Author Brad Parks & The Strollers at WORDS

AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR PREMIERES “AN ODE TO MAPLEWOOD” WITH THE STROLLERS AT WORDS BOOKSTORE Former Maplewood resident and award-winning author Brad Parks will be at WORDS Bookstore (179 Maplewood Ave, Maplewood, NJ 973-763-9500) on Saturday March 8th at 5pm to discuss his new book, THE PLAYER. He’ll also be joined by members of The Strollers to premiere “An Ode to Maplewood,” a song written exclusively for this appearance. And the first twenty people to arrive at the event will receive a “Carter Ross Survival Kit,” named after the wisecracking investigative newspaper reporter who is the protagonist of Parks’s award-winning crime fiction series. The series is set in and around Newark, New Jersey, and throughout the first four books, Parks tackled nearly every aspect of the Garden State’s colorful lore, except … Toxic waste and the mob. Enter THE PLAYER. “Anyone who has lived in New Jersey knows that the characterization of the state as a mob-ridden environmental hazard zone is completely unfair,” Parks said. “But they also know that stereotype is occasionally true. It struck me as authorial malpractice that I had not yet explored these important aspects of the state’s culture.” Featuring the mix of grit and wit that have become Parks’s signature, THE PLAYER introduces readers to a construction site that is making Newark residents sick, an organized crime boss who may or may not having something to do with it, and the kind of colorful characters – both old and new – that have made Parks’s series a cherished favorite among mystery readers across the country. “What makes Parks such a fantastic storyteller is his main cast of characters, all of whom feel real,” said RT Book Reviews about THE PLAYER. “Parks has quietly entered the top echelon of the mystery field.” And Kirkus Reviews gave a star to the title, saying, “Muckraking has rarely been so meaty or so funny.” Parks’s work has received critical acclaim from The Wall Street Journal, Booklist, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, the Associated Press and many others. His protagonist has been called “America’s favorite crime-fighting newspaper reporter” by Gumshoe Reviews, while Shelf-Awareness has deemed the series, “perfect for the reader who loves an LOL moment but wants a mystery that’s more than just empty calories.” Parks is the only author to have won the Shamus, Nero and Lefty Awards, three of crime fiction’s most prestigious prizes. A graduate of Dartmouth College, he spent a dozen years as a reporter for The Washington Post and The Star-Ledger. For more information, visit bradparksbooks.com or find him on Facebook at BradParksBooks or Twitter @Brad_Parks.