Synopses & Reviews
Four bodies, each with a single bullet wound in the back of the head, stacked like cordwood in a weed-choked vacant lot: Thats the front-page news facing Carter Ross, investigative reporter with the Newark Eagle-Examiner. Immediately dispatched to the scene, Carter learns that the four victims—an exotic dancer, a drug dealer, a hustler, and a mamas boy—came from different parts of the city and didnt seem to know one another.
The police, eager to calm jittery residents, leak a theory that the murders are revenge for a bar stickup, and Carters paper, hungry for a scoop, hastily prints it. Carter doesnt come from the streets, but he understands a thing or two about Newarks neighborhoods. And he knows there are no quick answers when dealing with a crime like this.
Determined to uncover the true story, he enlists the aide of Tina Thompson, the papers smoking-hot city editor, to run interference at the office; Tommy Hernandez, the papers gay Cuban intern, to help him with legwork on the streets; and Tynesha Dales, a local stripper, to take him to Newarks underside. It turns out that the four victims have one connection after all, and this knowledge will put Carter on the path of one very ambitious killer.
Faces of the Gone won the Shamus Award for Best First Novel and the Nero Award for Best American Mystery--it is the first book to receive both awards. The book was named to lists of the year's best mystery debuts by the Chicago Sun-Times and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Review
Journalist Brad Parks commanding, entertaining debut featuring an investigative reporter briskly delves into the politics of drug dealing, the value of street reporting and an insiders look at the newspaper industry.
Faces of the Gone skillfully mixes a gritty hard-boiled mystery with swatches of broad humor that perfectly captures the newsroom culture.
Carter Ross is the appealing 31-year-old investigative reporter for the Eagle-Examiner in Newark, N.J. He relishes getting out of the office and onto the streets that he knows well. When four people are killed execution style, their bodies dumped in a vacant lot, Carter refuses to believe the police reports that this was the result of a bar robbery. The story is front-page news even for a city "as blood-jaded as Newark."
An honest, concerned reporter, Carter works to find the link between the four people.
Alternating chapters that focus on a drug lord who calls himself "the Director" further fuels the tension.
Faces of the Gone illustrates life in Newarks inner city without clichés, showing the differences between the urban neighborhoods and the suburbs where Carter grew up. Scenes with the victims families, especially a mother who knew her daughters flaws but still believed in her, are heart-breakingly accurate.
As he works the story, Carter also immerses himself in the little intrigues, banter and personalities of the newsroom. Carter loves his profession and "is incurably ink-stained." Like other newspapers, Carters Eagle-Examiner has its struggles but the staff is committed to covering the area. Parks also gleefully shows the friction between newspaper and TV reporters jockeying for the better stories.
Carter is an engaging character with more personality layers for the readers to uncover, making him ripe to carry a series. Although he comes from an upper-class background, Carter relates well to those in the inner city. But Parks doesnt make Carter an unrealistic superhero – hes just a reporter who has uncovered an amazing story. Supporting characters – both in the newsroom and on the street – add substance.
Parks Faces of the Gone ranks with Michael Connellys The Scarecrow in its depiction of the newspaper industry. Parks, a former reporter at the Star-Ledger in Newark, shows hes made the transition to becoming a novelist with this impressive debut.
Review
"Brad Parks [has] delivered a first-rate crime thriller....Faces of the Gone is gritty and hard boiled, but with a sly sense of humor. This strong and confident debut is sure to make an appearance on many 'best of' and awards lists. Parks is a bright new talent whom readers will hopefully be able to enjoy for years to come."--David J. Montgomery, Chicago Sun-Times"This is the most hilariously funny and deadly serious mystery debut since Janet Evanovich's One for the Money. Former journalist Parks has learned the art of making words flow and dialog zing. Fans of the NFL's Cleveland Browns will find the Brick City Browns street gang an added delight."--Library Journal (starred review) "The story and characters make Faces of the Gone a success; the plot plays out with twists, and the characters are drawn with realism. Parks has begun his projected series with a bang."--Richmond Times-Dispatch "This terrific page-turning debut features a likeable protagonist, engaging supporting characters and some witty and amusing dialogue. Readers will want to see where this compelling tale takes them."--RT BOOKreviews (4 stars) "Parks' writing is graceful and often gripping, and he creates a handful of vivid characters, both journalists and their sources. His portraits of the city and its drug trade, the newspaper, and Carter's journalistic techniques all sound knowing....this could develop into a solid series."--Booklist
Review
"This is the most hilariously funny and deadly serious mystery debut since Janet Evanovich's One for the Money. Former journalist Parks has learned the art of making words flow and dialog zing. Fans of the NFL's Cleveland Browns will find the Brick City Browns street gang an added delight."--Library Journal (starred review)"This terrific page-turning debut features a likeable protagonist, engaging supporting characters and some witty and amusing dialogue. Readers will want to see where this compelling tale takes them."--Romantic Times BOOKreviews (4 stars) "Parks's entertaining debut introduces an appealing hero, 31-year-old investigative reporter Carter Ross of the Newark (N.J.) Eagle-Examiner....Colorful supporting characters plus Ross's grit and determination keep the story moving at a good clip. Parks, a former print journalist himself, knows his way around a newsroom as the laments for the newspaper industry and the digs at TV reporters attest."--Publishers Weekly "Parks' writing is graceful and often gripping, and he creates a handful of vivid characters, both journalists and their sources. His portraits of the city and its drug trade, the newspaper, and Carter's journalistic techniques all sound knowing....this could develop into a solid series."--Booklist
"Terrific debut."--Harlan Coben
Review
"Brad Parks [has] delivered a first-rate crime thriller....
Faces of the Gone is gritty and hard boiled, but with a sly sense of humor. This strong and confident debut is sure to make an appearance on many 'best of' and awards lists. Parks is a bright new talent whom readers will hopefully be able to enjoy for years to come."--David J. Montgomery,
Chicago Sun-Times"[A] commanding, entertaining debut...Faces of the Gone skillfully mixes a gritty hard-boiled mystery with swatches of broad humor that perfectly captures the newsroom culture….Parks' Faces of the Gone ranks with Michael Connelly's The Scarecrow in its depiction of the newspaper industry. Parks, a former reporter at the Star-Ledger in Newark, shows he's made the transition to becoming a novelist with this impressive debut.”—Oline H. Cogdill, South Florida Sun-Sentinel "This is the most hilariously funny and deadly serious mystery debut since Janet Evanovich's One for the Money. Former journalist Parks has learned the art of making words flow and dialog zing. Fans of the NFL's Cleveland Browns will find the Brick City Browns street gang an added delight."--Library Journal (starred review) "The story and characters make Faces of the Gone a success; the plot plays out with twists, and the characters are drawn with realism. Parks has begun his projected series with a bang."--Richmond Times-Dispatch "This terrific page-turning debut features a likeable protagonist, engaging supporting characters and some witty and amusing dialogue. Readers will want to see where this compelling tale takes them."--RT Book Reviews (4 stars) "Parks' writing is graceful and often gripping, and he creates a handful of vivid characters, both journalists and their sources. His portraits of the city and its drug trade, the newspaper, and Carter's journalistic techniques all sound knowing....this could develop into a solid series."--Booklist
Review
Journalist Brad Parks' commanding, entertaining debut featuring an investigative reporter briskly delves into the politics of drug dealing, the value of street reporting and an insider's look at the newspaper industry.
Faces of the Gone skillfully mixes a gritty hard-boiled mystery with swatches of broad humor that perfectly captures the newsroom culture.
Carter Ross is the appealing 31-year-old investigative reporter for the Eagle-Examiner in Newark, N.J. He relishes getting out of the office and onto the streets that he knows well. When four people are killed execution style, their bodies dumped in a vacant lot, Carter refuses to believe the police reports that this was the result of a bar robbery. The story is front-page news even for a city "as blood-jaded as Newark."
An honest, concerned reporter, Carter works to find the link between the four people.
Alternating chapters that focus on a drug lord who calls himself "the Director" further fuels the tension.
Faces of the Gone i Oline H. Cogdill
Synopsis
A shooting can rattle a city, even if its gun-choked Newark. Investigative reporter Carter Ross finds himself with gruesome front page news: four bodies in a vacant lot, each with a single bullet hole in the back of the head. In a haste to calm residents, local police leak a story to Carters col leagues at the
Newark Eagle- Examiner, calling the murders revenge for a bar stick-up. But while Carter may not come from the streets, he knows a few things about Newarks ghettos. And he knows the story the police are pushing just doesnt make sense. The paper prints the polices version anywayunder the jour nalistic theory that its better to be first with the news than factualleaving Carter all but alone to find the real story. He enlists the aide of Tina Thompson, the papers smoking hot city editor, to run interference for him at the office; Tommy Hernandez, the papers gay Cuban intern, to help him with legwork on the street; and Tynesha Dales, a local stripper, to take him to Newarks underside. Soon, Carter learns the four victims have one connection after all, and this knowledge will put him in the path of one very ambitious killer.
Moving over the same literary turf as Harlan Coben, Brad Parks enters the crime fiction scene with the confidence and style of a pro.
Synopsis
Investigative reporter Carter Ross finds himself facing gruesome front page news: four bodies in a vacant lot, each with a single bullet hole in the back of the head. While the police are pushing a revenge theory, Ross knows there's more to the story.
Synopsis
Four bodies, each with a single bullet wound in the back of the head, stacked like cordwood in a weed-choked vacant lot: Thats the front-page news facing Carter Ross, investigative reporter with the Newark Eagle-Examiner. Immediately dispatched to the scene, Carter learns that the four victims—an exotic dancer, a drug dealer, a hustler, and a mamas boy—came from different parts of the city and didnt seem to know one another.
The police, eager to calm jittery residents, leak a theory that the murders are revenge for a bar stickup, and Carters paper, hungry for a scoop, hastily prints it. Carter doesnt come from the streets, but he understands a thing or two about Newarks neighborhoods. And he knows there are no quick answers when dealing with a crime like this.
Determined to uncover the true story, he enlists the aide of Tina Thompson, the papers smoking-hot city editor, to run interference at the office; Tommy Hernandez, the papers gay Cuban intern, to help him with legwork on the streets; and Tynesha Dales, a local stripper, to take him to Newarks underside. It turns out that the four victims have one connection after all, and this knowledge will put Carter on the path of one very ambitious killer.
Faces of the Gone won the Shamus Award for Best First Novel and the Nero Award for Best American Mystery--it is the first book to receive both awards. The book was named to lists of the year's best mystery debuts by the Chicago Sun-Times and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Synopsis
Investigative reporter Carter Ross finds himself with gruesome front-page news: four bodies in a vacant lot, each with a single bullet hole in the back of the head. In a haste to calm residents, local police leak a story to Carters colleagues at the Newark Eagle-Examiner, calling the murders revenge for a bar stickup. But while Carter may not come from the streets, he knows a few things about Newarks ghettos. And he knows the story the police are pushing doesnt make sense. He enlists the aide of Tina Thompson, the papers smoking hot city editor, to run interference for him at the office; Tommy Hernandez, the papers gay Cuban intern, to help him with legwork on the street; and Tynesha Dales, a local stripper, to take him to Newarks underside. Soon, Carter learns the four victims have one connection after all, and knowing this will put him in the path of one very ambitious killer.
Faces of the Gone won the Shamus Award for Best First Novel and the Nero Award for Best American Mystery--it is the first book to receive both awards. The book was named to lists of the year's best mystery debuts by the Chicago Sun-Times and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
About the Author
BRAD PARKS is an escaped journalist, having done time at The Washington Post and The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger as a sportswriter and news feature writer. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Dartmouth College, he is a washed-up jock, a veteran of community theater and an experienced (and enthusiastic) public speaker. He lives in Virginia with an understanding wife and two adorable young children.