Product Description

Right as I'm about to die and I realise all the myths are fake. My life isn't flashing before my eyes. All I can think about is how much I want to live.I moved to New York City to become the best journalist the world had seen. And now here I am, twenty-four years old and weary beyond rationale thought, a bullet one trigger pull from ending my life.I thought I had the story all figured out. I know that both of these men - one an FBI agent, the other an assassin want me dead, but for very different reasons.If I die tonight, more people will die tomorrow.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #199558 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-16
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Review
'The Mark is a riveting novel with characters that leap off the page, a villain that truly chills the blood, and a story that grabs you from page one and doesn't let go. Henry Parker and Amanda Davies are two of the most compelling heroes in recent memory, and their fight for survival will have readers clamoring for the next chapter in this terrific new series. A first-rate debut from an author who dares to take the traditional thriller in bold new directions.' --Tess Gerritsen

'A cracking debut, which is already destined for the silver screen.' --Daily Mirror

'An excellent debut. You are going to love Henry Parker, and you're going to hope he survives the story, but you're not going to bet on it.' --Lee Child

About the Author
Jason Pinter clearly knows a thing or two about what makes a good book - having worked in the editorial departments of major New York publishing houses. All that expertise is clear to see in The Mark - his stunning debut novel.

Customer Reviews

A fantastic debut novel by a promising young author
How does one describe this amazing first novel?

Riveting? Engrossing? Intriguing? Gripping? Well developed?

The answer is - all of the above! If you enjoy thrillers with a little suspense and intrigue, you can do no better than ordering this one - straight away! Terrific holiday reading - just don't expect to get anything else done until you've finished it! I couldn't!

I opened this book two nights ago and have barely been able to put it down since then. The plot grabbed me from the opening pages, commencing with a tension that is held throughout the book, and raced me towards a satisfactory conclusion - with twists and turns like a roller coaster ride along.

The star reviewers have said it all!

'A gripping page-turner' - James Patterson

'A riveting novel with characters that leap off the page' - Tess Gerritson

'You are going to love Henry Parker and you are going to hope he survives the story - but you're not going to bet on it' - Lee Childs.

I concur with all of the above - and am really pleased to have been given a copy of this book. I shall be looking for others by the same author as they come out!

Easy reading
For once the endorsing quotes are actually correct - it is gripping, a good debut, changes the thriller convetion in places and moves along at a breakneck pace. Whilst not five stars it is a pleasant enough read that keeps you going and guessing. I like to read books like this in one sitting, to fully engage with the novel but I couldn't this time so I made use of the short snappy chapters allowing many opportunities to break-away from your reading.

The novel is told in first person narration, through Henry Parker. First person is sometimes tricky but Pinter has done a good job here. It also helps because a lot is also told by an FBI Agent and an Assassin, therefore with Henry having the majority of the narrative it made first person a good choice. The switch between characters was easy to follow. It was also good when Henry was in dialogue with Amanda as it felt more personal, allowing the reader an insight into Henry's motives and emotions. All of the characters are interesting, but would Amanda be as trusting as Pinter wrote her to be? I don't know, but maybe that's a special something that Henry saw in her that I didn't.

The novel is well-written and I felt it moved along at a cracking pace, however not knowing America very well I was uncertain of the logistics. One minute people were hiring planes, whilst others were jumping on trains and tubes. One second we were in one place and a few hours somewhere else - I don't know how much of it was feasible but it all still worked. Can you make yourself invisible to others by just being different, by drawing attention to yourself do you automatically go unnoticed? This, if anything, was the only thing I wasn't convinced by.

There is an extract to Pinter's second novel, 'The Guilty' out later in the year. It again stars Henry and Amanda with a nice reminder of how they met and how important timing is in whatever we do. I'm sure that some of the quirky writing that didn't quite fit in this novel will have been tidied up in the next. Overall a good read. I think if you liked 'Relentless' by Simon Kernick, you'll like this one.

Gripping from Page One
There are some glowing accolades from a number of big-hitter crime novelists (e.g. Child, Gerritsen, Deaver) on the back cover so I thought surely they can't all be wrong? James Patterson is quoted as saying "A gripping page-turner" and although somebody probably ghost-wrote his words (!) I must admit that they pretty much hit the nail on the head. It sounded intriguing.

And I had to agree with the reviews. The book IS a gripping page-turner and I had a hard time putting it down, even if the overall writing style was a little immature at times. Maybe that's a reflection of the age of the author, who like the central character Henry Parker was in his mid-twenties when this novel was written. To be fair, while the depth of characterisation never reaches beyond the shallow, the story itself is at least full of incident and there's very little padding of any kind - it moves along consistently well so it has a good pace to it.

Rookie journalist Henry finds himself on the run being hunted by both the police and organised crime bosses for the murder of a New York cop. But Henry's a good-guy through and through, with a mind that works quickly, making decisions I don't think I'd ever be able to make. He goes through a lot in seventy-two hours. The characters involved really put the pedal to the metal, and there's no letting up. Plenty of action to keep a reader on their toes and their brains thinking. I have to say that this is a good debut novel and I have already bought the sequel THE GUILTY.