer was found and the reason for the murders explained – though I empathized I could not condone* The potential for romance between Evan and one of the women in the book* Wondering what will happen in book two of the seriesWhat I didn’t like: * The serial killer: warped, cruel, poet, damaged* The misogynists and neo-Nazi Vikings* The cruelty of some of the characters* Having to wait till the next book is ready to read* Having my computer die, losing the book, finding a way to read it even though it was trickier than expectedDid I enjoy this book? DefinitelyWould I read more in this series? Without a doubt! Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC – This is my honest review.5 Stars

[cathyskye · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Since I am a fan of Barbara Nickless' series featuring railroad detective Sydney Rose Parnell (the first two books in that series, Blood on the Tracks and Dead Stop, both made my Best Reads lists the year I read them), I wasn't about to pass up a chance to read the first in her new Dr. Evan Wilding series. At First Light is a very promising beginning, and I look forward to future books. The strongest part of the book is the two main characters. Both are flawed, both are extremely intelligent, and I felt so at home with them, I would invite them here to the house. Addie Bisset is the more expected character: unhappy childhood, serial monogamist, and dealing with misogyny in the Chicago Police Department. At least her partner, Patrick, not only celebrates his Irish heritage, he's a good foil to Addie and has her back. The character that really steps up to the plate is Dr. Evan Wilding, who not only has a brilliant mind perfectly suited to interpreting signs and symbols and their usage, he has dwarfism. This hero may have a bullet-proof mind, but he isn't exactly ten feet tall. Wilding has a perfect assistant whom I'm looking forward to seeing more of in future books, and I enjoyed learning more about him as his personal and professional lives unfolded. Evan and Addie are perfect for each other, but they're scared to death to show their true feelings. Why risk romance when they could lose this wonderful friendship if something goes wrong? The mystery is a good one and kept me guessing. I wasn't fooled by some of the misdirection but I didn't have the killer's identity deduced before its reveal. That's always a plus. In fact, there's only one thing that dulled my enjoyment of At First Light: there's too much Viking lore! Don't get me wrong, I find Viking culture fascinating, but there was just too much of it, and the weight of all that research dragged the book down. I'm hoping that Nickless won't fall in love with her research again in the second book because-- with the characters of Addie and Evan, the author's talent in crafting strong mysteries, and the setting of Chicago-- I'm definitely going to read it.(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Amazon)