At First Light

Dr. Evan Wilding, Book 1

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.

©2021 Barbara Nickless (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Well-researched…”—Kirkus Reviews

“[In] this intense psychological thriller…Evan and Addie race to prevent more bloodshed. Hints of a romantic relationship between the pair enliven the story, and references to Beowulf and Viking history add depth. Readers will hope to see more of Addie and Evan.”—Publishers Weekly

“Brilliant Evan Wilding, with his goshawk and unusual friendships, will fascinate those who read for character.”—Library Journal

Pure Brilliance

Wow. This is a new author for me, and she's definitely got a new fan! This story is an intelligently designed, well-written masterwork of riddles, linguistics, and devious murder. The main character, Dr. Evan Wilding, is at once fascinating and fantastic. He's a bit reminiscent of LIncoln Rhyme and Aloysious Pendergast in that he is outside the norm of society and possesses superior intelligence yet is not narcissistic. He is not your average crime fighter. In fact, technically, he's not a crime fighter at all. But his specialized knowledge and unique mental acuity are a great asset to the police department, and he finds himself frequently drawn into cases by his detective friend, Addie.

This plot is a juggernaut of concepts, theories, and potential suspects. The murderer is quite brilliant and leaving clues that not just anyone could unlock. These clues are focused on ancient symbols and rituals of the Viking people as well as their runic language. Dubbed the Poet Viking, the ruthless murderer leads Addie and Evan on an incredible chase, and we, the readers, get to tag along from the comfort (and safety) of our armchairs.

As one who reads more than 300 books a year, finding a truly unique and engaging new hero is akin to winning the lottery. This one is a winner. I will be following this author and this series based solely on my enjoyment of this brilliant tale.

Fantastic

best narration, vivid storytelling, makes me want be a reader and a writer. will follow this author and series!

Surprisingly entertaining!

It took me a little bit (~2 chapters) to get into it, but I ended up enjoying it immensely. I did get lost listening to the history of the Vikings and Norse gods, but it really didn’t matter. I am more driven by the characters, and these characters were very different, interesting, and entertaining. I can’t wait for the second book in this series to come out!

What a wonderful book

One of the best books I have listened to this year. Engaging mystery, deep historical knowledge, great characters; really draws you in to the story. I will definitely buy the next book in this series.

Awesome

I got the audiobook for this one because I love listening to Tim Campbell's narrations! This is an awesome murder mystery that is ultimately solved by a female police officer and her good friend who is a professor at the university. Its a very tangled web of ancient Viking myths and lore brought to life by a devious murderer poet. The clues are based on ancient Viking poetry, written on bones, using the ancient runes. Very interesting the hoops they had to jump through to be able to cipher out the clues to find the killer! 5 Stars for excitement and historical knowledge! 😍

Riveting

The story is unique and captivating. I can’t wait to hear the next one. I love Evan and I learned a lot about true Viking history and lore. This is the best series I’ve read in a long time.

I’ll read more of these

Interesting premise for a murder; good twist. I particularly liked the characters of Addie, her partners and other colleagues on the police force, and of course, Dr. Evan Wilding, the “semiotician” (a word I had never heard before) who happens to be 4’5” tall.

I enjoyed the friendship between Addie and Evan and am looking forward to reading more about them in future books. There is a gentle humor here along with the murder and mystery that is difficult to juxtapose. The narrator did a creditable job with different accents and distinguishing voices.

I liked it

I liked it, didn't love but it was nice.
I mostly listened to the audiobook, but this book in particular was a bit confusing to just listen to due to its constant reference to Viking traditions/words so I found the need to also download the book to my Kindle and that made it easier.

Worth the Read

I loved the character of Dr Evan Wilding, but would like more development of other main characters. The pace of the book and storyline itself was good. It seems as though the author is fairly new although I'm unsure if they are, however I would read this book again. i hope future books continue to develop the characters more, and that the writing itself becomes a bit more advanced.

Good

Story was good. The narrator did a good job. A couple of good twists in the story.