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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
PG 151: "It's a gray area, but only slate gray, not charcoal." It's observations like this that makes the character of Carter Ross so darn likeable. Doesn't matter which shade of gray you like, if you read this series, you're in for a treat.
another one with a plot that I didn't care for, but the tone and the characters more than made up for it. The narration was great
Despite several caveats, I liked Carter Ross #1 and gave it 4 stars so I tried Carter Ross #2 but I just couldn't handle the writing so I dnf'd it. The issues I had in book #1 were even worse in #2. The issues being that everything was just too cute, every single character was just too cliché, a lot of the one-liners and even conversations were just too glib. The whole thing was just overly sweet and too treacly.
Spoilers: I mean, you have your Sweet Thang Southern intern, your gay sharp dressing intern, outside tough editor, friendly tough on the outside, sugar on the inside hoodlum. Basically everyone was a walking talking cliché. I dnf'd at 45%, that was all I could stomach.
Spoilers: I mean, you have your Sweet Thang Southern intern, your gay sharp dressing intern, outside tough editor, friendly tough on the outside, sugar on the inside hoodlum. Basically everyone was a walking talking cliché. I dnf'd at 45%, that was all I could stomach.
I listened to this great narration, whose inflections realized the subtle humor of the protanogist. Carter is really honest, knowledgeable, smart, and a pretty darn good writer. Other than the interplay with Tina, one of the editors of the newspaper for which he works, which gets a little tedious, this was a great addition to the series. The mystery comes together well, leaving no questions unanswered.
Another fluffy, quick book. I really enjoy the author's style, but it feels more like a suspense novel than a mystery.
The word that comes to mind for this book is competent. I mean that in a very good way. Only Park's second book (I actually never read the first (yet)), it's the work of a pro. There is nothing ostentatious or showy, but the characters, setting and plot all mix together to form a nice stew and never overstay their welcome. I was a bit wary of the early jokey tone (not that they are poorly done, it's just not my thing) but it rarely intruded into the narrative enough for me to eye roll or cringe.
Just a solid book with a likable lead. It reminded me a lot of Lippman's early Tess books where it was clear she had the characters and the writing skill, but it took a few books for her plotting chops to catch up to her talent and ambition.
Just a solid book with a likable lead. It reminded me a lot of Lippman's early Tess books where it was clear she had the characters and the writing skill, but it took a few books for her plotting chops to catch up to her talent and ambition.
Carter Ross sticks with the newspaper business even though it is falling down around him. He writes for the Newark Eagle-Examiner, doing whatever the editor tells him to do, so he heads off to write a space heater story about a burned down house that killed two little boys. What he finds is a lot bigger than that. Stuck with one of the interns, Carter takes her along and they find the homeowner in the kitchen of the burned out house. Lauren charms Akilah Harris into telling them her story: the house was owned by a city councilman who was Akilah's boyfriend. Then everything comes crashing down. Turns out the city councilman was on the grift to a Brazilian developer and a lot of people got in the way. Fast-paced and snarky, just how I like my mysteries.
Very similar in tone to the first book and entertaining in all the same ways. I preferred Tommy as main intern to Sweet Thang, although the scene with the Twitter page was very amusing.
Well, I am starting to get really annoyed with Brad Parks because when I finish one of his books I get all crabby and grumpy having to read something that I don't enjoy nearly as much. His characters are extremely well drawn and engaging in this offering, and his description of feeling like prey to a hunting owl had me laughing right out loud. This is the last one in my library that I had not yet read. Guess I will have to break down and crack open the purse for Mr. Parks. He is so good.