Carter Ross Books In Order

Publication Order of Carter Ross Mystery Books

Chronological Order of Carter Ross Mystery Books

Carter Ross is a series of novels written by Brad Parks. The novels have earned Brad Parks considerable acclaim, with many hailing the author as a revolutionary addition to the mystery genre.

+The Story

The Carter Ross series falls within the mystery genre. The books follow Carter Ross, an investigative reporter in Newark, New Jersey. Ross’ time at the Newark Eagle-Examiner is anything but ordinary.

Ross’ bullheaded nature gets him into trouble on numerous occasions. As an investigative journalist, the books find Ross breaking all sorts of laws to break a scoop, many times delving into difficult crimes and solving them in light of a police department that is a little too quick to jump to conclusions.

Brad Parks describes Ross as the sort of investigative journalist that tends to throw caution out the window in his determination to solve the loose threads of everything mystery he encounters.

The mysteries in Park’s work rarely take brutal and violent turns, with Park prioritizing well-told stories and properly developed characters over gore and shock. The author has been complemented for injecting so much humor into the Carter Ross series without unnecessarily sacrificing depth.

The books deliver a perfect balance between humor and mystery, primarily because of the curious collection of characters that often surround Parks’ protagonist.

The Carter Ross books are written in the first person perspective, and Ross acts as the narrator. The books are of such a quality that they have been awarded the Nero and Lefty awards, the first series of books ever to win both of these prizes.

For his work on the books, Park has been dubbed one of the most gifted storytellers around, an author whose works manifest elements of Mark Twain and Dave Barry.

Many of the stories that Brad Park writes about have been inspired by his time as a journalist. For instance, Brad was inspired to write ‘Faces of the Gone’, his first novel, by a quadruple homicide that happened in Newark. Brad had the opportunity to cover the crime. So he had more than enough information to craft a unique story around the event.

The second novel in the series followed a Subprime mortgage crisis, this along with some elements of House Flipping. These two stories had a lot of prominence in Newark at the time and drew Brad’s attention.

He has since gone on to write about everything from toxic waste to the struggles of the newspaper industry. And the Carter Ross series does an incredible job of bringing aspects these real news stories to life.

+The Author

Brad Parks grew up in Ridgefield, Connecticut. By fourteen years of age, Brad was already writing, covering local events and, in particular, sports. He had an opportunity to intern with major newspapers like The Boston Globe before graduating and finding some stability in the journalism arena.

Brad officially began writing fiction at the age of 26, drawing upon his journalistic experience to produce engaging and humorous mystery stories.

No one can deny the fact that Brad Parks stands among the best writers in the mystery field. His impact on the arena won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

+Faces of the Gone

Four corpses make the front-page news. The fact that they all had a single bullet at the back of the head probably had something to do with it. The fact that they were stacked in a vacant lot was even more astounding.

Newark Eagle-Examiner investigative reporter Carter Ross finds his way to the scene and ponders on the situation that brought a hustler, an exotic dancer, a mama’s boy and a drug dealer together, and how they all died.

The police only want calm, so they leak suggestions that a bar stickup might be to blame for the murders. And Ross’ paper doesn’t even hesitate to print the story in their hunger for a juicy scoop.

Ross isn’t convinced. Such murders cannot have such easy answers. So Ross begins searching for the true story behind the façade. Working with him is his hot editor, a Cuban intern, and a local stripper.

Each one has an important role to play, whether it is running interference at the paper or hitting the streets to look for clues. When Ross discovers the connection between these disparate murder victims, he is drawn onto the trail of a killer.

This book is a little different from the typical mystery novel because the protagonist is a journalist rather than a detective or even a PI. As such, he can do things that the law wouldn’t allow police officers to do.

There is a surprising amount of humor in this book. It will definitely have people laughing. Brad doesn’t focus too heavily on the gruesome nature of the murders. Rather, he emphasizes the broader issue highlighted by the murder.

Ross’ life is made more interesting by all the colorful characters he knows and meets. If there is one failing in this book, it is the villain who became a little cartoonish in some places.

+Eyes of the Innocent

Two boys are killed by a house fire in Newark. Carter Ross immediately jumps on the story, working with a bubbly blonde of an intern to get the scoop. The reporter soon learns of the mortgage woes of the victims’ mother.

Ross is quick to plaster Akilah Harris’ story all over the front page, only for revelations down the line to reveal that the mother isn’t what she seems. Soon, a Newark Councilman goes missing and Carter Ross finds himself tussling with the sordid world of house flipping.

With new friends and old allies, Carter Ross is on the case, determined to get to the bottom of things.

You do not find many books like this, which are not only as good as their predecessor but even better in some places. Ross is as wisecracking as ever. The old gang comes back together to help Ross explore the mystery behind the new story.

The book works because Brad Parks injects so much style into things. He knows just how to make people laugh out loud without steering too far into silly territory. The fact that he can turn his cast into caricatures without ruining their development or affecting the quality of this book is especially commendable.