Faces of the Gone: A Mystery: 1 (Carter Ross Mysteries 1)

Investigative reporter Carter Ross finds himself with gruesome front-page news: four bodies in a vacant lot each with a single bullet hole in the back of the head. In a haste to calm residents local police leak a story to Carters colleagues at the Newark Eagle-Examiner calling the murders revenge for a bar stickup. But while Carter may not come from the streets he knows a few things about Newarks ghettos. And he knows the story the police are pushing doesnt make sense. He enlists the aide of Tina Thompson the papers smoking hot city editor to run interference for him at the office; Tommy Hernandez the papers gay Cuban intern to help him with legwork on the street; and Tynesha Dales a local stripper to take him to Newarks underside. Soon Carter learns the four victims have one connection after all and knowing this will put him in the path of one very ambitious killer.. Faces of the Gone by Brad Parks won the Shamus Award for Best First Novel and the Nero Award for Best American Mystery--it is the first book to receive both awards. The book was named to lists of the years best mystery debuts by the Chicago Sun-Times and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.