Brad Parks--With Friends Like These...

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Here at JRW we know we can always count on Brad Parks for a witty and entertaining post--as well as terrific thrillers. Today he's here to celebrate his latest, THE FLACK, and, well, I'll let him tell you about it!

With Friends Like These...

 

BRAD PARKS: Thanks, Deb! It’s always great to be back here at Jungle Red.

Everyone here knows I’m a rascal who likes to stir the pot, so today I’m going to ask you to think about a friend.

And not just any friend. Your best friend.

Hopefully you have one. Or maybe, if you’re really lucky, even more than one.

Whatever the case, you know who the person is: Your bestie. Your ride or die. Your rock. That person who would not only help you move, they’d help you move a body.

            You know, like the kind of friends you have here at Jungle Red. (Especially in the move-a-body department . . . I have it on good authority Rhys is an expert.)

My latest novel, The Flack, features two such friends.

Curt Hinton and Angel Reddish were college roommates at Northwestern who—despite differences in background and temperament—turn into close companions and confidantes, the kind of friends guys don’t always have anymore.

(It’s true: Did you know men are fifty percent more likely than women to report that they have zero close friends, according to the Survey Center on American Life? And people wonder why we die sooner.)

            Angel and Curt went their separate ways after college graduation but remained BFFs. Curt launched a career in journalism. Angel became a rising star in the logistics industry, eventually landing a spot as chief operating officer at Balco, the Bay Area Logistics Company.

            Which is how, at the beginning of The Flack, they are reunited. With Curt’s newspaper sliding into financial oblivion, Angel comes to the rescue, helping him land a job at Balco as vice president of corporate communications—a “flack” as they’re known in newspaper jargon.

            It’s a plush gig: a $350,000 salary; plus a housing stipend, a $50,000 signing bonus, and a free Rivian to zip around in. And it couldn’t come at a better time, since Curt’s wife is pregnant with their first child. It has that happily-ever-after feel to it . . .

Except—this being crime fiction—there has to be a twist, and there has to be a crime.

            It turns out Angel has been keeping a secret from Curt.

It’s a pretty big one.

And—this isn’t much of a spoiler, since it happens on page two—it gets Angel killed. As Curt begins to investigate, it sends him down a very dangerous road. I can’t say too much more (because then it would get spoiler-y), but it does make me think about friends and secrets and leads me to that stir-the-pot question I want to ask:

What’s the biggest secret your best friend ever kept from you?

How did it come to light? Did you understand why they didn’t tell you? Did it cause a rift in your relationship or were you able to forgive them?

 

I’ll be giving away a free autographed copy of The Flack to one random commenter. For more about me, visit bradparksbooks.com. For more about moving bodies, ask Rhys.

 

Seriously. She’s good.

 

International bestselling author Brad Parks is the only writer to have won the Shamus, Nero, and Lefty Awards, three of crime fiction’s most prestigious prizes. His novels have been translated into sixteen languages and won critical acclaim around the globe. The proud father of two terrific kids, he splits his time between Virginia and California.

DEBS: Okay, I'm snickering, and wondering just exactly what bodies Rhys has moved!

Readers, confess your bestie's secret--or just say "hi"--in the comments, and you'll be entered to win a copy of THE FLACK!