Vikings?
Bog boddies?
Religious sacrifice?
Nazis?
Riddles?

Sherlock meets The DaVinci Code in this twisty mystery.

I love a book that has history and symbolism intertwined. This book had so much of it and it was great. Though I will say, at some point all that I loved about it was also it's slight downfall for me. As the book goes on, it did get a bit much and I did start to loose concentration for a bit. But man was I dragged back in as information came together and all was revealed.

Did not see that coming. 😳

Interesting but not really my cup of tea. Well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Predictable and honestly it was a struggle to keep my interest. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was amazing! First time reading a book by this author and I look forward to reading more by them. I highly recommend this book!

This was a solid mystery. It was well written and had intriguing characters that kept me interested. It was well paced.

What a great new series! I loved the two main characters and how they worked together. I liked how each perspective, giving us an inside track into the mystery and all the hidden steps and pieces to it. I liked learning about the lore and symbols. Midway, I ran out of time to read on my kindle and flipped to audio and it was really good too! I was drawn in to the mystery but stayed for the characters. I loved this one.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I liked the character of Evan Wilding. I don't think I have ever read a book that featured a Little Person before so it was interesting to read a little about the challenges he faced. His profession was fascinating - I had no idea what a semiotician was until I read this book!

Evan is friends with Addie, who is a police officer with lots of brothers and a boss who is not supportive of her in any way, so she also knows what it is like to have to struggle to be heard. The pair of them were a force to be reckoned with.

The bodies keep on piling up in this book, and the key to it is Viking runes. I have to admit, I was getting a little tired of the riddles and poetry by the end of the book but the concept is a good one.

4 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer.

At First Light is a modern day detective novel, following Chicagoan Addison Bisset as she takes on a case involving a strange ritualistic style murder. She calls on her friend Dr. Evan Wilding, a symbolism expert, to assist - and we are introduced to their "will they won't they" friendship.
I have to admit I was immediately side-eyeing the author when they mention Evan has dwarfism. I was afraid they would make his character gimmicky and one dimensional, but honestly he's the most well written and has the best scenes. His knowledge of all things - seriously he is like an encyclopedia - was so enjoyable to read. I loved the connections he would quickly make upon looking at one of Addison's crime scenes.
I really enjoyed the research that went in to this book surrounding Runes and Viking culture. I found myself looking up certain gods and traditions mentioned in the book!
As the book goes on, you can tell they are really pushing for tension between the detective and Wilding, but honestly they read more as siblings to me. Evan is extremely smart, charismatic and charming - I loved the way other female characters reacted to him - he's easy to fall in love with.
Without spoiling - the actual culprit turned out unbelievable to me, their motives were kind of a stretch for me.
With that said, I really enjoyed Dr. Wilding's character and I'm excited to see this is a series because I will definitely be reading the next one!

<i>Puedes encontrar esta reseña en español al final.</i>

I've been reading suspense all my life, that's why it's increasingly difficult for me to find something original. Everything starts to sound repeated, the plots, the bad guys, the good ones, everything. But not with this author. I have read five books by her and all five of them have surprised me with original plots. Including this one.
And above all, in addition to being original from the first chapter to the last, she is capable of taking me out of my comfort zone and making me think about diversity and how it is still a pending subject for me.

There is more, I think the level of documentation is stratospheric, so the background in which the story takes place becomes one more character.
The suspense is intense, it has kept me on edge throughout all the story. And the twists have been very, very subtle. I haven't seen all of them coming, really. So, despite not being perfect, and leaving me with some unanswered questions, I'm already hooked on Evan, Addie, Diana and Patrick and looking forward to seeing where Ms. Nickless lead us in her next (and highly anticipated) installment.

***

Llevo toda la vida leyendo suspense, por eso cada vez me es más difícil encontrar algo original. Todo empieza a sonar repetido, las tramas, los malos, los buenos, todo. Pero no con esta autora. He leído 4 libros de ella y todos, los cuatro, me han sorprendido con tramas originales. Incluido éste.
Y encima, además de ser original desde el primer capítulo hasta el último, es capaz de sacarme de mi zona de confort y hacerme pensar sobre la diversidad y cómo aún es una asignatura pendiente para mí.

Hay más, creo que el nivel de documentación es estratosférico, por lo que el fondo en el que se desarrolla la historia se convierte en un personaje más.
El suspense es intenso, me ha tenido en vilo durante toda la historia. Y los giros han sido muy, muy sutiles. No todos los he visto venir, la verdad. Así que, a pesar de no haber sido perfecta, y haberme dejado con algunas preguntas sin respuesta, estoy ya enganchada a Evan, Addie, Diana y Patrick y deseando ver adónde no lleva Ms. Nickless en su próxima (y esperadísima) entrega.

At First Light by Barbara Nickless
Dr. Evan Wilding #1

Challenging, 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 series

What 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 expected

Did I enjoy this book? Definitely
Would 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

Barbara Nickless wrote the excellent Sydney Rose Parnell series which I enjoyed immensely. Parnell had served in Iraq and came back home with her K-9 partner Clyde and PTSD. Then she joined the Denver railway police. But this book was something else altogether, I thought it was brilliant!

A man’s body is found on the banks of a river in Chicago very strangely posed and with a series of wooden slats around his head inscribed with runes. Detective Adrianne (Addie) Bisset knows immediately she needs the help of her good friend and forensic semiotician Dr Evan Wilding. These two characters were so endearing and their interactions were wonderfully written. Addie is the typical career driven detective but she feels deeply any slights aimed at Evan because he is a dwarf. He also has a brilliant mind and some their verbal exchanges were like music to my ears. So Evan is asked to consult on the case to help interpret the runes. Evan is, of course, secretly in love with Addie but would never admit it or presume anything in that regard but her every wish is his command.

His grad student assistant, Dianna, was another wonderful character. Unlike Evan she was of Amazonian proportions but also gifted with a brilliant mind. The team is informed of another body that had been found weeks ago but the similarities were striking. Instead of runes inscribed on wooden slats they were carved onto bone and the investigators met a young savant, Tommy, who had collected some of these bones. He played a major part later in their story.

So it was about the runes, bog bodies, Viking history, black magic, the legend of Beowulf and many other mythical, mystical and arcane things. I cannot hope to remember all of it but Nickless must have done a ton of research to write this story. It was a fairly long book but I was gripped the whole way through as the team grapples with interpreting the runes and their meaning - it was very much ‘riddle me this’. One thing became clear though, the killer intended there to be five bodies so the race was on to stop them before more people were killed.

What linked the victims, what crime or wrongdoing had they committed and how could they predict who might be next? Very good questions but I suggest you read this book for the answer. I am very happy to see there is a sequel coming and I do hope to read it. Many thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the much appreciated copy which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

"Always be yourself. Unless you can be a Viking. Then always be a Viking." (Unknown)

Barbara Nickless has shape-shifted some incredible characters in At First Light. And it's always the characters who leave their footprints deeply in the minds of the readers. They move and trudge and deftly scamper throughout the storyline bringing the supreme prize of a bust-a-move ending.

Dr. Evan Wilding is exceptional in as many ways as rays on the Sun. He is a renowned forensic semiotician who teaches packed classrooms at the University of Chicago. Evan is constantly called upon by the Chicago Police Department to analyze and evaluate crime scenes where there may be mysterious symbols or writings left behind. Evan stands tall and shoulders above others. Evan is one of the Little People (Dwarfism). And Evan leaves an imprint larger than the city itself.

Evan's best friend is Detective Abbie Bisset of the Chicago Police Department. Abbie realizes that their solid friendship always pulls Evan in her direction. He'll stop the clock to help her.

If you've ever been anywhere near the ol' Calumet River in the dead of winter, you know that only the Arctic Circle comes nearer in the frigid zone. But that's where a body lies pinned to the shore with wooden stakes. Upon closer inspection, Evan notices that there are symbols carved into these stakes. Symbols depicting the Viking Age runes. But it's not long before another body is found in the same ritualistic manner. Evan knows that this won't be the last.

At First Light presents some heavy-duty crime scenes. It also has Detective Abbie BIsset dealing with some nasty individuals belonging to the bottom feeders of life. But through it all, Barbara Nickless infuses some of the best snarky, playful dialogue between Evan and Abbie with dollops of humor to break the tension. At First Light has it all. As I always say, when you come across a superb series, get in on the ground floor with #1. I'll bet the best will repeat itself novel after novel.

I received a copy of this novel through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Thomas & Mercer and to Barbara Nickless for the opportunity.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

At First Light by Barbara Nickless is a heart-pounding thriller involving a Viking poet serial killer. The story revolves around Chicago detective Addie Bisset and her friend Dr. Evan Wilding, a forensic semiotician. One day, a body turns up next to mysterious Viking runes. Who carved these runes and why? And will more victims turn up soon? It's up to Addie and Evan to piece together the clues and solve the case!

Here is a gripping excerpt from Chapter 1:

"Every murderer creates his own story.
...
Serial murderers often leave signs and symbols at the crime scene - messages for the police to decipher. Notes, maps, images. The posing of the body, a unique modus operandi. The killer is the riddler extraordinaire, and his narrative - the story he wishes to tell - is the enigma he presents to the detective."

Overall, At First Light is a chilling police procedural thriller with a dash of linguistics to spice things up. One highlight of this book are the many reference to ancient Viking poetry. That was what initially attracted me toward this book when I read the synopsis. As a linguistics nerd, I loved that puzzles and clues that the killer left behind for Evan to figure out. I did take off one star, because I felt that the decoding got to be too convoluted, and the reveal of the killer wasn't so satisfying. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of police procedural thrillers, I highly recommend that you check out this book, which is available now!

Intelligent, engaging, and lots of fun! I've been a fan of Barbara Nickless' work since her first novel, Blood on the Tracks, and At First Light is one of her best yet. Semiotician Dr. Evan Wilding is a unique and compelling protagonist, and the puzzle his friend and would-be love interest, Chicago homicide detective Addie Bissett, brings him in to help solve is tantalizingly gruesome in its particulars and mythic in scale. Intellectually and emotionally engaging on multiple levels, At First Light entertains throughout. Highly recommended! Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Barbara Nickless for providing me with a review copy.