“Give the Kid a Chance”

With just a couple more weeks left now before the release of his third novel, The Girl Next Door, former newspaperman Brad Parks is busy drumming up publicity. The evidence of that push can be found in today’s posting of “The Nightgown,” Parks’ 6,319-word short story about how his protagonist, Carter Ross, first won a reporter’s job with the Newark Eagle-Examiner, “New Jersey’s largest and most respected news-disseminating organization.” It makes clear that, like any newsie worthy of a byline, Ross can smell a good tale--and an opportunity--from a mile away.

Click here to read “The Nightgown.” Yes, it requires your registering with Criminal Element first. But if you’ve never sampled Parks’ fast-paced and often funny work before, this story provides a good introduction to his style.