The Girl Next Door by Brad Parks

Reading his own newspaper’s obituaries, veteran reporter Carter Ross comes across that of a woman named Nancy Marino, who was the victim of a hit-and-run while she was on the job delivering copies of that very paper, the Eagle-Examiner. Struck by the opportunity to write a heroic piece about an everyday woman killed too young, he heads to her wake to gather tributes and anecdotes. It’s the last place Ross expects to find controversy—which is exactly what happens when one of Nancy’s sisters convinces him that the accident might not have been accidental at all.

It turns out that the kind and generous Nancy may have made a few enemies, starting with her boss at the diner where she was a part-time waitress, and even including the publisher of theEagle-Examiner. Carter’s investigation of this seemingly simple story soon has him in big trouble with his full-time editor and sometime girlfriend, Tina Thompson, not to mention the rest of his bosses at the paper, but he can’t let it go—the story is just too good, and it keeps getting better. But will his nose for trouble finally take him too far?

This was a fun, fast paced read.

Parks's writing is solid. He pays great attention to detail without getting boring and his characters are well developed. I loved the main character, Carter Ross. He was witty and fun. For me, his voice didn't fit with the physical description given, though. I kept picturing someone entirely different while reading.

The only reason this book didn't get 5 stars from me is because it is unbelievably predictable. I had it all figured out by the middle of the book.

The book was good. I found myself giggling in a lot of places. I actually thought, while reading, it was very much like Evanvich's Stephanie Plus series, which is odd since I have never read those books. I have heard a lot about them and they seem to be pretty similar.

I just found out this is the 3rd book in a series. So now I have to go find the others and find out what else happens with Carter Ross.

4 out of 5 stars

The book comes out tomorrow March 13, 2012 but you can order it here: The Girl Next Door: A Mystery