Faces of the Gone: Carter Ross, Book 1

Fast paced, funny, reasonably well-written and well-plotted. Good on traditional journalism, with some glaring omissions. The word for a managing editor who sleeps with a reporter he/she supervises is gone. Fired. Relationships with other reporters don't quite ring true either, and what about the stupidity of these police? Never mind. The characters who aren't in the newsroom or in the cop shop are well done and lively, and inside the newsroom, the narrator's intern is also pretty good. If Brad Parks is white, he needs to be congratulated for writing non-over-top black characters. Even the street hoods have nuance. Also, excellent narrator.

Looking for a mystery with some interesting characters and clever dialogue? I found both Brad Parks' books fast paced and enjoyable, largely due to the great narration. Admittedly, the story won't stand up to the best books I've read/heard this year, but it did make for a more enjoyable commute and I would recommend it overall.

I have some reservations about this book, but overall I would recommend it. I've read literally thousands of mysteries, and I'm darned hard to please, so a 4 star from me means something! On the other hand, the reader is not very good. He is boring, which is bad enough, but also does those phony baloney voices. Puhleese! I like a reader who reads the book, and doesn't try to fiddle around with voices - and pauses where not necessary. After the 10th pause before "I said." or "He said." I was wishing the guy would hand the book over to someone else. That said, the story is good and interesting, the characters are fun for the most part, although the main character jumps to some conclusions that aren't supported by the evidence - that tactic has been used in both of Park's books - which serves, I suppose, to put him in jeopardy and add unneeded "tension." On the other hand, there are a lot of mysteries out there, and few of them are as readable as these, so I say read them and you won't be sorry.

I think that Brad Parks could enter my exclusive group of favorite mystery writers as he hones his skills.

Rather interesting at times. But rather stupid at more times. There is an edge to Carter Ross sometimes but it never develops and does not last.

I listen to 3-4 books on tape each week and I always finish them. Not this one. What a horrible writer. Somehow he manages to turn multiple murders into a ho-hum who-cares event. Don't waste your time. I wish I hadn't wasted my money. This is the first review I"ve written, although I always read them before I buy.