MAJOR, EARTH-SHATTERING, STOP-THE-PRESSES NEWS FROM THE INTERNS AT BRADPARKSBOOKS.COM:

Brad has been named a finalist for the Shamus Award, one of the most prestigious honors in crime fiction, and will travel to... oh, wait, hang on.

"I have a question," said Maggie, the clueless intern.

What is it?

"They really named a big award after the whale at Sea World?" she asked, befuddled as usual.

"No, no," explained Sarah, the smart intern. "That's Shamu. This is Shamus. It's a slang term for a private detective. It's pronounced SHAY-mus."

"Here's an easy pneumonic," suggested Zach, the silly intern. "If Brad wins, it would really put the 'shame' in 'Shamus.' Get it?"

Peter, the slothful intern, stirred and said, "Dude, you've got to get better material."

In the meantime, the interns are trying our best to spread the word that FACES OF THE GONE—which was previously nominated for a Nero Award—has now been shortlisted for the Shamus in the "Best First Novel" category.

Given annually by the Private Eye Writers of America, the Shamus has been won by the likes of Harlan Coben, Sue Grafton, and Michael Connelly and recognizes the very finest work in detective fiction. Past nominees in the "Best First" category include Carl Hiassen, Dennis Lehane and Janet Evanovich. Brad is one of five finalists this year, and the winner will be announced in October at a banquet in San Francisco.

But that's not the only good word coming out of the ever-bustling headquarters of BradParksBooks.com. Plans and preparations are well underway for EYES OF THE INNOCENT, the next entry in the Carter Ross series, which comes out in February.

As a matter of fact, speaking of Michael Connelly, Brad has received a glowing endorsement from the multi-No. 1 New York Times bestselling author, who said:

"EYES OF THE INNOCENT is the complete package. With wonderful prose, witty observations and a relentless drive, this book held me hostage until the last page. Well done, Brad Parks!"

(And, no, Brad did not make up that quote himself. We checked with Connelly's interns, and they said it's legit).

In other news, we're pleased to announce FACES OF THE GONE is now available—in all its unabridged glory—as an audio book from Audible.com. Click here to listen to a sample. Warning: It's one of the passages that makes Brad's mom blush.

We'll share more news about EYES OF THE INNOCENT in the coming months. In the meantime, we've got things to do—like talk Maggie out of booking a trip to Sea World.

Happy Rest-of-Summer,

The BradParksBooks.com Interns