COMING DECEMBER 8TH! Peter, the slothful intern, was late for work one day last week, so he was understandably confused when he walked in to find Brad marching around the office, clapping rhythmically and singing the tune to John Philip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever." "What's gotten into him?" Peter asked. "He just got a good review from Library Journal," replied Sarah, the smart intern, shaking her head. Brad stopped for a moment. "Did you say good review?" Brad asked. "You meant spectacular review! I mean, it was a starred review! Why do you think I chose this song?" He resumed singing a particularly rousing section of the march, one with lots of trombones. Well, what did it say?" Peter asked. Sarah cleared her throat and read: "This is the most hilariously funny and deadly serious mystery debut since Janet Evanovich's One for the Money. Former journalist Parks has learned the art of making words flow and dialog zing." "Oh," Peter said, paused for a beat, then asked: "Who's Janet Evanovich?" "Duh! She's had nine books in a row debut at No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list," Sarah replied. "She's been translated into like 68 languages." "Heck, Brad's stuff has barely been translated into English," said Zach, the silly intern. "Now that's a zing!" Ahem. Thanks Zach. Anyhow, as we were saying, the pre-publication reviews are in. And the critics are loving FACES OF THE GONE. In addition to Library Journal's rave—which Brad is currently trying to have put on Turnpike billboards—Booklist, Publishers Weekly and RT Book Reviews have all had nice things to say. A sampling: "Parks' writing is graceful and often gripping, and he creates a handful of vivid characters, both journalists and their sources. His portraits of the city and its drug trade, the newspaper, and Carter's journalistic techniques all sound knowing... This could develop into a solid series." —Booklist "Parks's entertaining debut introduces an appealing hero, 31-year-old investigative reporter Carter Ross of the Newark (N.J.) Eagle-Examiner... Colorful supporting characters plus Ross's grit and determination keep the story moving at a good clip." —Publishers Weekly "This terrific page-turning debut features a likable protagonist, engaging supporting characters and some witty and amusing dialogue. Readers will want to see where this compelling tale takes them." —RT Book Reviews The RT review was also accompanied by a lovely feature story. In other news, Brad has started whoring himself electronically across multiple platforms. You can now become a fan of Brad Parks Books on Facebook or follow him on Twitter. Also, the Sometimes Dashing Book-Tour continues to fill up with stops. So why not put one on your calendar now? We've made Brad promise he'll stop marching long enough to sign books. Cordially, The BradParksBooks.com Interns P.S. Tired of being the only one in your life inflicted with this drivel? Why not tell a friend about the Carter Ross Fan Club—or, heck, just sign them up against their will today!