Book ~ "Unthinkable" (2021) Brad Parks

From Goodreads ~ Nate Lovejoy is a self-proclaimed nobody, a stay-at-home dad who doesn’t believe he’s important to anyone but his wife and their two daughters. So it’s a shock when members of a powerful secret society kidnap and spirit Nate away to a mansion at the behest of their leader, Vanslow DeGange, who claims to know the future. He’s foreseen that a billion people could die - unless Nate acts.

It seems improbable, especially given what DeGange says will set this mass casualty incident in motion: a lawsuit against the biggest power company in Virginia, being brought by Nate’s wife, Jenny.

Nate quickly smells a scam being perpetrated by the power company. But at every turn, it becomes apparent there’s more to DeGange’s gift than Nate wants to acknowledge. A billion people really could die, and Nate might be the only one who can save them.

All he has to do is the unthinkable. 

Nate is a former lawyer and now a stay-at-home father of two young daughters.  His wife, Jenny, is a lawyer who is building a pro bono case against a large power company whose generators are suspected to be causing cancer in local residents.  

Nate is kidnapped one day and told that because of the ripple effect of his wife's case, billions will die.  So Nate is ordered he has to kill Jenny or he and his family will be killed.  

He had been kidnapped by a secret society whose leader claims to be able see into the future.  Nate is disbelieving at first (he assumes it's the power company that had him kidnapped because of Jenny's case) but as he investigates, he is eventually convinced that this is indeed true.  As a reader, you have to leave your sense of belief at the door and go with it.  Though he obviously doesn't want to kill his wife, Nate is led to believe that this is his only course of action and he has to do the unthinkable.

I was liking the story up until the point where Nate was ready to shoot Jenny.  But then it took a weird turn that I shook my head over and I started losing interest because it became too fanciful.  I thought the ending was lame and unrealistic.

I liked the writing style.  It is written in first person perspective in Nate's voice and third person perspective when the focus is on Jenny (the chapters are labeled).

Book ~ "Closer Than You Know" (2018) Brad Parks

From Goodreads ~ Disaster, Melanie Barrick was once told, is always closer than you know.

It was a lesson she learned the hard way growing up in the constant upheaval of foster care. But now that she's survived into adulthood - with a loving husband, a steady job and a beautiful baby boy named Alex - she thought that turmoil was behind her.

Until one Monday evening when she goes to pick up Alex from childcare only to discover he's been removed by Social Services. And no one will say why. It's a terrifying scenario for any parent but doubly so for Melanie, who knows the unintended horrors of what everyone coldly calls "the system."

Her nightmare mushrooms when she arrives home to learn her house has been raided by sheriff's deputies, who have found enough cocaine to send Melanie to prison for years. The evidence against her is overwhelming and if Melanie can't prove her innocence, she'll lose Alex forever.

Meanwhile, assistant commonwealth's attorney Amy Kaye - who has been assigned Melanie's case - has her own troubles. She's been dogged by a cold case no one wants her to pursue: a serial rapist who has avoided detection by wearing a mask and whispering his commands. Over the years, he has victimized dozens of women.

Including Melanie. Yet now her attacker might be the key to her salvation ... or her undoing.

Melanie grew up in foster care after her parents lost their parental rights when she was a child.  She's done the best she can and, now an adult, is married to Ben (a PhD student), educated though not working to her potential and has a baby named Alex.  When she goes to pick up Alex at daycare one day, she discovers he has been removed by Social Services but has no idea why.  She heads home to discover the police have searched her house and have apparently found cocaine.  She initially thinks it belongs to her younger brother but it turns out it doesn't.  In and out of jail, she is assigned a rumpled inept lawyer who she doesn't have a lot of confidence in.

Amy is the assistant commonwealth's attorney and has been working on a cold case of a rapist in the  country.  She is assigned Melanie's case, who had coincidentally also been a victim of the rapist last year.  But Amy must put aside her sympathy for Melanie in that case as she tries the drug possession case.

The storyline was interesting.  As hard as Melanie tried, she had a hard time getting and keeping ahead.  There were lots of possible "whodunnits" who could have set her up and we don't find out who is behind it all until the end ... and I bought it.  I liked the writing style.  It is written in first person perspective in Melanie's voice but also in third person perspective from Amy and other's points of view.  I found at times, though, there were too many police officers involved in this case that I started losing track of who they were.

I've read all of Brad Parks' books including the Carter Ross series and liked them.  This was a stand alone book.

Book ~ "Say Nothing" (2017) Brad Parks

From Goodreads ~ Judge Scott Sampson doesn’t brag about having a perfect life but the evidence is clear: A prestigious job. A loving marriage. A pair of healthy children. Then a phone call begins every parent’s most chilling nightmare. Scott’s six-year-old twins, Sam and Emma, have been taken. The judge must rule exactly as instructed in a drug case he is about to hear. If he refuses, the consequences for the children will be dire. 

For Scott and his wife Alison, the kidnapper’s call is only the beginning of a twisting, gut-churning ordeal of blackmail, deceit, and terror. Through it all, they will stop at nothing to get their children back, no matter the cost to themselves ... or to each other.

Scott and Alison seem to have it all ... great jobs, a nice farmhouse and six-year-old twins.  But that all suddenly comes to an end.  Just before Scott is to preside over a case, their children are kidnapped.  If Scott rules the way he is told, the twins will be returned to them.  Scott does as he's told, against his better judgement and to everyone's surprise, but the kidnappers renege on their promise and Scott finds out the real reason his children were kidnapped.

I liked storyline of this book.  There were lots of possible "whodunnits" and we don't find out who is behind it all until the end.  I enjoyed the writing style ... at times it was funny and sarcastic.  It is written in first person perspective in Scott's voice but also in third person perspective from the kidnappers' point of view.

I found at times, though, there was too much information ... the details of the court cases was too much, especially the last one.  There were a lot of characters involved in this case that I started losing track of who they were.  Plus it got too political at times (as a Canadian, I didn't understand the American system).

I saw the ending coming and had hoped it wasn't going to go that way.  I wasn't crazy about the ending.

I've read all of Brad Parks' books in the Carter Ross series and liked them.  This was a stand alone book.

Book ~ "The Fraud" (2015) Brad Parks

From Goodreads ~ A rash of carjackings terrorizing Newark become newsworthy when one such theft ends in the murder of a wealthy banking executive. The affable, wisecracking Ross is assigned the story but he's weary of only writing about victims of crime who happen to be rich and white. To balance his reporting, he finds a Nigerian immigrant of more modest means who was also killed during a recent carjacking. 

When it turns out the two victims knew each other, sharing an unexplained round of golf at a tony country club shortly before their deaths, Carter is plunged onto the trail of a deadly band of car thieves that includes a sociopathic ex-convict. When his unborn child is put in harm's way, it becomes more than just a story for Carter. And he'll stop at nothing to rescue the baby-even if it costs him his own life.

Carter Ross is a reporter for a newspaper in New Jersey.  Kevin Tiemeyer, a rich white businessman, had been shot and killed during a carjacking and Carter is assigned to the story.  Rather than focus on Tiemeyer, Carter is curious to see if this carjacking was a one-off occurrence and discovers that it had recently happened to a Nigerian immigrant named Joseph Okeke.  He starts to investigate Okeke, spending time with his ex-wife, daughter and girlfriend.  He discovers that Tiemeyer and Okeke knew each other through their golf club.  Carter suspects there is connection and it can't be a coincidence that they both died during carjackings.

In the meantime, Carter and his boss, Tina, are dating again and will soon have a baby (hence the reason they are back together).  This brings out a paternalistic side of Carter than he didn't realize he had.

I liked this book.  There were lots of possible "whodunnits" and we don't find out who is behind it all until the end.  I enjoyed the writing style ... it was funny and sarcastic.  It is written in first person perspective in Carter's voice but also in third person perspective from Black Hat's (one of the carjackers) point of view.  I liked the characters.  Carter is funny yet dorky and the other characters such as Chillax (an intern) and Tommy are colourful.

This is the sixth book in the Carter Ross series and I like this series.  Despite being part of a series, this book works well as a stand alone so you don't need to read the others to enjoy this one as there is enough background provided.

Book ~ "The Nightgown" (2012) Brad Parks

From Goodreads ~ Only 24 years old and still a wide-eyed reporter for a tiny backwater newspaper, Ross is getting his crack at the big leagues with an interview at New Jersey's largest paper, The Eagle-Examiner. If - that if - he nails the interview and the on-the-spot writing test. Ross has never had a problem spinning a story, but provided with notes he didn't take and quotes he didn't hear it feels flat, and he's not so sure about his chances.

So when a car crashes into a building in a nearby town and Carter overhears the assignments editor complaining that there's no one left in the building whom she can send out to cover the story, Carter jumps at the chance and quickly finds himself dangerously close to being in over his head.

This novella tells how Carter Ross got his job working for The Eagle-Examiner, a newspaper in New Jersey.  He was 24 years old, young and eager, and applying for the job as a reporter.  As he was going through the testing to show his talent, using information the newspaper provided so he could write a fake news story, a call comes in that a prominent local citizen had been in a car accident.  If alcohol was involved, this would be quite the scandal.

With no other reporters available, Carter volunteered and this instead became his test.  Knowing what's on the line, he was determined to do the best job he could.  As he investigated, he discovered that not everything was as it seemed.

This is the beginning of the Carter Ross series (though it was written after the first couple books had been written).  I like this series and enjoyed the writing style ... it was funny and sarcastic.  It is written in first person perspective in Carter's voice.

Book ~ "The Player" (2014) Brad Parks

From Goodreads ~ When he hears residents of a Newark neighborhood are getting sick - and even dying - from a strange disease, investigative reporter Carter Ross dives into the story - so deep he comes down with the illness himself. With even more motivation to track down the source of the disease, Carter soon hits upon a nearby construction site. But when the project's developer is found dead, and his mob ties surface, Carter knows he's looking at a story much bigger - and with even more dangerous consequences - than an environmental hazard. 

Back in the newsroom, Carter has his hands full with his current girlfriend and with the paper's newest eager intern, not to mention his boss and former girlfriend Tina Thompson, who has some news for Carter that's about to make tangling with the mob seem simple by comparison.

Carter Ross is a reporter for a newspaper in New Jersey.  He picks ups a story about a neighbourhood where everyone is getting sick, breaking limbs and even death.  When he goes there to investigate, he too gets briefly sick which definitely makes him more interested.  Before he can dig into it too much, though, he is reassigned to investigate the murder of a well-known builder, whose body was found on his construction site near the neighbourhood with the illnesses.  The construction site seems to be on the up and up but is it?

In the meantime, Carter is still dating a colleague but his boss and former girlfriend has some interesting news for him.

I liked this book, and though I found it ended quickly and neatly, I didn't see the "whodunnit" coming.  I enjoyed the writing style ... it was funny and sarcastic.  It is written in first person perspective in Carter's voice.  As a head's up, there is swearing.  I liked the characters.  Carter is funny yet dorky and the other characters are colourful.

This is the fifth book in the Carter Ross series and I like this series.  Despite being part of a series, this book works well as a stand alone so you don't need to read the others to enjoy this one as there is enough background provided.

Book ~ "The Good Cop" (2013) Brad Parks

From Goodreads ~ As long as Newark Eagle-Examiner reporter Carter Ross turns in his stories on deadline, no one bats an eye if he doesn't wander into the newsroom until 10 or 11 in the morning. So it's an unpleasant surprise when he's awakened at 8:38 a.m. by a phone call from his boss, telling him a local policeman was killed and to get the story. Shaking himself awake, Carter heads off to interview the cop's widow. And then he gets another call: the story's off, the cop committed suicide.

But Carter can't understand why a man with a job he loved, a beautiful wife, and plans to take his adorable children to Disney World would suddenly kill himself. And when Carter's attempts to learn more are repeatedly blocked, it's clear someone knows more than he's saying about the cop's death. The question is, who? And what does he have to hide? Carter, with his usual single-minded devotion to a good story - and to the memory of a Newark policeman - will do whatever it takes to uncover the truth. 

Carter Ross is a reporter for a newspaper in New Jersey.  He gets an early morning call one day that a cop has been killed so he dashes off to interview the widow.  Then he finds out that the death was determined to be a suicide so he has to back off.  But something doesn't seem right to Carter.  Why would a man who had everything going for him kill himself?  So Carter continues to investigate.

I liked this book, though I found it ended quickly and neatly.  I enjoyed the writing style ... it was funny and sarcastic.  It is written in first person perspective in Carter's voice.  There are occasional chapters written in third person perspective with a side story about illegal gun sales.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

I liked the characters.  Carter is funny yet dorky and the other characters are colourful.

This is the fourth book in the Carter Ross series ... I had read the first three a few years ago and had enjoyed them and the series.  For some reason, though, I had forgotten about this series so I'm catching up.  Despite being part of a series, this book works well as a stand alone so you don't need to read the others to enjoy this one.

Book ~ "Eyes of the Innocent" (2011) Brad Parks

From Goodreads ~ Carter Ross, the sometimes-dashing investigative reporter for the Newark Eagle-Examiner, is back, and reporting on the latest tragedy to befall Newark, New Jersey, a fast-moving house fire that kills two boys. 

With the help of the paper’s newest intern, a bubbly blonde known as “Sweet Thang,” Carter finds the victims’ mother, Akilah Harris, who spins a tale of woe about a mortgage rate reset that forced her to work two jobs and leave her young boys without child care. Carter turns in a front-page feature, but soon discovers Akilah isn’t what she seems. And neither is the fire. 

When Newark councilman Windy Byers is reported missing, it launches Carter into the sordid world of urban house-flipping and Jersey-style political corruption. With his usual mix of humor, compassion, and street smarts, Carter is soon calling on some of his friends—gay Cuban sidekick Tommy Hernandez, T-shirt-selling buddy Tee Jamison, and on-and-off girlfriend Tina Thompson—for help in tracking down the shadowy figure behind it all.

This is the second book in the Carter Ross series ... I had read the third and first ones.  They are stand alones (I had read the third one first) so you don't need to read them all or even in order to enjoy this one or the others.  It's a fun series.

Carter is still a bit of a whiter than white dork with his short side-parted hair, tie and pleated pants.

Carter is asked to work with Lauren (aka Sweet Thang), an intern who got her job because her rich father is friends with one of the big bosses at the newspaper.  Sweet Thang's crush on Carter stirs up the jealousy of Tina, who still wants to use him as a sperm donor.  Despite his lack of confidence in Sweet Thang, she manages to get close to Akilah, who recently lost her sons in a house fire, Akilah's mom and Akilah's sister.  Without Sweet Thang, Carter wouldn't have the details for his story.

Alternating chapters give us information about Primo, a Brazilian who buys houses, fixes them up and then flips them.  Eventually we learn the details of how he is involved.

It is in Parks' usual funny and sarcastic style ... I love Carter's interactions with Tee and Tommy.

I look forward to more Carter Ross books in the future!

Book ~ "Faces of the Gone" (2009) Brad Parks

From Goodreads ~ Four bodies, each with a single bullet wound in the back of the head, stacked like cord-wood in a weed-choked vacant lot: That's 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 mama's boy came from different parts of the city and didn't 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 Carter's paper, hungry for a scoop, hastily prints it. Carter doesn't come from the streets, but he understands a thing or two about Newark's 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 paper's smoking-hot city editor, to run interference at the office; Tommy Hernandez, the paper's gay Cuban intern, to help him with legwork on the streets; and Tynesha Dales, a local stripper, to take him to Newark's 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.

We meet Carter Ross who is a reporter.  He ends up working on the story of the four murdered victims.  They don't seem to have any tie to each other until Carter starts to dig and manages to find one, which puts him and others in danger.

This is the first in the Carter Ross series.  I enjoyed the writing style.  It is funny and sarcastic, but not over the top.

There is a cross section of characters and I liked them.  The interactions between he and Tina and he and Tommy are funny.  Tina's clock is ticking and she thinks Carter would be a good candidate to be the father of her child.  Alas, they keep getting hammered and he ends up sleeping on her couch.  Carter comes from a rich background and dresses very cool ... if he were in the 90s.  Tommy is always bugging him about his pleated pants.

The ending came together well and I bought the "who dunnit".

Book ~ "The Girl Next Door" (2012) Brad Parks

From Goodreads ~ Reading his own newspaper’s obituaries, veteran reporter Carter Ross comes across that of a woman named Nancy Marino, who was the victim of a hit-and-run while she was on the job delivering copies of that very paper, the Eagle-Examiner. Struck by the opportunity to write a heroic piece about an everyday woman killed too young, he heads to her wake to gather tributes and anecdotes. It’s the last place Ross expects to find controversy—which is exactly what happens when one of Nancy’s sisters convinces him that the accident might not have been accidental at all.

It turns out that the kind and generous Nancy may have made a few enemies, starting with her boss at the diner where she was a part-time waitress and even including the publisher of the Eagle-Examiner. Carter’s investigation of this seemingly simple story soon has him in big trouble with his full-time editor and sometime girlfriend, Tina Thompson, not to mention the rest of his bosses at the paper, but he can’t let it go—the story is just too good, and it keeps getting better. But will his nose for trouble finally take him too far?

Carter Ross is a reporter who has reached the point in his career where he can write about whatever he wants.  Nancy Marino's obit catches his attention because she died so young (in her 40s).  He decides to write a tribute article to her.  As he does research, he suspects she has been murdered.  He has a couple of suspects so follows the trails to prove the truth, which puts him in danger.

It was a good mystery which all comes together nicely at the end.  I liked the writing style ... it was quick, funny and sarcastic.  Sometimes I find sarcastic writing over the top and annoying but this wasn't.  Parks is quite funny.

His cat, Deadline, is a hoot.

Vitals: 25 inches, 13 pounds, black and white coat 
The indolent domestic shorthair. Deadline gets very cranky if he doesn't get his sleep—about 22 hours a day will usually do the trick. His other hobbies are eating and pooping. 

And I liked the exchanges between Carter and Tee ... I'm sorry Tee wasn't in the book more.

Reginald "Tee" Williams Vitals: 5-10, 250, black braided hair, brown eyes 
The source on the streets. Tee owns a custom T-shirt shop in Newark and looks like a bad-ass: One-eighth of a ton of muscle, braids and tattoos. But he's also afraid of his wife and cries at car commercials. Tee explains the ways of the 'hood to Carter, who reciprocates by translating white people for Tee.

I'd never heard of this author but apparently this is the third in his Carter Ross series.  I'm definitely going to read the first two and will keep an eye out for his future books.