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Carter Ross Mystery #6
The Fraud
In the most thrilling entry yet in Brad Parks's award-winning series, investigative reporter Carter Ross must chose who gets to live: him or his unborn child.
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.
Parks, a rising star on the crime fiction scene known for his mix of wit and grit, delivers his most emotionally resonant book yet.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2015
68 people are currently reading
423 people want to read
About the author
Brad Parks
24 books778 followersInternational bestseller author Brad Parks is the only writer to have won the Shamus, Nero, and Lefty Awards, three of American crime fiction's most prestigious prizes. His books have been translated into 16 languages and have earned starred reviews from every major pre-publication journal.
A father of two and a husband of one, Brad is a slow runner and an even slower swimmer. He's grateful for his readers, because otherwise he'd just be a guy who has a lot of conversations with himself in his own head.
For more information -- or to sign up for the newsletter written by his impertinent interns -- visit his website at www.bradparksbooks.com.
To find Brad on Twitter, go to www.twitter.com/Brad_Parks.
And for Facebook: www.facebook.com/BradParksBooks.
A father of two and a husband of one, Brad is a slow runner and an even slower swimmer. He's grateful for his readers, because otherwise he'd just be a guy who has a lot of conversations with himself in his own head.
For more information -- or to sign up for the newsletter written by his impertinent interns -- visit his website at www.bradparksbooks.com.
To find Brad on Twitter, go to www.twitter.com/Brad_Parks.
And for Facebook: www.facebook.com/BradParksBooks.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
February 2, 2016
My Number 5 Best Read of 2015 and Silver Gavel for Best Novel of 2015
Posted to The Literary Lawyer.ca
Brad Parks Delivers his Best Yet - 5
I have been following Brad Parks since his first multi-award winning book, Faces of the Gone. I was immediately drawn to the funny and somewhat irreverent Carter Ross. After the previous novel, I felt the series had turned a corner. The characters and relationships began to mature and the stories began to break away from the formula of the first four novels. This installment runs with the new found maturity in the characters and writing. In my humble opinion, The Fraud is the most polished, entertaining and skillful story yet. Carter Ross is here for the long haul.
Plot Summary
Carter Ross is forced to ask himself if he is willing to die for what he loves. The question is answered as Carter Ross investigates a series of murders that occurred following carjacking's. After the carjacking and death of a wealthy white man, Carter is put on the story and he ultimately finds his future is threatened as he follows the clues into directions that he did not anticipate. Despite his years and experience, he learns that the direction of the evidence and the clues are influenced by your perspective.
My Take
While I enjoyed the other novels in this series, I didn't take this series too seriously. While the writing was excellent, the stories and character interactions tended to follow a predictable pattern. This always becomes tiresome and ultimately leads me to abandoning a series. While some minor patterns persist, the series has developed a maturity and The Fraud puts Carter Ross in the same league as the other big players in the genre. I would not be surprised if Brad Parks find one or two new awards decorating his shelf.
In the past couple of years, most of the novels I have read have been in the Crime and Mystery genre. If you are like me, you have started to feel burned out reading of dark crime with broken, fragile and damaged protagonists. While some elements of the this series and this novel can be dark, these elements are always balanced with the humour and wit infused in the story. Another draw of this novel is the focus on a mystery that is more than a murder mystery. As Carter Ross is an investigative journalist, we are absorbed in mysteries and crimes that we would not find in crime other novels. In The Fraud, we are provided some insight in the carjacking culture in New Jersey. Brad Parks takes an less than compelling crime and spins an exciting mystery. The story is about more than the dead bodies.
Final Thoughts
For my money, The Fraud cements Brad Parks as of the best and most entertaining crime and mystery writers in the business. If you want to read his best, go out and buy The Fraud. It just hit the bookstores on July 7, 2015 so there should be plenty of copies to be found. If you want to know how Carter Ross made it book 6, go out and buy Faces of the Gone. I don't think you will be disappointed and I am willing to bet you that you will want to read all the way to book 6.
A special shout out to Brad Parks and St. Martin Press that put an early release copy into my hands. While I rarely mention that a book is an advance copy (for fear that someone will think I inflated my rating to appease the author or publisher), St. Martin Press helped me get a copy of this when it could not be found from the regular pre-release sites.
Posted to The Literary Lawyer.ca
Brad Parks Delivers his Best Yet - 5
I have been following Brad Parks since his first multi-award winning book, Faces of the Gone. I was immediately drawn to the funny and somewhat irreverent Carter Ross. After the previous novel, I felt the series had turned a corner. The characters and relationships began to mature and the stories began to break away from the formula of the first four novels. This installment runs with the new found maturity in the characters and writing. In my humble opinion, The Fraud is the most polished, entertaining and skillful story yet. Carter Ross is here for the long haul.
Plot Summary
Carter Ross is forced to ask himself if he is willing to die for what he loves. The question is answered as Carter Ross investigates a series of murders that occurred following carjacking's. After the carjacking and death of a wealthy white man, Carter is put on the story and he ultimately finds his future is threatened as he follows the clues into directions that he did not anticipate. Despite his years and experience, he learns that the direction of the evidence and the clues are influenced by your perspective.
My Take
While I enjoyed the other novels in this series, I didn't take this series too seriously. While the writing was excellent, the stories and character interactions tended to follow a predictable pattern. This always becomes tiresome and ultimately leads me to abandoning a series. While some minor patterns persist, the series has developed a maturity and The Fraud puts Carter Ross in the same league as the other big players in the genre. I would not be surprised if Brad Parks find one or two new awards decorating his shelf.
In the past couple of years, most of the novels I have read have been in the Crime and Mystery genre. If you are like me, you have started to feel burned out reading of dark crime with broken, fragile and damaged protagonists. While some elements of the this series and this novel can be dark, these elements are always balanced with the humour and wit infused in the story. Another draw of this novel is the focus on a mystery that is more than a murder mystery. As Carter Ross is an investigative journalist, we are absorbed in mysteries and crimes that we would not find in crime other novels. In The Fraud, we are provided some insight in the carjacking culture in New Jersey. Brad Parks takes an less than compelling crime and spins an exciting mystery. The story is about more than the dead bodies.
Final Thoughts
For my money, The Fraud cements Brad Parks as of the best and most entertaining crime and mystery writers in the business. If you want to read his best, go out and buy The Fraud. It just hit the bookstores on July 7, 2015 so there should be plenty of copies to be found. If you want to know how Carter Ross made it book 6, go out and buy Faces of the Gone. I don't think you will be disappointed and I am willing to bet you that you will want to read all the way to book 6.
A special shout out to Brad Parks and St. Martin Press that put an early release copy into my hands. While I rarely mention that a book is an advance copy (for fear that someone will think I inflated my rating to appease the author or publisher), St. Martin Press helped me get a copy of this when it could not be found from the regular pre-release sites.
October 2, 2024
This may have been a 4-star as a stand-alone, but as a finale in a unique series with a likable, introspective funny protagonist, it finishes with 5.
The author does most of his writing in a corner of his local Hardee’s restaurant, which he’s mentioned in past acknowledgments, so he’s obviously found what works for him having won 5 awards in this series. Plus, the unlimited free Coke Zero refills was an added bonus.
This was published in 2015 and he’s written several stand-alone books since, so, all spoilers aside, the series has likely ended but on a high note. I’d be first in line if he decides to pen #7.
The author does most of his writing in a corner of his local Hardee’s restaurant, which he’s mentioned in past acknowledgments, so he’s obviously found what works for him having won 5 awards in this series. Plus, the unlimited free Coke Zero refills was an added bonus.
This was published in 2015 and he’s written several stand-alone books since, so, all spoilers aside, the series has likely ended but on a high note. I’d be first in line if he decides to pen #7.
February 26, 2021
I have read all the books in the Carter Ross series. This one seemed to drag in places, but still was a very interesting read. Carter manages to involve himself in carjacking that have deadly consequences. People are not who they represent themselves. I can already see changes for Carter in the next book.
September 15, 2015
Terrific writing ... the story moves right along, with just the right amount of detail, commentary, and occasional dry humor. Especially enjoyed that the protagonist is an investigative reporter. Definitely want to read the other books in the series!
September 2, 2017
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.
Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2017/09...
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.
Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2017/09...
August 26, 2019
The first chapter opens w/Carter choosing b/w his life or his unborn child’s. It grabbed my attention!
Intense story. Complex mystery. Some red herrings that I didn’t catch.
As with the other books in the series, the narrative deepens as the plot & story slowly develop.
Because I did this on audio-I’ll reference that but the last 45 min of it were edge of your seat suspense. (probably the last few chapters in book form chpt 42-end) It cycles the action back to the first chapter.
I hope the writer will do more in this series as I would look forward to reading them.
Intense story. Complex mystery. Some red herrings that I didn’t catch.
As with the other books in the series, the narrative deepens as the plot & story slowly develop.
Because I did this on audio-I’ll reference that but the last 45 min of it were edge of your seat suspense. (probably the last few chapters in book form chpt 42-end) It cycles the action back to the first chapter.
I hope the writer will do more in this series as I would look forward to reading them.
June 23, 2018
I love Brad Parks, the author! His wit and characters are so smart. Carter Ross, his investigative reporter who truly investigates, is following leads to solve a rash of carjackings in the Trenton NJ area. Of course, he gets himself embroiled while finding the solution. When I mentioned that his writing makes me want to visit NJ, Parks replied, "Give Jersey a chance!"
January 25, 2019
I think the Carter Ross' series is kind of uneven and has highs and lows. This is one of the lows.
It's not bad, but it was kinda predictable and I think Carter's signature humour fell flat.
All in all, an OK read.
It's not bad, but it was kinda predictable and I think Carter's signature humour fell flat.
All in all, an OK read.
November 16, 2024
Another book by Brad Parks in the “read” column. In this tale, Carter Ross and his main squeeze Tina are front and center. Carter sets out to unmask the villains behind two deadly car jacking and, as always, unwittingly puts himself and his loved ones in peril!
February 29, 2020
Brad Parks' Carter Ross series is no stranger to my annual Best Reads list, and I've been delaying reading the last one because I didn't want my time with the wisecracking journalist to end. Unfortunately, I didn't find The Fraud to be nearly as satisfying as the other books in the series.
I always learn something new about Newark, New Jersey when I pick up a Carter Ross mystery, and this book was no exception, but the whole book had less zip than all the others. I put it down to Ross's impending fatherhood. Every time his phone rings he goes nuts, thinking it's time to make the dash to the hospital. Also, The Fraud is pretty much a solo gig for our intrepid journalist. Everyone from the newsroom makes only token appearances and the villains are mostly offstage as well. It's this interaction with the marvelous cast Parks has created that I really missed.
The one thing I did not miss was an excellent mystery. Every time I thought I had it figured out, it changed directions, and I love that. (It's also something that the author is quite skilled in doing.)
I'll miss having new Carter Ross mysteries to read, but I wish Brad Parks all the best with his domestic thrillers. He is a very talented writer.
I always learn something new about Newark, New Jersey when I pick up a Carter Ross mystery, and this book was no exception, but the whole book had less zip than all the others. I put it down to Ross's impending fatherhood. Every time his phone rings he goes nuts, thinking it's time to make the dash to the hospital. Also, The Fraud is pretty much a solo gig for our intrepid journalist. Everyone from the newsroom makes only token appearances and the villains are mostly offstage as well. It's this interaction with the marvelous cast Parks has created that I really missed.
The one thing I did not miss was an excellent mystery. Every time I thought I had it figured out, it changed directions, and I love that. (It's also something that the author is quite skilled in doing.)
I'll miss having new Carter Ross mysteries to read, but I wish Brad Parks all the best with his domestic thrillers. He is a very talented writer.
July 31, 2015
The Fraud is Brad Park's newest book in the series of adventures of reporter Carter Ross. It is fun to read, easy to follow, and mixes laughter with crime and adventure.
Carter Ross continues his light-hearted adventures as he tries to keep his job as a newspaper reporter in an ever declining print world. He continues to juggle unsavory neighborhoods, newspaper bureaucracy, and the imminent birth of his child, interns as he searches for the “big” story that will help him and the paper. As usual, he has competent friends, his girlfriend, neighborhood contacts, and a former intern, to help him along the way, which is a good thing because on his own, he just would not be able to sort the whole thing out. He is a good writer, but his people skills definitely leave something to be desired. He manages to get himself into all sorts of unusual, strange, even bizarre situations. His friends come to his rescue, and he gets the story.
The story moved along nicely, with ample doses of drama, conflict, and just plain silliness. It was quick to read, and I enjoyed every twist, turn, and giggle.
Carter Ross continues his light-hearted adventures as he tries to keep his job as a newspaper reporter in an ever declining print world. He continues to juggle unsavory neighborhoods, newspaper bureaucracy, and the imminent birth of his child, interns as he searches for the “big” story that will help him and the paper. As usual, he has competent friends, his girlfriend, neighborhood contacts, and a former intern, to help him along the way, which is a good thing because on his own, he just would not be able to sort the whole thing out. He is a good writer, but his people skills definitely leave something to be desired. He manages to get himself into all sorts of unusual, strange, even bizarre situations. His friends come to his rescue, and he gets the story.
The story moved along nicely, with ample doses of drama, conflict, and just plain silliness. It was quick to read, and I enjoyed every twist, turn, and giggle.
June 12, 2015
“The Fraud” by Brad Parks is the sixth book in the Carter Ross Mystery series. Brad Parks is the only author to have won crime fiction's coveted Shamus, Nero and Lefty awards. I also included his fifth book, "The Player," on my Best mystery books for book clubs 2014.
“The Fraud” opens with a question. “Would you give your life for your kid?” What if that child had not been born yet? This hypothetical question is what Carter Ross will face by the end of the story. We learn this in the first two pages, the rest of the story explains why.
Carter Ross is assigned a story about the carjacking and death of a rich, white, bank executive. But Carter, tired of only writing about crimes against the rich, decides to balance the story by including a story about a forgotten victims of crime. He selects a Nigerian immigrant who was also killed during a carjacking. Ironically, during the investigation he realizes that the two men knew each other and had shared a round of golf at the country club.
For the rest of the review see:http://www.examiner.com/article/read-...
“The Fraud” opens with a question. “Would you give your life for your kid?” What if that child had not been born yet? This hypothetical question is what Carter Ross will face by the end of the story. We learn this in the first two pages, the rest of the story explains why.
Carter Ross is assigned a story about the carjacking and death of a rich, white, bank executive. But Carter, tired of only writing about crimes against the rich, decides to balance the story by including a story about a forgotten victims of crime. He selects a Nigerian immigrant who was also killed during a carjacking. Ironically, during the investigation he realizes that the two men knew each other and had shared a round of golf at the country club.
For the rest of the review see:http://www.examiner.com/article/read-...
April 12, 2015
Another great Carter Ross book.
Read
September 22, 2020Book #63 - The Fraud by Brad Parks - I have been lucky enough to interview Brad Parks several times for his series about a journalist named Carter Ross. A former journalist myself I like to help other journalists, including Brad, get some attention and recognition via author interviews. His books are always fascinating and inventive, with lots of great characters and plot lines.
The Fraud is the sixth book in the Carter Ross series. Carter, affable and wisecracking as usual, is assigned to report on a rash of carjackings terrorizing Newark, one of which ends in the murder of a rich banking executive. His reporting puts him and others he loves in harms way. Parks books always have good plot twists and excellent dialogue and such is the case here.
I give it an 8.5. This one seems even better than his past books (which i would give 8's too) and that may be because this one seems to have even more depth than usual, as Carter is dealing with the knowledge he's about to become a father. The book starts with this question: Would you risk your life if it meant saving your unborn baby's life? Let's just say it's not a hypothetical question.
You can read one of my prior interviews with Brad here:
https://mysterypeople.wordpress.com/2...
May 22, 2021
I understand that perhaps Brad Parks was trying to point out the difference in the way we look at crimes committed against White people and those committed against Black people. I just wish he had done it without using Black tropes that ignore multi-layered humanity. It was uncomfortable for me to read parts of this. Maybe I wouldn't have noticed as much back in 2015 when the book was published, but a lot has happened since then that has made me think about things somewhat differently.
Also, my eagle eye was affronted by the use of the subjective pronoun in a sentence that should have used the objective. It would be okay to do this, I think, if the person speaking was uneducated or not immersed in language for their job. But Carter Ross is a journalist and should know better than to do this. (I marked the sentence, but, alas, have lost it!) Also, as has been mentioned in another review, Parks uses the word 'breach' to refer to a breech birth. I was ready to forgive this, thinking it might be a one-time mistake or a typo, but no. Toward the end of the book it was used (incorrectly) many times in the space of a few pages. Actually, this turned out to be interesting because, always ready to admit I could be wrong, I did research on the two words and ended up enjoying that reading very much!
Also, my eagle eye was affronted by the use of the subjective pronoun in a sentence that should have used the objective. It would be okay to do this, I think, if the person speaking was uneducated or not immersed in language for their job. But Carter Ross is a journalist and should know better than to do this. (I marked the sentence, but, alas, have lost it!) Also, as has been mentioned in another review, Parks uses the word 'breach' to refer to a breech birth. I was ready to forgive this, thinking it might be a one-time mistake or a typo, but no. Toward the end of the book it was used (incorrectly) many times in the space of a few pages. Actually, this turned out to be interesting because, always ready to admit I could be wrong, I did research on the two words and ended up enjoying that reading very much!
January 14, 2020
Three and a half stars.
Disappointing. I felt that the plotting on the this story and the execution were pretty bang on, but there were too many things that were off for me to give this a full four stars.
One problem I had was that there were a few foreshadowing moments where I could see exactly what was going to happen as a result. As soon as Blue Mask hid his money in Birdy's kitchen I knew it would be found by his Aunt. As soon as she found it I knew she was dead meat. This happened again with Tina's car and I'm sure if I think hard I can come up with more examples. The point being, Carter Ross stories usually surprise me and I normally can't figure out who the bad guy is before he points a gun at Carter's head. Not this time.
Finally, one of my pet peeves is when the investigator gets thrown into a "Hollywood" scenario at the end of the story. This happens way too often, and seeing Carter go into a hostage situation with guns a blazing instead of talking his way out seemed totally out of character and not consistent with the rest of the series.
Disappointing. I felt that the plotting on the this story and the execution were pretty bang on, but there were too many things that were off for me to give this a full four stars.
One problem I had was that there were a few foreshadowing moments where I could see exactly what was going to happen as a result. As soon as Blue Mask hid his money in Birdy's kitchen I knew it would be found by his Aunt. As soon as she found it I knew she was dead meat. This happened again with Tina's car and I'm sure if I think hard I can come up with more examples. The point being, Carter Ross stories usually surprise me and I normally can't figure out who the bad guy is before he points a gun at Carter's head. Not this time.
Finally, one of my pet peeves is when the investigator gets thrown into a "Hollywood" scenario at the end of the story. This happens way too often, and seeing Carter go into a hostage situation with guns a blazing instead of talking his way out seemed totally out of character and not consistent with the rest of the series.
July 31, 2022
Audio book version
Good plot, and the main character’s quirkiness and thought processes are really entertaining and well-done. Unique and entertaining-
Except-
Ok- we get it-you are the coolest, most woke, tolerant individual ever, and anyone who doesn’t think like you is bad man bad man.
The voice of the intern was so annoying-almost jarring-and unrealistic, and even somewhat useless that I often fast-forwarded through his parts. The sexuality issue was so obviously just a way to promote the author’s vision of himself onto readers-so very modern and cool. It also contributed zero to the book. Make him straight, make him gay-who cares? Great writers don’t need the filler…
The beginning of the novel is truly boring-I almost had to quit.
The author often uses 100 words when 50 would suffice.
Not a total waste, but I won’t read this guys work again.
Good plot, and the main character’s quirkiness and thought processes are really entertaining and well-done. Unique and entertaining-
Except-
Ok- we get it-you are the coolest, most woke, tolerant individual ever, and anyone who doesn’t think like you is bad man bad man.
The voice of the intern was so annoying-almost jarring-and unrealistic, and even somewhat useless that I often fast-forwarded through his parts. The sexuality issue was so obviously just a way to promote the author’s vision of himself onto readers-so very modern and cool. It also contributed zero to the book. Make him straight, make him gay-who cares? Great writers don’t need the filler…
The beginning of the novel is truly boring-I almost had to quit.
The author often uses 100 words when 50 would suffice.
Not a total waste, but I won’t read this guys work again.
March 24, 2018
I've read all the books in this series except for the first one. I think this was probably the best, but I did love The Good Cop as well. Carter was at his best in this one -- also got in more trouble than usual. Tina was her usual surprising self, as were Tommy, Buster, and Sweet Thang. Lots of bad guys, for whom killing someone is no big issue. Did not care for the names "Black Mask" and "Blue Mask" -- that was kind of dumb. But descriptive. Lots of stuff about carjackings, and yes, also fraud. I still think Say Nothing was better than any of the Carter Ross books, but I'm sure there are many who disagree with that.
July 6, 2022
Carter Ross, the intrepid Newark newsman, drifts into a case of insurance fraud with some dangerous characters as perpetrators. Like all Ross novels, the protagonist is slick and clever, a master of the one liner. This is the least satisfying for me of the series, but maybe it is the last, for Carter ends up starting a family, and his girlfriend and mother of his child, looks to become the editor of his newspaper. Sounds like a series end to me.
On the whole though, I enjoyed this series a lot, and am going on to try some of Parks other novels.
On the whole though, I enjoyed this series a lot, and am going on to try some of Parks other novels.
April 24, 2018
This is not one of the author's best books in the series. I found myself furious with the incorrect spelling for breech birth (breach) consistently throughout this book. It doesn't take a lot of effort to find out the correct spelling for this type of presentation. Was there no editor involved in this book's publication? The story line and the characters were so superficial and so ridiculous that I almost stopped reading several times.
Not recommended!!
Not recommended!!
June 5, 2018
I'm not even sure that I'm disappointed that this is the last in the Carter Ross series. While the stories still remain entertaining, Brad Parks just tries way too hard to get his political leanings ( Liberal. Very Liberal) into his characters. Mainly Carter Ross. If there's never another addition to the series, I won't be devastated. However, I've enjoyed them enough that if there is one, I'll probably read it.
January 7, 2021
Now that December is over, I've gone back to my Brad Parks reading marathon. While I have thoroughly enjoyed his other books, this one seemed to move a little too slow for my liking. Or maybe it was because I was reading another at the same time that held me attention so much more. Carter Ross, whose girlfriend we have met in other books is now expecting his baby, so we see a gentler side of him. Sweet Thang continues to be my favorite character, though. Tina is too cold and distant.
July 31, 2017
Having read many hyped books that tease the reader into a false sense of eagerness to enjoy, it is always nice to have a Fall Back book ready. Parks writes just that kind of Fall Back book. You know you will not be disappointed and that it will be a reliable read. Yeah!!
February 10, 2018
When you read several books in a series, you often get to know the characters as if they were friends. So reading about Carter Ross adds to this story of murder, carjackings and fraud. As usual, there were parts that made me laugh aloud and others that had me holding my breath.
July 24, 2018
You know..........Brad Parks is not only a good writer/story teller, he has such a personable way of conveying this that you wish you knew him! Anyone who can write this way must be pretty fun to be around!
May 4, 2019
When you see an average rating of 4.2 and you find that the book is such a disappointment, you wonder what other people see. Half way I was tempted to ditch the book, and I persisted only to find that the storyline only got worse. Yes it was a fraud, and thankfully that was the end of that!
December 1, 2024
The Fraud is another great read from Brad Parks. The story involves a Newark newspaper reporter and his investigation into a carjacking ring.
There is funny dialog and many twists and turns in this mystery.
There is funny dialog and many twists and turns in this mystery.
December 31, 2024
Book #6 of the Carter Ross series was a definite choice for me after reading and thoroughly enjoying the other installments. This one with wise-cracking Carter is just as engaging as the others. And I just had to cliffhanger finale of Tina’s pregnancy! A must read for Brad Parks fans & this series.
February 25, 2025
I raced through this in no time at all.
Carter Ross is one of the nicest reporters I have ever read about.
The intricate insurance fraud described in this mystery is devious.
I enjoyed the investigation and interviews.
I borrowed a copy from the public library.
Carter Ross is one of the nicest reporters I have ever read about.
The intricate insurance fraud described in this mystery is devious.
I enjoyed the investigation and interviews.
I borrowed a copy from the public library.
October 31, 2016
Enjoyed this book and this author. Smart, irreverent tone to the main character, Carter Ross. Good read.
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