The author clearly has firsthand knowledge of the Marine Corps and railway police or she did a lot of very effective research. The writing is quite good and the protagonist is unique, flawed, and interesting. There are a lot of things to like about this book. If you found this review helpful please indicate so. Emily Sutton-Smith gives an Excellent performance. Each of these subplots ties into the main story and each provides another suspect but don't get too attached to anyone in particular because the ending will throw you for a loop. What you won't see there is that while the main story is playing out there are multiple subplots going on concurrently. I could go on and describe the railroad police and the detective from the major crimes unit but you can read all that on the synopsis provided. And then there's her fiancé a badly burned Iraq veteran who is arrested for the crime. Some say she's like an angel others say she's a busybody getting involved with the wrong people. A woman is brutally murdered, she's kind and helpful to the down and outers and the hobos who pass through hitching rides on the railroad. This is another one of those who done it books that really keeps the reader/listener guessing right up to the very end. I thought she did a superb job with this book and I thoroughly enjoyed her writing style. I am very impressed with this debut novel by Barbara Nickless. Great debut, looking forward to more from this author

Barbara nickless at first light