Really a 3.5 but I'll put it at 3 to balance all the 3.5s that I've moved up to 4. The least good of this series so far but still enjoyable and still a series I will keep reading. ( )

Of course, me being me, I started at the #3 book instead of the #1. I guess it didn't really matter much except I might have learned what a sense of humor Carter Ross has and not been so surprised. Brad Parks has created in Carter Ross a likable character that has personality, charm and integrity. He also is owned by a charming cat named "Deadline" that Ross describes as "dormant". We were offered a plateful of bad guys...but I never guessed the identity until nearly the end. I would recommend this series for anyone that is looking for a good mystery that doesn't take itself too seriously. ( )

Veteran Newark, New Jersey "Eagle-Examiner" reporter Carter Ross is unexpectedly drawn into a murder investigation when he sets out to write a piece about Nancy Marion, a forty-two year old paper delivery person who was killed by a hit-and-run driver while delivering the "Eagle-Examiner." As he researches his story, the killer, determined to stop the investigation, soon has the intrepid reporter in his sights. Can Carter solve the mystery of the woman’s death without becoming the killer’s next victim himself?

This series, a must for those who like their mysteries served with a hefty dose of wit and whimsy, is the third outing for Carter Ross and his pals. Likeable characters abound, and an escapade with a bear is pure hilarity [and nothing less than spot-on, considering all those northern Jersey bear sightings making news at the time of the writing of this review].
Carter hasn’t lost his propensity for humorous retorts, clever comments, and his uncanny ability to get himself into all kinds of less-than-desirable situations. For an investigative reporter, he is long on naïveté and short on insight, but readers are likely to count that as part of his enduring charm.
Astute readers will identify the killer long before Carter, but the fun is in seeing how he gets from here to there . . . and how he gets himself out of one fix after another.

Recommended. ( )

Another good one. I'd say more of the same, but each differs quite a bit. Parks does a great job telling the reporter's side of the story. Twisty, good mystery, too. ( )

http://bibliophibian.blogspot.com/2012/09/cbr4-3637-40-3-mysteries-by-brad-parks... ( )