If I had a do-over I might look into being a semiotician. This little known profession is the study of signs, symbols, and signification. It is the study of how meaning is created, not what it is. Nickless has created a totally esoteric protagonist. Not only is Evan Wilding a professor of semiotics, he is also a dwarf, a falconer, and one who views the world with grace and equanimity. In Dark of Night, Nickless tackles the subject of plundered antiquities and the savage underground of unscrupulous dealers in the art trade. The wonderful characters, the deep friendship between Addie and Evan, and the dialogue that manages to convey information without sounding like a back story dump have created a work that demands more volumes. Evan's involvement is personal; this time the victim is known to him. Was it murder or suicide? It has been decades since I was in Chicago. With Nickless skillful use of setting to enhance the plot, I felt like I was back in the Windy City.
Very highly recommended

4 stars!

I thought that this was good! This was another book where I did not read the first book in the series but did not have that much of an issue getting into this one. I found Dr. Evan Wilding very charming and clever, and I enjoyed the incorporation of ancient artifacts. I think that the only problem was that some of the research aspects got a little boring, and there were a lot of characters and storylines going on.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- Great cover!

What a highly entertaining read this turned out to be! Well written. Fast paced. Works well as a standalone. With an intelligent and engaging plot. Plenty of red herrings to keep the reading guessing. Intriguing and well developed characters. I have honestly never read a book where the main character is a dwarf! I will definitely be picking up the next book in this series! 👍🏻👍🏻

**ARC Via NetGalley**

Sad to say I DNF’d this book. It wasn’t my style and I didn’t connect with the way the author wrote it. I hate not finishing books but after a few months of reading 10 pages and moving on to my other book I decided I just have to stop trying. This is not to say it is bad or “not a good book” I just didn’t realize it wasn’t my type of reading until after getting the arc. If this is your style you may love this story and author. I’m sorry, and thank you so much for the ARC

Of course, I jumped into a series starting with the second book - which I am very prone to do. But this one sounded so interesting with its archeological background and Egyptian history that I had to request it on NetGalley. It sounded very Da Vinci Code-ish.

I was interested in the mystery itself and the main character, Evan. There definitely was a lot of research that went into this book and I enjoyed that part of it. I did get lost along the way with what seemed like an endless set of characters and suspects. I kept getting confused about who was who and what part they played in the story. But this could just be because I started with the second book and didn't get introduced to some of them in the first book.

I also thought it would have more action and adventure to do with treasure hunting and stolen artifacts - but in reality, it was just a mystery book with a few thrilling scenes. Personally, for me, this one just didn't do it and I kept finding it so easy to set down and dragged along for me. But since I wanted to know what happened to Elizabeth - I kept pushing through.

I ended up giving this a 2.5-star rating rounded up to a 3. While I liked the MCs and the mystery aspect - I just found myself getting lost most of the time. I have heard great things about this author and her other series so maybe I'll give another book of hers a try.

Big thanks to Barbara Nickless, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

It's an entertaining book even if the plot is a bit over the top and requires a suspension of belief.
I had fun and enjoyed this complex plot. It's one of those books that you thoroughly enjoy
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

“Have you heard of the Shapira Scrolls?”
That is the question on everyone’s lips in Barbara Nickless’ new Evan Wilding mystery. When Dr. Wilding’s good friend Elizabeth is killed, Evan is called on to puzzle out a.) if the scrolls exist, b.) why Elizabeth was killed for them and c.) who done it!
Aside from a couple of false notes, Dark of Night is a fun mystery. There are far too many characters and plots to keep up with (did we really need the Mossad?) and one’s protagonist should know far more about a friend who cares for and trusts him enough to leave him their life’s work. Also, Dr. Wilding is a professor of semiotics. I loved the first book in the series because he solved the mystery using … semiotics. I missed that. I rated Dark of Night three stars out of five.

I found this to be reminiscent of the old Hollywood detective movies, which I am a fan of. I thought the characters were interesting especially Evan & Abby. I enjoy their chemistry & how they banter with each other to solve the puzzle. I thought the plot was well written and interesting. I would have like it to move a bit faster, however. I think the book could have been two chapters shorter, but that is just me. All in all, well done!

This is the exact right kind of mystery thriller. Someone has died, was it suicide or murder? It’s going to take a brilliant mind to solve the case and that is Dr Evan Wilding. The immediate twist is that this is someone he’s worked with closely over the years, so he’s dealing with his own grief and wondering if it’s impacting his ability to see this death for what it is. There’s a bit of romance, the one that got away and spies thrown in to round out the reasons I really enjoyed this novel. I’ve also obtained the first in the series since it was so good. I don’t think you have to have read the first one to enjoy this one. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review.

Dark of Night by Barbara Nickless
Dr. Evan Wilding #2

Excellent, thought provoking, intellectually stimulating book that kept me interested from beginning to end.

What I liked:
* Dr. Evan Wilding: intelligent, master of words (semiotician), symbologist, professor, professor, riddle solver, historian, into falconry, older brother to River, police consultant, height challenged, friend of Detective Addison Bisset and more than a bit in love with her, intriguing
* Detective Addison “Addie” Bisset: homicide detective, lethal, dedicated, professional, good friend, serial dater, good friend of Evan, team player, strong, determined, might be a potential love interest for Evan
* Dr. Elizabeth Lawrence: archaeologist, papyrus expert, established an institute, dying of cancer, murdered by cobra, integral to the story
* Ronen Avraham: tall, dark, handsome, lethal, Mossad agent, interested in antiquities, would like to see him in future books…maybe
* Christina Johansen: Evan’s current love interest, professor, seems a good sort though perhaps not Evan’s forever woman
* Diana: works with Evan, bright, owner of Perro the Corgi that Evan is dog sitting
* The mystery of the Shapira Scrolls that really did exist and have truly gone missing – had to look up more about them so learned from this book
* The step into the world of antiquities and the plundering of and illicit trading in them – having seen some magnificent ancient museum pieces in a number of Middle Eastern countries…this book hit close to home.
* The plot, pacing, and writing – really drew me in
* The mysteries and how they were resolved
* That it was so believable and made me feel invested in the story
* All of it really…except…

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Knowing that the evil that took place in this book does happen in the real world
* Having to wait to see what Evan will decide and what will happen in the next book of the series

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

The dog didn't bark.

The first Dr. Evan Wilding mystery was OK, but in this one, Barbara Nickless introduces an exotic murder weapon that stretches credibility to breaking. I instantly recognized the weapon and I immediately discounted it. As I see it, one of two different people should have died instead of Dr. Elizabeth Lawrence. The book's pacing is slow and I found myself struggling to finish.

This is the second book in the Evan Wilding series but it can easily be read as a standalone.

Evan's friend Elizabeth is found dead - but he can't believe that she committed suicide. His friend (and secret crush) Addie investigates the case with her work partner Patrick and it turns out that, indeed, there are some things that don't add up. When a second person turns up dead, there are real fears for the safety of everyone involved in the case.

This was a complicated book and I found it hard to concentrate, in parts. I think the novel could have done with a bit of a trim - we didn't need quite as much detail as we got and it detracted from the thrill of the story.

I still enjoyed it although I would like to see a little more attention paid to Addie and Evan's friendship.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer.

Barbara Nickless the Dark of Night is my first encounter with the author and the character of Evan Wilding.
The story itself revolves around the mystery of how a friend of Evan's died was it suicide by cobra or murder? As Evan helps the Chicago PD look into the case many suspects and motives come to light.
Barbara Nickless writing is engaging and faced paced with equal amounts of tension, humor, and intrigue rounding things out.
While this was part of a series, the first book was At First Light, I never felt left out and am intrigued enough by both the writer and the character to check out further books. In particular I look forward to digging into the Sydney Rose Parnell series.
Thank you to #NetGalley, #ThomasMercer, and Barbara Nickless for the ARC of #DarkofNight.

I won't re-invent the wheel, if you've read the synopsis and other reviews you are probably good with what is going on. I will tell you why I enjoy this series. I can't say it enough, this is not your typically main character and I love Evan, Sometimes writers have the main character far from what we all look like, it's okay but I like different...like most of us. Evan is a tad short, he is smart, likeable character, true-blue, sometimes snarky and assist his friend detective Addie but this particular mystery death involves a friend of Evan's. I'm always fascinated with mysteries that involve artifacts too. So this series ticks all the boxes for me....not to mention Barbara Nickless is a great writer, takes talent to write in a way that you emerge yourself into the story. This is book #2, looking forward to #3 and make sure you don't skip book #1. Enjoy. A big thank you out to Barbara, the editors, NetGalley and all the others.

I was talking about Game of Thrones & House of the Dragon with a guest last week and our great mutual love for certain characters and actors and other things that they have done.

Them: "What's your favorite non-GoT Peter Dinklage role?"
Me: "Evan Wilding in At First Light."
Them: "Is that a movie? TV series? "
Me: "Neither. It's a book, but I can only picture him as the main character."

I pointed him in the proper direction of the blog post and the book itself and the next in line -- Dark of Night. He checked back in tonight with rave reviews of his own about the first and by the time he wakes up this morning the second should already be waiting on his Kindle. It's been on mine thanks to NetGalley since early June and I just started reading it a few days ago.

While Evan Wilding is still my favorite literary semiotics professor, so far this hasn't grabbed me the way the first book did. There hasn't been nearly enough Addie and Diana and I'm not overly enthralled with the addition of certain other characters ... and there are a lot of characters to try and keep track of this time. At least we get some good quality time with Diana's corgi, Perro. I'm only about a third of the way through right now but, so far, Perro has been a definite highlight in an otherwise "eh" read so far.

I was going to try and finish it this week but think I may need a break. I'll restart later to see if it ends up being more worthwhile and then I'll update if it is.

Mystery. Intrigue. Murder. Religious artifacts. International criminals. Mix these and other ingredients, combine with interesting characters and strong police procedural aspects, and you have a novel that will prompt ceaseless reading and may cause sleepless nights.

Dr. Evan Wilding returns, once again caught up in a dangerous stream of events. Evan is a professor of semiotics – an expert in ancient signs and symbols – and will need all his knowledge to help his friend Detective Addie Basset decipher the clues and discover answers to the who and why questions that surround this case. A leading historian has been found dead (suicide? murder?), the cause of death tied to aspects of the ancient world. Addie and Evan work to correctly fit all the clues while the mysterious perpetrator(s) seem to be one step ahead, removing potentially valuable evidence before the pair can do anything about it.

If a breathtaking plot isn’t enough for you, the cast of characters will certainly fill in any void. Though blessed with an amazing intellect, Evan is much smaller than most people and this affects his worldview. Author Barbara Nickless allows him to describe the situations and others he comes in contact with, and the potential to be disregarded based on his lack of height is a challenge Evan faces on a regular basis. While Ms. Nickless permits readers to see this aspect of her main character, she also permits his wry humor to inject itself in most situations. This comes into play as all characters are introduced to us through Evan’s eyes, permitting well-rounded and interesting people who contribute their small and sometimes large contributions to the story.

If you are someone who enjoys a good police procedural, you won’t be disappointed. While normal procedures are followed, Ms. Nickless includes much of Evan’s world, and the ancient history of the Middle East comes alive as he and Addie sift through the clues. “Dark of Night” will not disappoint the author’s fans and if you have never read a Barbara Nickless novel, you are in for a treat. Highly recommended. Five stars.

This is the second book featuring the vertically challenged Dr Evan Wilding. He may be only 4 foot and 5 inches tall but he is very charming, witty, extremely clever and loyal to a fault. So when a friend of his, Professor Elizabeth Lawrence, is found dead in suspicious circumstances in her vehicle on a piece of waste ground slated for redevelopment he is keen to help. There is apparently a suicide note but Detective Addie Bisset of the Chicago Police Department with whom he has worked before wonders if it is genuine.

Evan is very keen to get to the bottom of this case as it seems that Elizabeth was seeking some rare ancient religious scrolls but not everyone is convinced that her motives were pure. There is a lot skullduggery in the world of ancient artefacts (who knew?) Are they real or fake? Have they been procured legally? Evan is keen to ensure Elizabeth’s name is not sullied. To add to the mystery Elizabeth was killed by the bite of a cobra- surely an odd choice for a suicide.

I have enjoyed all of Barbara Nickless’s previous books. I gave the first one in this series 5 stars and anyone who is familiar with my reviews will know I love a convoluted mystery. Unfortunately this book was simply too much! I had a lot of trouble following it. There were many characters whose motives were unclear but my major concern was the focus on the whole artefact business and that every action/interaction raised further questions and constant internal debate. It seemed like every second sentence in the book was a question, none of which were answered until the very end. And the scrolls - every conceivable issue relating to them was explored in excruciating detail.

Another disappointing element was the minimal appearances of Addie who, Evan is hopelessly is love with. I am keen to see that story line progress.

I’m sure there was a lot of research involved in collating all this detail on the artefacts/scrolls but it all made my eyes glaze over and, much as it pains to do it, I cannot give this book more than 3 stars. Many thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

Dark of Night by Barbara Nickless is a well-paced suspense book that ultimately got my attention. This is the second book, but it can be read as a standalone. The level of research and effort shines through this read, woven with a healthy mix of dialogue and narration. Dr Evan Wilding grew on me as the author does a great job of depicting him through multiple lenses - as an expert, a friend grieving the loss of a close colleague, a family man, a dogsitter and a lover. This book also exposes the significant risk associated with artefact trading and the pull and push of preservation, recognition and power. The numerous supporting characters play an integral role in this fast-paced thriller; however, at times, I got overwhelmed but rest assured, it all works out in the end. I couldn't predict the ending of this book at all! I know I will be going back to Book One to get a better understanding of this incredible character.

I look forward to the next book in the series. If you're a fan of criminal minds, Egyptian history and Indiana Jones and Corgis, don't skip this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this eARC. This review is left voluntarily.

Elizabeth, a historian is murdered and clues are left on the scene, Dr. Evan, a professor of Semiotics and homicide detective Addie are on the case to solve her murder. As they dig deeper, they will soon discover that this case will take a dark turn. Elizabeth discovers an artifact that others will kill to acquire and Evan, if he’s not careful might catch the killer’s attention. An exciting thriller with amazing characters.

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This story didn't work for me. I think it was because it was too focused on Evan and his "not so interesting" love life and we didn't get enough Addie.
The suspense was too slow.
Ms. Nickless has spoiled me rotten with her breathless action and subtle romances and I didn't find either here.
Evidently, it's a "me not you" kind of situation.

I'm planning on revisit this story when I'm in the right mood.

Thanks to Ms. Nickless, Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for this e-copy in exchange for an honest review.