Dr. Evan Wilding's Thrilling Novel "At First Light"

HSDeb: ...but a good yarn.
It did take a while to get thru it, but that was more busy life than bad book.
I'll give #2 a go.

United States on Oct 29, 2023

Cheryl ann Preno: I was never one for Viking age stories, but when it turns to a mystery thriller, you got my attention. I believe I have a new favorite author, and Dr Evan Wilding is a new character I'll be looking forward to reading about. Recommend, OH YES.

United States on Oct 19, 2023

Roxx Tarantini: With a writing style reminiscent of all the best British mysteries, Nickless ensures that the reader is both fascinated and engaged. She wastes no time in populating this tale with intriguing personalities that live up to the intricate plot set before the reader.

A few surprises along the way to the culprit promise to keep you turning pages. At First Light is the first in the Evan Wilding series; I guarantee you'll be heading to your bookseller to buy the next one!

United States on Oct 17, 2023

Evelyn J. Estes: I actually fell in love with Evan (aka-Dr. Wilding) and Addie , the cop. I learned a ton about runes and the Vikings; have always been fascinated by this culture. Would love to read more with the two mentioned above.

United States on Sep 23, 2023

Kaz: A very good read that keeps you guessing right till the end. It was fun trying to work out the riddles too!

United Kingdom on Aug 20, 2023

Andy North: I enjoyed this first outing of Dr Wilding, he's a likeable character albeit an unlikely one. The plot was good and had some good twists. Look forward to reading the next one in the series

United Kingdom on Jun 24, 2023

ShoppinMama: A female cop brings her best friend, a forensic semiotician, onto a case to help find a killer that uses viking runes, bog bodies and epic poems in their kills. They have to fight discrimination from the brass and suspects all while trying to decipher the killers message before they strike again.
I loved the characters in this book. They were all very well done. I have never read about a character with dwarfism so that was also very interesting. The inclusion of a hawk as a pet was also a fun twist. The plot was engaging and there was an equal amount of action as their was a description of the thought process the characters go through to figure out who done it!
I do believe the ending wrapped up a bit too quickly. I wish there was a bit more explanation as to why the killer did what they did and why they were willing to bargain at the end but I still really enjoyed this book and would read the next one. I will follow this author!

United States on Mar 03, 2023

GMK: Enjoyed the story, which kept me reading ‘just another’ chapter when I should have been sleeping! Well drawn characters helped drive the plot.
There were a few errors that should have been picked up in editing & some glaring ‘continuity’ errors that simply should not make it through proof readings .
Having said that, I will be moving straight on to the next book in the series.

United Kingdom on Dec 18, 2022

Linda: I am a huge fan of Barbara Nickless, having read all her Sydney Rose Parnell series and enjoyed them very much. When I discovered that she had created a new character I was keen to read the first in the series. I was definitely highly impressed. From the minute you start reading, you feel as if you have known the characters all your life. They are all so well-crafted and realistic and this is a fantastic start to a new series, which totally involves you from the very beginning. Dr Evan Wilding is an immediately likeable character, being intelligent, sensible, and British. I found I could relate to him extremely well. Detective Addie Bisset took a little bit longer to grow on me, but she got there in the end. I found the story itself both complex and interesting. Viking mythology is not something that I have really taken to in the past, but this side of it was quite disturbing and leant itself nicely to the purpose of the plot. There were intense, exciting, and frightening parts in this story which held my attention all the way through to the very end, and I found the finish nicely rounded and satisfying with no lose ends left hanging. This author is a very talented writer, and I...

United Kingdom on Jul 23, 2022

Kindle Customer: I found this a good fun detective story where the freelance consultant is the real star. Well researched on how the runes used to leave messages related to ancient myth stories. Not just a quick five minute check up on old myths, must have taken quite some time to get the background knowledge required.

Evan Whiting is not your normal clever consultant, he uses his mind to analyze things and, in this story, to translate the puzzling messages left behind. Very puzzling cryptic messages, open to multiple interpretations, which adds greatly to the enjoyment. Personally, I enjoyed the explanations of the Viking history and Old English stories (Beowulf) that were weaved into the plot. I noted that many who gave a poor review didn't like those parts.

I found the book well written with many cleverly phrased comments slipped in and I liked the author's style. I am sure I will get the next in the series to follow Evan's adventures. Being an academic myself, it's nice to come across an investigator who isn't a super fit. 6 ft tall ex SAS person and uses his brain instead of his muscles and guns.

While I'm sure I've read another murder story where the clues were in runes,...

United Kingdom on Dec 05, 2021