What do you think?
Rate this book
The Flack
His final
Don't take the job. Just run.
Curt Hinton and Angel Reddish are like a Hollywood buddy flick come to former college roommates turned lifelong best friends who always have each other's backs. So when Angel offers Curt the chance to leave his job at a failing newspaper and take a lucrative position as head of corporate communications at Balco, the Bay Area Logistics Company, Curt takes the leap.
Nothing bad can happen with Angel at his side.
That illusion is shattered on Curt's first day at Balco, when he learns that Angel was killed the night before during a carjacking. Tasked with writing a press release about the crime, Curt quickly discovers the carjacking wasn't random—it was a targeted attack by professional killers.
Who would murder Angel? And why? The Oakland Police don't have any answers. Neither does the FBI. As Curt is drawn into the mystery of his best friend's death, he discovers there are many possible suspects—and that there's a lot more danger swirling around his new employer than he could have ever imagined.
Perfect for fans of Harlan Coben and Jodi Picoult
Curt Hinton and Angel Reddish are like a Hollywood buddy flick come to former college roommates turned lifelong best friends who always have each other's backs. So when Angel offers Curt the chance to leave his job at a failing newspaper and take a lucrative position as head of corporate communications at Balco, the Bay Area Logistics Company, Curt takes the leap.
Nothing bad can happen with Angel at his side.
That illusion is shattered on Curt's first day at Balco, when he learns that Angel was killed the night before during a carjacking. Tasked with writing a press release about the crime, Curt quickly discovers the carjacking wasn't random—it was a targeted attack by professional killers.
Who would murder Angel? And why? The Oakland Police don't have any answers. Neither does the FBI. As Curt is drawn into the mystery of his best friend's death, he discovers there are many possible suspects—and that there's a lot more danger swirling around his new employer than he could have ever imagined.
Perfect for fans of Harlan Coben and Jodi Picoult
417 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 3, 2026
6 people are currently reading
1613 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 terrific kids, Brad runs slowly, is bad at yoga, and occasionally performs as a very semi-professional singer. 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 Facebook: www.facebook.com/BradParksBooks
A father of two terrific kids, Brad runs slowly, is bad at yoga, and occasionally performs as a very semi-professional singer. 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 Facebook: www.facebook.com/BradParksBooks
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 8, 2025
Journalists existed to search for and tell the truth. PR people existed to manipulate and obfuscate it. They were paid mouthpieces, spin masters, shills. Old school reporters referred to them as flacks.
Curt Hinton was a journalist and he saw the writing on the wall.He was becoming obsolete. Angel offered him an out, to come to work for the same company he worked for, Balco, the Bay Area Logistics Company. Curt’s first day on the job, he finds out his best friend, Angel, was killed. Curt wants answers.
I love a good vigilante story. Of course, in real life, we can’t all seek justice for ourselves. It would be the Wild West all over again. That doesn’t stop me from loving a character that sees wrong and calls out the wrongdoers.
The Flack went to a place I didn’t see coming. Dark and dangerous, Curt doesn’t shy away from doing the right thing. Of course, that puts a target on his back. Curt is naive and I had a little problem with that, but I can’t really talk about it. You’ll have to learn what I’m talking about by reading The Flack yourself.
I loved The Flack. I was drawn into the story early and, as the mystery grew, so did my curiosity. The more I read, the more involved I became. I wondered how Brad Parks would wrap it up. Great job.
See more at https://www.fundinmental.com
Curt Hinton was a journalist and he saw the writing on the wall.He was becoming obsolete. Angel offered him an out, to come to work for the same company he worked for, Balco, the Bay Area Logistics Company. Curt’s first day on the job, he finds out his best friend, Angel, was killed. Curt wants answers.
I love a good vigilante story. Of course, in real life, we can’t all seek justice for ourselves. It would be the Wild West all over again. That doesn’t stop me from loving a character that sees wrong and calls out the wrongdoers.
The Flack went to a place I didn’t see coming. Dark and dangerous, Curt doesn’t shy away from doing the right thing. Of course, that puts a target on his back. Curt is naive and I had a little problem with that, but I can’t really talk about it. You’ll have to learn what I’m talking about by reading The Flack yourself.
I loved The Flack. I was drawn into the story early and, as the mystery grew, so did my curiosity. The more I read, the more involved I became. I wondered how Brad Parks would wrap it up. Great job.
See more at https://www.fundinmental.com
Read
January 31, 2026Review to follow.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
The Flack by Brad Parks is a very highly recommended thriller/suspense novel following a reporter turned corporate PR representative.
Curt Hinton and Angel Reddish have been best friends since college, so when Angel encourages Curt to leave his job as reporter at a dying newspaper and apply for the job as head of corporate communications at Balco, the Bay Area Logistics Company, where Angel is chief operations officer, Curt applies. With Angel's backing, he gets the very lucrative job and he and his pregnant wife Page move to a company-supplied dream house. When he arrives at Balco headquarters for his first day he discovers Angel was killed in a carjacking.
Curt with his new team is now responsible for writing the various press releases about Angel's death. When he talks to the Oakland PD he discovers Angel's death was a murder disguised to look like a carjacking, which leaves him reeling as Angel was not only his best friend, but a gregarious man that everyone liked. As he begins to integrate into the Balco corporate leadership handling the various crises, he begins to recognize that there is more going on behind the scenes than he realizes and he may be in danger.
This is an intriguing, well-written thriller that will pull you into the plot immediately. The opening scene is Angel's last minutes where, as dying, he tries to text Curt "Don’t take the job. Just run." but the text does not get sent. While you may have to set some disbelief aside, many of the plot points seem based on headlines you could encounter today, including corporate corruption and coverups. On the job Curt has to handle a variety of problems, including the threat of unionization and a scandalous video. There are other things as well.
Curt is a realistic, well-developed, intelligent character with both strengths and weaknesses. As head of communications, his background as a reporter becomes very useful, sometimes in unexpected ways. Curt seemingly makes some enemies along the way. There are antagonists embedded in the corporation or it's allies that are incredibly evil and predatory.
The Flack is a great choice for those who enjoy thrillers that read like a movie. Thanks to Oceanview Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2026/0...
Curt Hinton and Angel Reddish have been best friends since college, so when Angel encourages Curt to leave his job as reporter at a dying newspaper and apply for the job as head of corporate communications at Balco, the Bay Area Logistics Company, where Angel is chief operations officer, Curt applies. With Angel's backing, he gets the very lucrative job and he and his pregnant wife Page move to a company-supplied dream house. When he arrives at Balco headquarters for his first day he discovers Angel was killed in a carjacking.
Curt with his new team is now responsible for writing the various press releases about Angel's death. When he talks to the Oakland PD he discovers Angel's death was a murder disguised to look like a carjacking, which leaves him reeling as Angel was not only his best friend, but a gregarious man that everyone liked. As he begins to integrate into the Balco corporate leadership handling the various crises, he begins to recognize that there is more going on behind the scenes than he realizes and he may be in danger.
This is an intriguing, well-written thriller that will pull you into the plot immediately. The opening scene is Angel's last minutes where, as dying, he tries to text Curt "Don’t take the job. Just run." but the text does not get sent. While you may have to set some disbelief aside, many of the plot points seem based on headlines you could encounter today, including corporate corruption and coverups. On the job Curt has to handle a variety of problems, including the threat of unionization and a scandalous video. There are other things as well.
Curt is a realistic, well-developed, intelligent character with both strengths and weaknesses. As head of communications, his background as a reporter becomes very useful, sometimes in unexpected ways. Curt seemingly makes some enemies along the way. There are antagonists embedded in the corporation or it's allies that are incredibly evil and predatory.
The Flack is a great choice for those who enjoy thrillers that read like a movie. Thanks to Oceanview Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2026/0...
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
International bestselling 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, and his work has been translated into 16 languages-
So how can this book only have TEN reviews on Goodreads?
Just before he was killed in a car-jacking, Angel Reddish typed out two texts on his cell phone. The first was to his wife, telling her he was sorry, that he loved her and to take their son and run!
He was unable to hit “send” on the second text-the one to his best friend Curt Hinson-“Don’t take the job! Just Run!” succumbing to his injuries just after composing those last words.
The lucrative job that Angel was referring to was as one that he had gotten for his friend Curt-head of Corporate Communications at Balco-a Logistics firm in Oakland, Ca.
As a journalist, Curt viewed the PR field with skepticism as he called these “Spin Doctors” who manipulated or buried the facts “ Flacks” while he has spent his career searching for the TRUTH.
But it’s a job that would allow his pregnant wife, Page to stay home with the baby, and allow him to live closer to Angel again so he accepted the job.
Curt hears about the car-jacking that killed his friend on his FIRST day on the job-when he is asked to write the Press Release about the killing. And, when he finds out it wasn’t random-and was a Professional Hit-he has to wonder who would want his always likable friend dead?
Was it someone high up within the corporation? Someone from the Union or for the Union attempting to quiet the respected voice who was speaking out against Unionization?
Or something far more sinister?
Turns out that Balco is moving a lot more than Electronics in their trucks-and Curt will be kept pretty busy churning out those Press Releases as his own life becomes threatened the closer he gets to the shocking truth.
This is the FOURTH book by Brad Parks that I have read-and he hasn’t disappointed yet! That is high praise considering that had I known some of content, relevant in today’s Politically Charged World, I probably wouldn’t have chosen it.
If you haven’t read one of his books yet-but prefer a different premise-try one of these!
The Boundaries We Cross: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Closer Than You Know: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Say Nothing: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
NOW AVAILABLE!
Thank You to Edelweiss and Oceanview Publishing for the invitation to read this book early. As always, these are my candid thoughts!
So how can this book only have TEN reviews on Goodreads?
Just before he was killed in a car-jacking, Angel Reddish typed out two texts on his cell phone. The first was to his wife, telling her he was sorry, that he loved her and to take their son and run!
He was unable to hit “send” on the second text-the one to his best friend Curt Hinson-“Don’t take the job! Just Run!” succumbing to his injuries just after composing those last words.
The lucrative job that Angel was referring to was as one that he had gotten for his friend Curt-head of Corporate Communications at Balco-a Logistics firm in Oakland, Ca.
As a journalist, Curt viewed the PR field with skepticism as he called these “Spin Doctors” who manipulated or buried the facts “ Flacks” while he has spent his career searching for the TRUTH.
But it’s a job that would allow his pregnant wife, Page to stay home with the baby, and allow him to live closer to Angel again so he accepted the job.
Curt hears about the car-jacking that killed his friend on his FIRST day on the job-when he is asked to write the Press Release about the killing. And, when he finds out it wasn’t random-and was a Professional Hit-he has to wonder who would want his always likable friend dead?
Was it someone high up within the corporation? Someone from the Union or for the Union attempting to quiet the respected voice who was speaking out against Unionization?
Or something far more sinister?
Turns out that Balco is moving a lot more than Electronics in their trucks-and Curt will be kept pretty busy churning out those Press Releases as his own life becomes threatened the closer he gets to the shocking truth.
This is the FOURTH book by Brad Parks that I have read-and he hasn’t disappointed yet! That is high praise considering that had I known some of content, relevant in today’s Politically Charged World, I probably wouldn’t have chosen it.
If you haven’t read one of his books yet-but prefer a different premise-try one of these!
The Boundaries We Cross: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Closer Than You Know: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Say Nothing: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
NOW AVAILABLE!
Thank You to Edelweiss and Oceanview Publishing for the invitation to read this book early. As always, these are my candid thoughts!
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
🌟🌟🌟💫
The job of a lifetime just dropped into Curt’s lap! The head of Corporate Communications for a billion-dollar logistics company in the San Francisco area. His background as a reporter should serve him well. It’s time to pack up his belongings and make the big move with his wife to the west coast!
And the icing on the cake…he’ll be working with his best friend Angel.
But of course, things don’t quite go as planned. Well, it never does, right?
Anyhoo, on Curt’s first day at his dream job he discovers Angel was killed the night before. But this is a corporate business. No time to grieve his friend. It’s all hands on deck!
And now it seems Angel isn’t the only employee to meet an untimely death!
I wanted to love this book! I’d been so looking forward to it as I’ve enjoyed all of Brad Parks’ previous books I’ve read. Unfortunately, this book had a completely different feel.
I had such a hard time keeping everything and everyone straight, with too many characters and so many moving parts.
I also struggled to connect to our main character, Curt. For a veteran reporter he came off as very naive.💁🏻♀️
While this latest may not have worked out for me, there are some glowing reviews so, please take a peek at those. Meanwhile, I’ll be queuing up for his next!
✍️ Brad Parks
📄 417 pages
🗓️ Anticipated release date: February 3 2026
📈 3.5/5🌟🌟🌟💫
👉 Thriller
Thank you to Edelweiss and Oceanview Publishing
The job of a lifetime just dropped into Curt’s lap! The head of Corporate Communications for a billion-dollar logistics company in the San Francisco area. His background as a reporter should serve him well. It’s time to pack up his belongings and make the big move with his wife to the west coast!
And the icing on the cake…he’ll be working with his best friend Angel.
But of course, things don’t quite go as planned. Well, it never does, right?
Anyhoo, on Curt’s first day at his dream job he discovers Angel was killed the night before. But this is a corporate business. No time to grieve his friend. It’s all hands on deck!
And now it seems Angel isn’t the only employee to meet an untimely death!
I wanted to love this book! I’d been so looking forward to it as I’ve enjoyed all of Brad Parks’ previous books I’ve read. Unfortunately, this book had a completely different feel.
I had such a hard time keeping everything and everyone straight, with too many characters and so many moving parts.
I also struggled to connect to our main character, Curt. For a veteran reporter he came off as very naive.💁🏻♀️
While this latest may not have worked out for me, there are some glowing reviews so, please take a peek at those. Meanwhile, I’ll be queuing up for his next!
✍️ Brad Parks
📄 417 pages
🗓️ Anticipated release date: February 3 2026
📈 3.5/5🌟🌟🌟💫
👉 Thriller
Thank you to Edelweiss and Oceanview Publishing
November 10, 2025
Thanks to Oceanview publishing for the advance review copy.
This is my second exposure to Brad Parks' work. I loved the first "boundaries.." which was also sent as an advance review copy. The Flack does not disappoint. In fact I think I loved it more than the previous book.
The story is fast paced and gets you hooked with the first few pages. The strange title (which gets clarified some pages in), also keeps the suspense. I love his storytelling style - one thread is first person of the protagonist and the second is a third person observor perspective. The plot was weaved very well and there were some surprises in store towards the end.
There seemed to be some tiny plot holes which I will not put here due to spoilers. But I can excuse those minor inconsistencies!
Highly recommend this novel to those who love fast paced thrillers. I finished it in two days - it was that good for me! Hope it is for you too
This is my second exposure to Brad Parks' work. I loved the first "boundaries.." which was also sent as an advance review copy. The Flack does not disappoint. In fact I think I loved it more than the previous book.
The story is fast paced and gets you hooked with the first few pages. The strange title (which gets clarified some pages in), also keeps the suspense. I love his storytelling style - one thread is first person of the protagonist and the second is a third person observor perspective. The plot was weaved very well and there were some surprises in store towards the end.
There seemed to be some tiny plot holes which I will not put here due to spoilers. But I can excuse those minor inconsistencies!
Highly recommend this novel to those who love fast paced thrillers. I finished it in two days - it was that good for me! Hope it is for you too
Review of advance copy received from Author
Because I believe in self-compassion, I always give myself five stars.
But, darnit, every time I read this novel I just . . . like it. It sucks me in. Curt Hinton is a protagonist I really identify with. He's a former newspaper reporter who has been displaced by the economic forces that have overwhelmed newspapers, and now he's trying to make his way in a new career (just like me!). But he still brings those journalistic sensibilities to everything he does (just like me!).
The Port of Oakland is a great setting--filled with dark corners and shady operations. And there are some really timely themes that I can't divulge--because, y'know, spoiler--but this is definitely a book with a very "now" feel to it. I hope you enjoy it!
But, darnit, every time I read this novel I just . . . like it. It sucks me in. Curt Hinton is a protagonist I really identify with. He's a former newspaper reporter who has been displaced by the economic forces that have overwhelmed newspapers, and now he's trying to make his way in a new career (just like me!). But he still brings those journalistic sensibilities to everything he does (just like me!).
The Port of Oakland is a great setting--filled with dark corners and shady operations. And there are some really timely themes that I can't divulge--because, y'know, spoiler--but this is definitely a book with a very "now" feel to it. I hope you enjoy it!
January 29, 2026
I’ve been a longtime fan of Brad Parks’ books, all the way back to his Carter Ross series, so when I received a copy of The Flack as part of a Goodreads giveaway, I did a happy dance. It quickly went from my WANT to READ to my READ list. I’m looking forward to the next book. Curt was a likable guy, and I hope we’ll see him again.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
i won this in a giveaway
Read
February 3, 2026Super
Review of advance copy
College roommates Curt and Angel have always been best buds, so when Angel learns Curt’s days at a failing newspaper are numbered, he offers him a lucrative spokesperson position in the logistics company he works for. Eager to make a good impression, Curt arrives early only to learn that Angel is dead and his first job will be to write the company’s statement about his passing. Soon it’s obvious that someone is hiding secrets that got Angel killed, but will Curt be able to use his reporter instincts to save himself before he becomes the next victim?
Brad never disappoints! Thank you Oceanview Press for an early review copy.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews