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Eyes of the Innocent (Carter Ross Mystery #2)
by
Brad Parks (Goodreads Author)
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 m...more
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 m...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
February 1st 2011
by Minotaur Books
(first published January 22nd 2011)
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Carter Ross has a knack for getting into trouble.
As an investigative reporter for the Newark Eagle Examiner, covering crime is part of the job and sometimes, trouble ensues. But when his latest story involves four people found shot in the back of the head in a vacant lot, Carter knows that there's more to the case than the story police are spinning.
And what begins as another Jersey-homicide case unfolds into a who-dun-it thriller that takes Carter and readers on a fun-filled journalistic jaunt t...more
As an investigative reporter for the Newark Eagle Examiner, covering crime is part of the job and sometimes, trouble ensues. But when his latest story involves four people found shot in the back of the head in a vacant lot, Carter knows that there's more to the case than the story police are spinning.
And what begins as another Jersey-homicide case unfolds into a who-dun-it thriller that takes Carter and readers on a fun-filled journalistic jaunt t...more
I discovered Brad Parks when I won a copy of The Girl Next Door: A Mystery in a goodreads giveaway. I really enjoyed it. Once I figured out it was the third book in a series, I got my hands on the first two. The first book in the series, Faces of the Gone, was a bit of a disappointment, but Eyes of the Innocent almost matches The Girl Next Door: A Mystery. It is fast paced and entertaining. The mystery is nothing special but the characters Parks develops are fun even though most of the are almos...more
EYES OF THE INNOCENT is the second book in the Carter Ross series after FACES OF THE GONE. Ross is an investigative reporter for the Newark Eagle-Examiner who is ordered by his editor to take another look at the front page story, a house fire that has killed two brothers, Alonzo Harris, age four, and his six year-old brother, Antoine. Editor Szanto was encouraged by editor -in-chief Brodie to have reporter Ross find a connection to a space heater, Brodie’s obsession. Ross doesn’t dispute the dan...more
I was so excited when I got my hands on the sequel to Faces of the Gone, and happy to report I wasn't disappointed. Parks' protagonist--Carter Ross--is such a likable amateur detective. Ostensibly he's a hard-hitting journalist for the Newark's major daily paper (great sense of newsroom behaviors and environment), but he really just keeps getting into the middle of major crimes--and helping to solve them. Reads exceptionally fast because of tons of dialogue--snappy, self-deprecating, laugh out l...more
Carer Ross is a top notch reporter for the Newark Eag;e-Examiner. He is put on an assignment well below his abilities. It seems that a tragic house fire has claimed the lives of two young boys and his editor wants him to do a story on "space heaters".
Making matters worse, Carter is told to take under his wing a new intern, Lauren McMillen. Lauren is a vivacious, bubbly, extremely attractive young lady who is better know as "Sweet Thang".
Carter and Sweet Thang, while investigating the fire, find...more
Making matters worse, Carter is told to take under his wing a new intern, Lauren McMillen. Lauren is a vivacious, bubbly, extremely attractive young lady who is better know as "Sweet Thang".
Carter and Sweet Thang, while investigating the fire, find...more
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...more
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...more
A friend recommended this book to me because she knows that I enjoy a good mystery and because the author, currently a reporter for the Washington Post, was formerly a reporter for the Newark Star Ledger in New Jersey. This book is filled with references to places very familiar and written in the voice of someone who clearly enjoyed the time that he spent living in New Jersey. Since so many who are unfamiliar with anything but the New Jersey Turnpike freely disparage the State, it is always plea...more
Narrated by Macleod Andrews
Series: Carter Ross, Book 2
9 hrs and 43 mins
Publisher's Summary
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 papers newest intern, a bubbly blonde known as Sweet Thang, Carter finds the victim's mother, Akilah Harris, who spins a tale of woe about a mortgage rate reset that forced her to...more
Series: Carter Ross, Book 2
9 hrs and 43 mins
Publisher's Summary
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 papers newest intern, a bubbly blonde known as Sweet Thang, Carter finds the victim's mother, Akilah Harris, who spins a tale of woe about a mortgage rate reset that forced her to...more
Carter Ross, a reporter for the Newark Eagle-Examiner goes with one of the newspaper interns to investigate the scene of a house fire where two young children were killed. While in the burned out shell of the home he hears a blood curdling scream from his intern. He finds her with a knife against her throat. The person yielding the knife is Akilah Harris, the mother of the two boys who just died in the fire. The plot continues from there as Carter attempts to find out the truth about what or who...more
PROTAGONIST: Carter Ross, investigative reporter
SETTING: Newark, NJ
SERIES: #3 of 2
RATING: 3.5
WHY: An investigation into a house fire that kills two young boys soon turns into much more when a Newark councilman disappears and the facts behind the home's mortgage come to light. Investigative reporter Carter Ross, along with the young woman he is mentoring, Lauren "Sweet Thang" McMillan, chase the clues. Sweet Thang has a talent of making interviewees comfortable which really helps. The setting was...more
SETTING: Newark, NJ
SERIES: #3 of 2
RATING: 3.5
WHY: An investigation into a house fire that kills two young boys soon turns into much more when a Newark councilman disappears and the facts behind the home's mortgage come to light. Investigative reporter Carter Ross, along with the young woman he is mentoring, Lauren "Sweet Thang" McMillan, chase the clues. Sweet Thang has a talent of making interviewees comfortable which really helps. The setting was...more
May 10, 2011
Michael
added it
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....more
The central character, Carter Ross, is a Preppy reporter for the Newark Eagle-Examiner. You can't help but fall in love with him: his humble attitude, ethical approach to life, and "Knight in Shining Armor" attitude all contribute to that! I met Brad Parks last year when he rescued our Friends of the Library by filling in as our Weekend with a Writer speaker @ practically the last minute! Brad is so charming, and his writing is so good, it's difficult not to see the similarities between Brad and...more
I think I read this book because some New Jersey magazine recommended it. The story takes place in Newark and the author used to be a reporter in Jersey. For a guy who used to be a reporter writing about a guy who is a reporter, you'd think that this book would be spotless when it comes to punctuation and spelling errors. Not so. Don't have your main character get huffy about a grammar error if you can't fix the errors in your story. I'm a stickler about errors in books, especially because it se...more
Investigative reporter, Carter Ross is back. Carter writes for the Newark Eagle –Examiner. Carter’s boss wants Carter to write about the dangers of space heaters, after a house fire that killed two young boys. Carter is being paired with the newest intern, Lauren McMillan aka Sweet Thang.
Akilah Harris is the boys’ mother. At first glance she seems like a devastated mother but there is more to Akilah than meets the eye. Carter would have brushed Akilah off but when councilman, Windy Byers goes m...more
Akilah Harris is the boys’ mother. At first glance she seems like a devastated mother but there is more to Akilah than meets the eye. Carter would have brushed Akilah off but when councilman, Windy Byers goes m...more
It's nice to find a new and satisfying series. I loved Parks's depiction of the changing world of journalism and enjoyed his story and characters, and most of his writing. Occasionally he doesn't really move his plot along as skillfully as I'd like--the plot works, the storytelling isn't quite there. But only in some points; most of the time he's quite good.
I must say, these books have two of the worst titles ever. The content is terrific and not nearly as cheesy and ham-handed as the titles.
I must say, these books have two of the worst titles ever. The content is terrific and not nearly as cheesy and ham-handed as the titles.
I love a good book about the newspaper business. While this is a little superficial, it's got a nice plot and some light comedy that make it an enjoyable read. Spent half a day on the beach reading it, so I guess you can call it a summer read. Nice blurb from Michael Connelly on the front cover is explained when the main character is reading one of his books before dropping off to sleep. Nonetheless, entertainming.
Well written and entertaining. Newark Eagle-Examiner preppy reporter Carter Ross and his intern, the naive but useful Sweet Thang, are assigned to follow up on a house fire in which two young boys are killed, and the disappearance of a City Councilman. Turns out the two stories are related. Some witty observations about the current state of print journalism - a good hammock read.
The author, formerly a reporter for the Washington POST, has a very engaging style and a gift for making even minor characters memorable. The protagonist has a subtle, self-deprecating sense of of humor that is a delight to read. It's a great picture of life in Newark, modern journalism (or what remains of it), and the fallout from the foreclosure crisis.
One of best new crime fiction voices out there! Parks writes with a compulsively readable, page-turning style, a bit in Steve Hamilton's vein, and with a clever wit that brings to mind Jon Stewart. The traditional mystery genre is "in good hands" with this fellow. And I shiver to think what he would write about Allstate.
a new detective series w/a main character for me - carter ross, an investigative reporter w/much elan. i like carter's swagger and patter and the story line was ok. kinda' ended like i knew it would and wonder if all his carter ross books will be formulaic - probably so. BUT a fast, enjoyable read.
This is the story of a black woman whose two children are killed in an apartment fire while she is out working a nightjob to try and support them. It is also about a newspaper journalist and his protege who investigate the incident. Well done but I liked the author's earlier book better(Faces of the Gone)
Fast paced, easy read about a fire that has killed two young boys in Newark. Yes, it was a murder as the local reporter finds out. Add in a “dumb” blonde intern, a politician who disappears, a grieving mother and assorted other stereotypical characters and you have a quick, enjoyable read.
This is a great beach book. It is one of the better mysteries I've read in a while, with the action moving right along, interspersed with some humor. In spite of the unfortunate choice of a nickname for one of the main characters, I enjoyed the book and would read this author again.
A great 2nd book in the series of investigative reporter Carter Ross. Set in Newark, NJ, Carter works with a new intern to uncover the mystery surrounding a woman that loses her kids to a house fire and then she disappears. I can't wait to read book 3 - The Girl Next Door.
After Carter Ross and his new bubbly, blonde intern, known around the paper as "Sweet Thang," write a story about a local arson fire that killed two children, they become involved in a city-wide house flipping scandal involving a councilman who has been taking bribes from a secretive contractor. Now they must convince the police what is really going on before more people die.
Carter and his news reporting crew are as big a bunch of misfits as you can imagine. Parks writes with irreverent, sassy...more
Carter and his news reporting crew are as big a bunch of misfits as you can imagine. Parks writes with irreverent, sassy...more
Carter Ross series. Interesting. Mystery but with humor. Action takes place in Newark NJ. Main character is a newspaper journalist. Would read another novel by this author.
Brad -- and I can call him that b/c we're friends -- has done it again! This is a riveting read - even better than the first Carter Ross mystery. I think I read it in record time.
Second book by Brad Parks, hope he writes more. Really good storyline, very compelling and I really like his writing style.
My favorite new mystery writer. This is his second book (I've read both tho not in order) and I love his saucy style.
Another fluffy, quick book. I really enjoy the author's style, but it feels more like a suspense novel than a mystery.
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BRAD PARKS is the first author to have won the Shamus Award and Nero Award for the same novel. That book, FACES OF THE GONE, introduced Carter Ross, the sometimes-dashing investigative reporter, who has gone on to star in two more books, EYES OF THE INNOCENT and THE GIRL NEXT DOOR. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Brad lives with his wife and two small children in Virginia, where he is working on...more
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“I'm not saying it's simple to find and tell the truth. It takes a great deal of hard work, intellectual honesty, open-mindedness, and a willingness to keep listening to people even when your gut is telling you they're full of it. Then it involves drilling through the layers of one's cultural assumptions and prejudgments, all the way down to the mushy middle of all of us, where I believe there's a basic humanity that tells us what's right and what's wrong. If we as writers apply that code - without the anchors of agenda or ideology - we can lift our prose to something that can be called the truth. It's the very best of what journalism can and should be.”
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2 people liked it
“My entrance into the courtyard caused a small stir among the lookouts. I could tell because in the middle of February, in the dark of night, Baxter Terrace suddenly sounded like an Audubon Society refuge - birdcalls being the latest in urban drug - selling counterintelligence...
Birdcalls allowed much more information to be imparted to other members of the operation, without the visitor being aware of what was being communicated. So while a crow's harsh cry could harken the arrival of a member of the city narcotics unit - a significant threat - the sweet song of a chickadee might signal an officer who was merely escorting a social worker to an appointment allowing business to continue in guarded fashion. Someone like me, a stranger on unknown business, might warrant a whipporwill's call.
Where exactly a city kid learned what a whipporwill sounded like, I have no idea. But these kids were nothing if not resourceful. It makes you wonder what they could have accomplished under different circumstances.”
—
2 people liked it
More quotes…
Birdcalls allowed much more information to be imparted to other members of the operation, without the visitor being aware of what was being communicated. So while a crow's harsh cry could harken the arrival of a member of the city narcotics unit - a significant threat - the sweet song of a chickadee might signal an officer who was merely escorting a social worker to an appointment allowing business to continue in guarded fashion. Someone like me, a stranger on unknown business, might warrant a whipporwill's call.
Where exactly a city kid learned what a whipporwill sounded like, I have no idea. But these kids were nothing if not resourceful. It makes you wonder what they could have accomplished under different circumstances.”
Apr 07, 2011 07:23am