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Sydney Rye Mysteries #2
Death In The Dark
This is the second story in the award winning, best selling Sydney Rye series of dark murder mysteries. It is a novella length adventure that picks up right where the first book, UNLEASHED, left off.
When the fugitive, Joy Humbolt, accepts her new identity as the Private Detective, Sydney Rye, she must learn to control her emotions and her out of control dog, Blue. With the help of an expert trainer Sydney learns to fight with her mind as well as her body. However, when the daughter of a close friend is brutally murdered in the desert Rye turns away from her trainer to seek revenge. Sydney's quick temper and deadly intentions lead her into a trap that she will need all of her new skills to survive.
When the fugitive, Joy Humbolt, accepts her new identity as the Private Detective, Sydney Rye, she must learn to control her emotions and her out of control dog, Blue. With the help of an expert trainer Sydney learns to fight with her mind as well as her body. However, when the daughter of a close friend is brutally murdered in the desert Rye turns away from her trainer to seek revenge. Sydney's quick temper and deadly intentions lead her into a trap that she will need all of her new skills to survive.
90 pages, ebook
First published November 14, 2012
730 people are currently reading
1330 people want to read
About the author
Emily Kimelman
41 books883 followersI write because I love to read, but I have specific tastes...
If I was offered a job as a professional reader with no strings attached, I would take it. Getting paid to sit around and read while drinking tea all day—I'm there. Since that’s not possible, I became an author.
I write the books I want to read—stories that give me the immersive reading experiences I crave. When a series grabs me, and it's all I can think about, I'm SO happy. When my inner dialogue starts sounding like the protagonist of my current read, I think, Oh yeah, this is IT. This is what I love.
When I finish a book, and I NEED to immediately grab the next one in the series, that’s the intensity I crave. When I binge read an entire series, I want to feel like my own reality changed—as if the stories I read affected the real world just a little. After a great series I'm a little wiser, a little more grateful for my everyday existence, and a little more aware that my personal perspective is not everyone's.
Personally, I like to spend time in fictional worlds where justice is exacted with a vengeance, even though good and bad are not always black and white. Give me raw stories with a main character who occasionally makes me laugh, is flawed like we all are, and feels like a friend by the end of the first few chapters. They don’t have to be a friend I always LIKE, per se, but a part of me has to root for them.
For me, the sentence structure is important. Too much passive voice, and I'm out. I do not mind four-letter words at all though. Sex in books can go either way—fade to black or show me the details, but either way there has to be a reason it’s in the story. I'm also into heroic pets, plots that seem totally unhinged but all come together in the end with a BANG, and long series so I always have more to look forward to.
Those are the types of stories I love reading, so that’s how I write. If you’re into some or all of the above then I think we are going to get along fantastically.
If I was offered a job as a professional reader with no strings attached, I would take it. Getting paid to sit around and read while drinking tea all day—I'm there. Since that’s not possible, I became an author.
I write the books I want to read—stories that give me the immersive reading experiences I crave. When a series grabs me, and it's all I can think about, I'm SO happy. When my inner dialogue starts sounding like the protagonist of my current read, I think, Oh yeah, this is IT. This is what I love.
When I finish a book, and I NEED to immediately grab the next one in the series, that’s the intensity I crave. When I binge read an entire series, I want to feel like my own reality changed—as if the stories I read affected the real world just a little. After a great series I'm a little wiser, a little more grateful for my everyday existence, and a little more aware that my personal perspective is not everyone's.
Personally, I like to spend time in fictional worlds where justice is exacted with a vengeance, even though good and bad are not always black and white. Give me raw stories with a main character who occasionally makes me laugh, is flawed like we all are, and feels like a friend by the end of the first few chapters. They don’t have to be a friend I always LIKE, per se, but a part of me has to root for them.
For me, the sentence structure is important. Too much passive voice, and I'm out. I do not mind four-letter words at all though. Sex in books can go either way—fade to black or show me the details, but either way there has to be a reason it’s in the story. I'm also into heroic pets, plots that seem totally unhinged but all come together in the end with a BANG, and long series so I always have more to look forward to.
Those are the types of stories I love reading, so that’s how I write. If you’re into some or all of the above then I think we are going to get along fantastically.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 270 reviews
May 6, 2018
Story line is jumbled. Seems like I’m missing parts of it. Sydney is a bad ass. But there’s no cohesion to the story.
August 31, 2020
Death in the Dark is a lousy title—I couldn’t replace it, but it has no relation to the story. Joy has turned herself into Sydney, but she is mostly spending her time being drunk, which is not admirable, but ex-cop Mulberry sorts her out by giving her a goal. She trains, and so does her dog Blue, and the plan is that Sydney will become a detective who helps people. After a friend is murdered Sydney hooks up with a woman who seems kind of sketchy in an effort to find the killers. Her new woman/friend takes her to where the bad guys are supposed to be killing a second woman, and Malina dresses in a tempting, tight blue dress to get the two of them into a cockfight. They have no plan, so of course everything goes wrong, and Blue the dog drags Malina out of danger by the leg of her jeans (yeah, error). Sydney’s trainer rescues both of them, so the ending is sort of unsatisfactory, but makes sense because Sydney was way out of their depth. I bought the boxed set, so I have another 6 books in the series, and will keep reading. I hope the quality improves.
September 6, 2017
A very exciting thriller as one woman becomes a new and rougher version of herself. She gets help from a friend of a friend who teaches her to remain calm while being a bad woman.
November 30, 2024
I didn’t like this quite as much as the first book in the series but I do look forward to the third. Love the dog.
December 6, 2024
Maybe 2.5
Trying to decide if I’ll read more of the series. I’m hoping they, and the main characters, will mature as the series progresses. I don’t think I will read the next book in the series if have to buy it. Maybe if I can borrow it from a library.
Trying to decide if I’ll read more of the series. I’m hoping they, and the main characters, will mature as the series progresses. I don’t think I will read the next book in the series if have to buy it. Maybe if I can borrow it from a library.
October 9, 2021
Book number two in the Sydney Rye series. A novella length story. I was disappointed because I thought it was a full length novel. I was charged for a full length novel. Seventy eight pages is a short story. rant over. Joy, on the run from her troubles is becoming Sydney in this novella. We meet Merl and his 3 dogs. They have come via Mulberry to train Sydney in self defense. Sydney and her dog Blue have been living out of an RV in Mexico when trouble comes knocking.
March 21, 2024
Another excellent listen :)
SONJA FIELD deserves an Audie for her performances in this series. Just WOW.
SONJA FIELD deserves an Audie for her performances in this series. Just WOW.
July 20, 2024
I love this book as part of the Sydney Rye series as it gives some insight into how Sydney comes to be…it’s very short and I would have loved more, but the author does note that this book’s value is in introducing characters that appear later in the series!
I’m not sure it’s a great standalone book, but it has made me super excited to read book #3!
I’m not sure it’s a great standalone book, but it has made me super excited to read book #3!
January 16, 2023
I marked this 4* because it was too short. But it was important in filling in the details of how Joy Humboldt turned into Sydney Rye. This is an intriguing series, definitely not cozy, much death and revenge. I like the dog!
November 23, 2021
Short but full of action. Ready for more, Sydney!
January 11, 2025
Continuation ..... Set up for the rest of the series, I'm thinking.
Cleared some things up, solidified our understanding of characters.
Moving on already!!! 😁
Cleared some things up, solidified our understanding of characters.
Moving on already!!! 😁
March 3, 2025
Kick ass heroine, oversized, loyal, rescue dog. She becomes a new person who is more her than she ever. Was. “ The dog doesn’t die, but the bad guys do.” My kind of book.
February 27, 2024
Joy is now Sydney Rye and is in Mexico. When the sister of the people she is with is murdered she goes to find the killers
December 1, 2012
I look forward to a lot of things: my football team winning another premiership, science discovering something cool, sleeping in on the weekend, sleeping in on a weekday, reading a good book. As a reader, I feel I have a responsibility to look forward to the next novel from my favourite authors. Thankfully, my favourite writers have never failed to deliver.
The first Sydney Rye novel was a great mystery from Emily Kimelman. Dog walker is not the first occupation you expect from a mystery novel's protagonist. But since detective or private investigator characters are as stale as last week's bread that was first frozen, then thawed, then used to mop up spilt beer, it was refreshing for Emily's protagonist to be a dog walker. Plus, I like dogs.
If you haven't read the first Sydney Rye novel, you may be confused why Joy Humbolt is calling herself Sydney and living in an RV in this second adventure. I recommend reading the first novel now.... Okay, so now that we are on the same page, I can say that Sydney is evolving. This isn't just a name change, this is a quest to become something more. Emily manages to even cheekily title one of the chapters "Obligatory Training Montage".
All this novella has done is left me wanting to read the next edition. Fortunately, Emily has that coming out in January.
The first Sydney Rye novel was a great mystery from Emily Kimelman. Dog walker is not the first occupation you expect from a mystery novel's protagonist. But since detective or private investigator characters are as stale as last week's bread that was first frozen, then thawed, then used to mop up spilt beer, it was refreshing for Emily's protagonist to be a dog walker. Plus, I like dogs.
If you haven't read the first Sydney Rye novel, you may be confused why Joy Humbolt is calling herself Sydney and living in an RV in this second adventure. I recommend reading the first novel now.... Okay, so now that we are on the same page, I can say that Sydney is evolving. This isn't just a name change, this is a quest to become something more. Emily manages to even cheekily title one of the chapters "Obligatory Training Montage".
All this novella has done is left me wanting to read the next edition. Fortunately, Emily has that coming out in January.
April 29, 2013
I'm really enjoying these Sydney Rye novels. She is a tough cookie. I wouldn't handle issues the same way she does, but she does get the job done. My one complaint is that she forms temporary close relationships and then they slip away. I guess for her character, that's not such a bad thing, but I do get invested in the characters in the books I read, and she kinda makes me feel a little emotionally sad. But if you like action and adventure and enjoy it in a female character, you really should invest in the Sydney Rye stories. I don't want to say anything about these stories, but suffice it to say, after the (mis)adventures in the first story, Joy/Sydney has ended up in Mexico drinking her days away on the beach until Mulberry decides she needs to get her act together and Merl shows up to get her and her dog, Blue, in shape for the butt whooping they are destined to do.
June 11, 2017
Forget the first book in this series ‘Unleashed’, this is really the start of the Sydney Rye series. I enjoyed this story much more than the first book, which lives up to its publicity blurb much better than ‘Unleashed’.
However, I still have issues with the author’s style of writing. The story doesn’t always flow smoothly, it’s so disjointed at times, jumping around almost mid-sentence. Also Sydney is a much-improved heroine in this book but she is still fairly stupid at times and I find myself getting quite annoyed with her.
Nevertheless this is a big improvement on the previous book and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
However, I still have issues with the author’s style of writing. The story doesn’t always flow smoothly, it’s so disjointed at times, jumping around almost mid-sentence. Also Sydney is a much-improved heroine in this book but she is still fairly stupid at times and I find myself getting quite annoyed with her.
Nevertheless this is a big improvement on the previous book and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
January 22, 2020
Wow, was this short! I was surprised when it was over. I thought there would be more to come. There is no mystery in this story at all. Joy is feeling sorry for herself lolling on a Mexican beach and drinking herself into oblivion when Mulberry shows up to begin training her for life as Sydney Rye, Private Eye. She gets embroiled in a situation in Juarez, where she is actually less capable than she was in book #1, even after the significant training, so it doesn't really ring true. But it was a quick read, so nothing lost. Since I do have book 3 I will continue, but if it is anything like this one, that will be the end of the line for Sydney Rye for me.
March 3, 2021
Ok, slightly disappointed in this one...
1. it was extremely short.
2. All she does is drink?
3. Wanted more character development, it seemed so quick. One minute she is pathetic, next sentence, she has her head back. Where was the transition? Show me real feelings
4. Wanted a more miyagi sensei bond, the two didn't even get to know each other besides a paragraph back story. Where is the growth?
5. Like plot though, but again, so short. Expected more and some closure from the horrible family. Hopefully this plot line comes up again in the continuing series?
1. it was extremely short.
2. All she does is drink?
3. Wanted more character development, it seemed so quick. One minute she is pathetic, next sentence, she has her head back. Where was the transition? Show me real feelings
4. Wanted a more miyagi sensei bond, the two didn't even get to know each other besides a paragraph back story. Where is the growth?
5. Like plot though, but again, so short. Expected more and some closure from the horrible family. Hopefully this plot line comes up again in the continuing series?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2023
Same review as first book.
It was ok, but I expected less toxicity from a female author. Especially with the ad I saw encouraging me to read these. There are little quips here and there that are perhaps meant to be funny, but are actually disparaging to women. Also, as other people pointed out the protagonist is an active alcoholic. The second book is better than the first, but the occasional quip is bothersome. I'll finish the three in my first purchase. I don't know about the rest. This second book was surprisingly short.
It was ok, but I expected less toxicity from a female author. Especially with the ad I saw encouraging me to read these. There are little quips here and there that are perhaps meant to be funny, but are actually disparaging to women. Also, as other people pointed out the protagonist is an active alcoholic. The second book is better than the first, but the occasional quip is bothersome. I'll finish the three in my first purchase. I don't know about the rest. This second book was surprisingly short.
July 10, 2013
Silly me expected a mystery. It wasn't one. Also it's hard to get into with not having read the previous one in the series. And it is bloody, violent, and just not my style.
March 19, 2022
In the second of this series of Sydney Rye mysteries, we explore the Baha Peninsula and the Sea of Cortez with Joy and Blue and are reintroduced to Detective Mulberry. Joy and Blue are staying near a small restaurant on the beach run by a disabled man, Ramon, and his mother Abedella Alvarez in Puerto Penasco, Mexico and have their fill of sun and sand and oysters. A short, this is a bridge between Joy and NYC, and her Sydney Rye RV days in Mexico. Things are calm and cool in Mexico until Detective Mulberry shows up. We know from the epilogue of Unleased that Joy and Mulberry were able to curtail any worry they would ever have about future money problems. She is also now wanted by the police in the U.S. for a murder she didn't commit in New York. It is a charge they can deal with, but not in the present time.
Mulberry shows up with ID, credit cards, passport, and birth record all in the name of Sydney Rye. He is also accompanied by his old friend Merl and Merl's three rottweilers, commissioned to train Sydney and Blue in skills they will need in their future private security and investigation work. Sydney is not at all sure that she wants to be a PI or a partner in any business with Mulberry, but Mulberry doesn't listen to her denials. And Merl is a teacher in every facet of their talked-about future and keeps Sydney and Blue wore out and sore muscled until he is satisfied that with or without Blue, she can protect herself.
Their timing is good because their first case is happening right now, in Juarez and Puerto Penasco. No money in it, but they don't need money. The daughter of the restauranteur where she is parking her RV is violated and murdered by the police in Juarez. Sydney and Mulberry will do their best to find justice for the Alvarez family. Maybe working with Mulberry won't be so bad, after all?
Mulberry shows up with ID, credit cards, passport, and birth record all in the name of Sydney Rye. He is also accompanied by his old friend Merl and Merl's three rottweilers, commissioned to train Sydney and Blue in skills they will need in their future private security and investigation work. Sydney is not at all sure that she wants to be a PI or a partner in any business with Mulberry, but Mulberry doesn't listen to her denials. And Merl is a teacher in every facet of their talked-about future and keeps Sydney and Blue wore out and sore muscled until he is satisfied that with or without Blue, she can protect herself.
Their timing is good because their first case is happening right now, in Juarez and Puerto Penasco. No money in it, but they don't need money. The daughter of the restauranteur where she is parking her RV is violated and murdered by the police in Juarez. Sydney and Mulberry will do their best to find justice for the Alvarez family. Maybe working with Mulberry won't be so bad, after all?
July 13, 2017
Death In the Dark (A Sydney Rye Series, #2)by Emily Kimelman
The description of this, the #2 in the series, is that it is a novella. Hmm. Maybe just a long short story, seeing as I read it in 2 sittings covering no more than 2 hours today. The storyline starts immediately after the end of the first book in the series. Joy Humboldt has just accepted Mulberry's invitation to join his security company, and in doing so, becomes Sydney Rye. Mulberry hires someone to train her and her dog, Blue, and that character, Merl, and his three Dobermans, Thunder, Michael, and Lucy, figure large in this story. Joy/Sydney has been living in a small beach area on the Sea of Cortez in Mexico, parking her RV on the property of a man and his mother who run a small Oyster specialty restaurant. When the daughter in this family is murdered, Sydney Rye is off on her first case.
The pacing and flow are good. There is plenty of action and plenty of danger to all the characters involved. It was interesting to read about the training of both Sydney and Blue -- there actually should have been a bit more of that, but ... Good proofing and editing. I would have liked to see a bit more character growth in Sydney, but maybe she'll be a late bloomer (or never bloomer) in that regard.
Easy, quick read.
The description of this, the #2 in the series, is that it is a novella. Hmm. Maybe just a long short story, seeing as I read it in 2 sittings covering no more than 2 hours today. The storyline starts immediately after the end of the first book in the series. Joy Humboldt has just accepted Mulberry's invitation to join his security company, and in doing so, becomes Sydney Rye. Mulberry hires someone to train her and her dog, Blue, and that character, Merl, and his three Dobermans, Thunder, Michael, and Lucy, figure large in this story. Joy/Sydney has been living in a small beach area on the Sea of Cortez in Mexico, parking her RV on the property of a man and his mother who run a small Oyster specialty restaurant. When the daughter in this family is murdered, Sydney Rye is off on her first case.
The pacing and flow are good. There is plenty of action and plenty of danger to all the characters involved. It was interesting to read about the training of both Sydney and Blue -- there actually should have been a bit more of that, but ... Good proofing and editing. I would have liked to see a bit more character growth in Sydney, but maybe she'll be a late bloomer (or never bloomer) in that regard.
Easy, quick read.
July 6, 2017
Death in the Dark (A Sydney Rye Novella) #2 — Emily Kimelman (3 chapters) June 30-July 4, 2017
Update: If you are contemplating skipping this novella and going to the next; you can do that. I just finished reading the next book in the series, and I found that this story is more "backstory," if you will, involving the further development of Sydney and Blue. It's important to the overall story, but the author weaves the first book and this story into the next story as well.
Note: As with any Emily Kimelman story, proceed with caution if violence, sex, mature themes, and F-bombs ain’t your thing. This book is intended for readers 18+.
Short and sweet review. This story starts off right where the last book ended, with maybe a little overlap. This was more of a “filling in the spaces” kind of book, that informs the reader of how Sydney becomes what she is, past the pain of the first story.
It written very tightly, with great characters and solid plot. This took me a little longer thanI thought to read, due to life getting in the way, but it could be easily read in a day, or over the weekend.
Probably would be wise to read the first book in the series, as this story might be a little confusing without the back story?
Three stars.
Update: If you are contemplating skipping this novella and going to the next; you can do that. I just finished reading the next book in the series, and I found that this story is more "backstory," if you will, involving the further development of Sydney and Blue. It's important to the overall story, but the author weaves the first book and this story into the next story as well.
Note: As with any Emily Kimelman story, proceed with caution if violence, sex, mature themes, and F-bombs ain’t your thing. This book is intended for readers 18+.
Short and sweet review. This story starts off right where the last book ended, with maybe a little overlap. This was more of a “filling in the spaces” kind of book, that informs the reader of how Sydney becomes what she is, past the pain of the first story.
It written very tightly, with great characters and solid plot. This took me a little longer thanI thought to read, due to life getting in the way, but it could be easily read in a day, or over the weekend.
Probably would be wise to read the first book in the series, as this story might be a little confusing without the back story?
Three stars.
September 12, 2024
Death in the Dark is book 2 in the Sydney Rye Mysteries series (book 1 review was recently posted). At just 92 pages it is really a novella. Its purpose seems to be to fill the reader in on many of the details that we need to fully enjoy and understand book 3.
Death in the Dark begins with the person we knew as Joy Humbolt, now known as Sydney Rye. She is living in Puerto Pensacola and beginning her new, hopefully anonymous, life working as a detective for a small agency in London. The agency is, she believes, is owned by her old friend, Mulberry, a former NY policeman and her partner who aided her in escaping the city. Mulberry has arranged for new ID documents, bank accounts, etc. for her new name, Sydney Rye. He also arranges months of very tough physical training to get her in shape for her job as a detective. He hires Merl, a highly skilled fighter, to conduct the training of both Sydney and her dog, Blue.
Strong willed and independent Sydney discovers her friends’ daughter, Paty, is missing and she takes off to find her without telling Merl. Paty left with her girlfriend, Malina. Sydney finds Malina in Mexico, prostituting herself to survive and learns that Paty is dead. Malina knows who killed Paty and she wants revenge. Sydney is more than willing to help.
#EmptyNestReader #instagram #Goodreads #DeathInTheDark #book2 #SydneyRyeMysteryies #EmilyKimelman #Fiction #mystery #SeptemberReads #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagramalabama #ebooks #bookstagrammichigan #bookreviews #bookreviewer #bookrecommendations #readalittlelearnalittlelivealittle
Death in the Dark begins with the person we knew as Joy Humbolt, now known as Sydney Rye. She is living in Puerto Pensacola and beginning her new, hopefully anonymous, life working as a detective for a small agency in London. The agency is, she believes, is owned by her old friend, Mulberry, a former NY policeman and her partner who aided her in escaping the city. Mulberry has arranged for new ID documents, bank accounts, etc. for her new name, Sydney Rye. He also arranges months of very tough physical training to get her in shape for her job as a detective. He hires Merl, a highly skilled fighter, to conduct the training of both Sydney and her dog, Blue.
Strong willed and independent Sydney discovers her friends’ daughter, Paty, is missing and she takes off to find her without telling Merl. Paty left with her girlfriend, Malina. Sydney finds Malina in Mexico, prostituting herself to survive and learns that Paty is dead. Malina knows who killed Paty and she wants revenge. Sydney is more than willing to help.
#EmptyNestReader #instagram #Goodreads #DeathInTheDark #book2 #SydneyRyeMysteryies #EmilyKimelman #Fiction #mystery #SeptemberReads #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagramalabama #ebooks #bookstagrammichigan #bookreviews #bookreviewer #bookrecommendations #readalittlelearnalittlelivealittle
February 22, 2023
This story held together for me much better than the first one, maybe because this is a novella and not a full-length novel.
In this book Joy assumes the identity of Sydney Rye. This personage was given to her by Mulberry, the man with whom she robbed the mayor in the first novel. He was once a police detective and is now a private detective. He wants Joy/Sydney to give up her life of drinking and indulgence and work with him.
Right now though, Joy/Sydney is living on a Mexican beach near Ramon and his mother. When Ramon's sister is murdered Joy/Sydney agrees to help kill the men responsible for her death. Never mind that these three men are Mexican police.
Mulberry had hired a trainer to teach Joy/Sydney how to survive and that was a lucky break for her as he ends up coming to her rescue as the three men ambush Joy/Sydney and imprison her and Malina, Ramon's sister's best friend.
This is a fairly gruesome story but it fits the mold of a person with a vendetta against evil people.
In this book Joy assumes the identity of Sydney Rye. This personage was given to her by Mulberry, the man with whom she robbed the mayor in the first novel. He was once a police detective and is now a private detective. He wants Joy/Sydney to give up her life of drinking and indulgence and work with him.
Right now though, Joy/Sydney is living on a Mexican beach near Ramon and his mother. When Ramon's sister is murdered Joy/Sydney agrees to help kill the men responsible for her death. Never mind that these three men are Mexican police.
Mulberry had hired a trainer to teach Joy/Sydney how to survive and that was a lucky break for her as he ends up coming to her rescue as the three men ambush Joy/Sydney and imprison her and Malina, Ramon's sister's best friend.
This is a fairly gruesome story but it fits the mold of a person with a vendetta against evil people.
September 30, 2023
Still evolving.
Sydney is born, and Joy is gone. She is learning how to be strong, physically, and mentally. But, she's not quite there yet mentally. Not when she hears of a young woman in Mexico who was savagely tortured and raped by 3 men. Men who were supposed to protect her - members of the Police. Sydney wants revenge, and when the young woman's friend, Malina, asks Sydney to help her avenge her friend's murder, Sydney agrees without much hesitation. These men are ruthless and won't make it easy. This will be Sydney's first real test of her new skills, and she may not live through it. I did enjoy this book. I like Sydney. She's tougher than Joy and not quite as peaceful as Joy was. But she's learning to take care of herself and to rely on herself. I like that. And she still has Blue. Love that dog! I will read the next book because I'd really like to find out what happens to Sydney and Blue.
Sydney is born, and Joy is gone. She is learning how to be strong, physically, and mentally. But, she's not quite there yet mentally. Not when she hears of a young woman in Mexico who was savagely tortured and raped by 3 men. Men who were supposed to protect her - members of the Police. Sydney wants revenge, and when the young woman's friend, Malina, asks Sydney to help her avenge her friend's murder, Sydney agrees without much hesitation. These men are ruthless and won't make it easy. This will be Sydney's first real test of her new skills, and she may not live through it. I did enjoy this book. I like Sydney. She's tougher than Joy and not quite as peaceful as Joy was. But she's learning to take care of herself and to rely on herself. I like that. And she still has Blue. Love that dog! I will read the next book because I'd really like to find out what happens to Sydney and Blue.
June 12, 2021
Second book in the Sydney Rye Mystery Series. Joy Humboldt has fled New York City with the help of retired detective Mulberry after killing the crazy Mayor of New York and stealing his treasure. We find her living in a used RV on the beach of the Sea of Cortez in Mexico. She spends her days with her dog Blue on the beach eating oysters and getting drunk on tequila. Mulberry finds her and offers her a job in the new detective business he has started along with a new identity as Sydney Rye. She accepts the offer and starts her and Blue's training to become a private detective with the help of trainer Merl and his two Doberman Pinchers. Sydney gets involved with the murder and rape of the daughter of the oyster stand and vows to get revenge for her death. That starts her new life as Sydney Rye.
April 16, 2025
“Death in the Dark” is not so much a novella in the 'Sydney Rye' series as the ending the first book, “Unleashed” should have had.
Having fled New York for the Gulf of Mexico (or whatever Trump would like it called this week) Joy and Mulberry fall out.
He disappears into the sunset while she embarks on a drinking binge and indulges her self-loathing.
Eventually Mulberry returns and he's got her a new identity in the name of (you've guessed it) Sydney Rye.
He's set up a P.I. business and he wants Sydney to work with him, but first she and Blue will have to undergo some serious training.
The training goes well but her first chance to put it into practical use comes far sooner than she would have liked – the term 'terminate with extreme prejudice' comes to mind.
It's a solid but short read.
3 Stars.
Having fled New York for the Gulf of Mexico (or whatever Trump would like it called this week) Joy and Mulberry fall out.
He disappears into the sunset while she embarks on a drinking binge and indulges her self-loathing.
Eventually Mulberry returns and he's got her a new identity in the name of (you've guessed it) Sydney Rye.
He's set up a P.I. business and he wants Sydney to work with him, but first she and Blue will have to undergo some serious training.
The training goes well but her first chance to put it into practical use comes far sooner than she would have liked – the term 'terminate with extreme prejudice' comes to mind.
It's a solid but short read.
3 Stars.
July 13, 2020
The second book in the series, this novella follows Joy as she becomes Sydney Rye. While she's training with Blue to become a private investigator, the daughter of a friend is found viciously murdered and Sydney goes for revenge. However, when she winds up trapped, she must use all her skills to escape and survive.
This was a good story and I enjoyed most of it. There was a scene that I believe was unnecessary and could have been done differently. I understand that it's considered culture in the area where this story is set but it's particularly violent and another setting would have worked just as well. Otherwise, this book was full of action and intrigue with a strong female lead. I'm looking forward to book three.
This was a good story and I enjoyed most of it. There was a scene that I believe was unnecessary and could have been done differently. I understand that it's considered culture in the area where this story is set but it's particularly violent and another setting would have worked just as well. Otherwise, this book was full of action and intrigue with a strong female lead. I'm looking forward to book three.
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