The Mark
About this ebook
Right as I'm about to die, I realise all the myths are fake. There's no white light at the end of the tunnel. 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 a month ago to become the best journalist the world had ever seen. To find the greatest stories never told. And now, here I am – Henry Parker, twenty–four years old and weary beyond rational thought, a bullet one trigger pull from ending my life.
Five minutes ago I thought I had the story all figured out. I knew both of these men – one an FBI agent, the other an assassin – wanted me dead, but for very different reasons. Now I know that if the truth dies with me tonight, many more people will die as well.
I can't run. Running is all Amanda and I have done for the past seventy–two hours. And I'm tired. Tired of knowing the truth and not being able to tell it.
Just give me a chance to tell the story, and I promise it will be worth it.
“A first–rate debut from an author who dares to take the traditional thriller in bold new directions” – Tess Gerritsen
“A stellar performance” – Publishers Weekly
About the author
Jason Pinter was born in New York City in 1979, read his first book at the age of three and progressed quickly from the life lessons of Little Toot to the otherworldly epics of Brian Jacques, Terry Brooks and Stephen King. He soon began writing short stories that were, unsurprisingly, D-grade knockoffs of Brian Jacques, Terry Brooks and Stephen King. At least he aimed high.Throughout high school, Jason dreamed of becoming a screenwriter, and took jobs at various production companies to learn more about the film and television industry, including one (unpaid) stint at Jon Stewart's Busboy Productions. Jason is proud to say he was the inspiration for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (at least in his own mind).During his junior year in college, Jason decided he wanted to make the leap and become a writer. Heeding words of advice from his physician who'd written a book ("The first thing any writer needs is an agent"), he began querying literary agents. The physician neglected to mention that in order to get an agent, you needed to have an actual book. Needless to say, agents were not chomping at the bit to sign up Jason's non-book.After a half-hearted attempt to find an agent for his, um, nothing, Jason decided it could be interesting to learn more about the publishing industry from the inside. Over the summer, he took an internship at a boutique literary agency in New York, where his first day on the job consisted of lunch at Mickey Mantle's restaurant with a renowned sportswriter. Ah, the glamorous world of publishing (cough).Jason interned at the agency through the fall, racking up $726,374 in E-Z Pass fees while commuting from Connecticut to New York for work and to visit his girlfriend (who later became his wife).After graduating, Jason took a job as an editorial assistant at a publishing house. It was during that time that he began writing his debut thriller, The Mark. Shockingly, it was easier to land an agent with an actual manuscript, and that agent eventually sold The Mark to MIRA Books in a three-book deal.When not writing his acclaimed Henry Parker/Amanda Davies series, Jason still works as a book editor. He lives in New York City with his college-sweetheart-turned-wife, Susan, and their dog, Wilson. He is a member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America, and a co-founder of Killer Year.