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Identity
IDENTITY
The corporate greed of Wall Street meets the Hitchcockian suspense of North by Northwest in this thrilling debut by screenwriter Mark Hosack.
A secret best told on the run…
One day Paul Majors is a respectable businessman looking into some accounting irregularities in his office’s parent company. The next, he’s wading through a murky world of dark finance, uncovering a vast web of illegal activities in the CEO’s executive circle, being hunted by a ruthless corporate assassin and the FBI, and getting sucked into a second company’s illicit dealings.
As he travels across the United States to unravel the twin mysteries he’s caught in, it’s not clear who Paul can trust—or even who is who. The woman who seduced him at the hotel bar might be there to help, or take him out. The government agents change with a chameleon’s ease. Heck, even Paul’s running around under an assumed name!
In this corporate shell game of names and motivations, Paul’s got 1,500 loyal employees—and his own life—on the line. But it’s becoming dangerously clear that Paul himself is not Too Big to Fail…or be killed.
A Simon & Schuster eBook
The corporate greed of Wall Street meets the Hitchcockian suspense of North by Northwest in this thrilling debut by screenwriter Mark Hosack.
A secret best told on the run…
One day Paul Majors is a respectable businessman looking into some accounting irregularities in his office’s parent company. The next, he’s wading through a murky world of dark finance, uncovering a vast web of illegal activities in the CEO’s executive circle, being hunted by a ruthless corporate assassin and the FBI, and getting sucked into a second company’s illicit dealings.
As he travels across the United States to unravel the twin mysteries he’s caught in, it’s not clear who Paul can trust—or even who is who. The woman who seduced him at the hotel bar might be there to help, or take him out. The government agents change with a chameleon’s ease. Heck, even Paul’s running around under an assumed name!
In this corporate shell game of names and motivations, Paul’s got 1,500 loyal employees—and his own life—on the line. But it’s becoming dangerously clear that Paul himself is not Too Big to Fail…or be killed.
A Simon & Schuster eBook
330 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 7, 2012
About the author
Mark Hosack
2 books101 followersMark Hosack is the author of THE GOOD SPY DIES TWICE (Book 1: The Bullseye Series), and IDENTITY (Simon & Schuster). He also wrote on the web series SEQUESTERED for Sony Crackle, the screenplay for GIVE 'EM HELL, MALONE (Thomas Jane, Ving Rhames), and he both wrote and directed the award winning independent film PALE BLUE MOON. Mark lives in Los Angeles with his wife and a brood of gremlins who insist on calling him Dad.
Sign up for Mark's newsletter at: markhosack.com/newsletter.
Follow Mark on Twitter @markhosack or find him on Facebook - facebook.com/mark.hosack.
Sign up for Mark's newsletter at: markhosack.com/newsletter.
Follow Mark on Twitter @markhosack or find him on Facebook - facebook.com/mark.hosack.
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 21, 2018
Wasn't my kind a plot.
Tried desperately to get in to the story, but didn't happen. Stock market, money, revenge and cheating. Detailed fights and sex. Not my kind , won't recommend.
Tried desperately to get in to the story, but didn't happen. Stock market, money, revenge and cheating. Detailed fights and sex. Not my kind , won't recommend.
October 1, 2016
Sad but while reading some parts laughable. Mainly read this book at night, I don't like to read two books at the same time. This my kind of book, to write a good review I must read it again.
September 6, 2012
Talented writer Mark Hosack (Give ‘em Hell, Malone) has given the world a gift with the debut of his incredibly awesome book IDENTITY. This quick-paced business thriller about people driven by greed & tempted by power presents plenty of significant characters delivering razor sharp dialogue and is loaded with amazing thrills from beginning to middle to end. IDENTITY is the most unpredictable story I’ve read in ages -- Surprises at every turn of the page! Highly recommend opening your eyes to this must-read!
July 10, 2012
Gripping, darkly comic financial thriller in which nobody is who they seem and everybody is out for themselves. I'm not usually a fan of the genre, but Hosack's (Give 'Em Hell, Malone) website and trailer left me wanting more, and I was not disappointed. Check it out!
July 31, 2012
Want to read a page turner that also satirizes the Age of Libor-Madoff-Enron? Corporate hijinks, cat and mouse, a mystery femme fatale, and a hero for the 99%...it's all here. A super fun read! (And it doesn't hurt that the author is a looker....and my wonderful husband, Mark).
April 11, 2014
Twists and turns...
a fast read. I never knew what was going to come next. just when I thought I had figured it out, it became clear that I did not, which made it that much more enjoyable.
a fast read. I never knew what was going to come next. just when I thought I had figured it out, it became clear that I did not, which made it that much more enjoyable.
July 24, 2012
I enjoyed the fast-paced story. I would have been a tougher editor, but despite my pickiness it was nice to read something fun and exciting for a change. I can't wait for the next one.
July 30, 2015
Well written and exciting mystery. I found it hard to put down, kept me on the edge of my seat reading to the end. Written by a former student of mine.
March 11, 2014
Good read
Good read
fast moving plot that makes the book hard to put down. story moves along at a good pace. well written with th h humor at the right places.
Good read
fast moving plot that makes the book hard to put down. story moves along at a good pace. well written with th h humor at the right places.
September 26, 2012
I reviewed this a couple weeks ago but for some reason it is not appearing, so my apologies to the author. I will attempt to remember what I orginally wrote.
This was a free read thanks to Goodreads First Reads, and for that I thank you!.
I was pleasantly surprised when I rec'd this piece in the mail as it was delivered with a nice personalized letter of thanks and and personal autographed copy of what I believe was a test print run of 20 books that was originally published as an ebook only. So I was pretty psyched to be one of the 20 to have this.
Ok, onto the read, as always I will be somewhat blunt and objective. The first 30-40% of Mr. Hosack work was a difficult effort to get through. I tend to be a bit put off when a writers technique involves such tactics as name dropping brand names in order to create a sense of vision or vivid description. Once in a while a mention of an ipod or a Coke is fine, however the constant name dropping made me feel I was being advertised to.
Second gripe, The main character on numerous occassions was described as an amatuer/semi-pro boxer with what I believe was a 25-4 record (or something close), throughout the piece he sure didnt act that way often finding himself on the ground nursing wounds. I just find that to be a big consistancy flaw in my eyes. I dont expect him to be Steven Segal, but I also dont expect him to be Jon Cryer either.
To me the early stages were a bit incoherent, often giving the impression that the author wasnt sure which way to take his character(s)in. I almost felt like I was reading a work in progress.
At the mid point however, Identity really took off for me. I got to the point of thinking to myself...."eh the chapters are short, Ill squeeze in another before bed, low and behold 2 hours later im still reading on. Suspense finally starts to build and curiousity is present. Finally reaching the conclusion, Hosack seems to revert back abit to his style from the beginning in that he needed to end it, but it seems he wasnt sure how. He wanted to leave the storyline open for a continuation in a future work, but he could have tied things in a bit better I feel.
With that being said, again falling back to memory here, when taken in context, I really enjoyed the read. The context being that it appears this is one of Hosack's first or earliest attempts of writing a novel and for that applause is in order. I definitley have the impression and belief that he has the talent to pull everything together and to smooth out his craft. If this were someones 4th or 5th book, I wouldnt give the 4 stars, but for an early work, it was s solid attempt and I would be most interested in his future works whether he continues this storyline or sets off on a different adventure.
This was a free read thanks to Goodreads First Reads, and for that I thank you!.
I was pleasantly surprised when I rec'd this piece in the mail as it was delivered with a nice personalized letter of thanks and and personal autographed copy of what I believe was a test print run of 20 books that was originally published as an ebook only. So I was pretty psyched to be one of the 20 to have this.
Ok, onto the read, as always I will be somewhat blunt and objective. The first 30-40% of Mr. Hosack work was a difficult effort to get through. I tend to be a bit put off when a writers technique involves such tactics as name dropping brand names in order to create a sense of vision or vivid description. Once in a while a mention of an ipod or a Coke is fine, however the constant name dropping made me feel I was being advertised to.
Second gripe, The main character on numerous occassions was described as an amatuer/semi-pro boxer with what I believe was a 25-4 record (or something close), throughout the piece he sure didnt act that way often finding himself on the ground nursing wounds. I just find that to be a big consistancy flaw in my eyes. I dont expect him to be Steven Segal, but I also dont expect him to be Jon Cryer either.
To me the early stages were a bit incoherent, often giving the impression that the author wasnt sure which way to take his character(s)in. I almost felt like I was reading a work in progress.
At the mid point however, Identity really took off for me. I got to the point of thinking to myself...."eh the chapters are short, Ill squeeze in another before bed, low and behold 2 hours later im still reading on. Suspense finally starts to build and curiousity is present. Finally reaching the conclusion, Hosack seems to revert back abit to his style from the beginning in that he needed to end it, but it seems he wasnt sure how. He wanted to leave the storyline open for a continuation in a future work, but he could have tied things in a bit better I feel.
With that being said, again falling back to memory here, when taken in context, I really enjoyed the read. The context being that it appears this is one of Hosack's first or earliest attempts of writing a novel and for that applause is in order. I definitley have the impression and belief that he has the talent to pull everything together and to smooth out his craft. If this were someones 4th or 5th book, I wouldnt give the 4 stars, but for an early work, it was s solid attempt and I would be most interested in his future works whether he continues this storyline or sets off on a different adventure.
August 9, 2012
Great read -- I couldn’t put it down! The fast paced thriller features a sympathetic protagonist who is thrust into a dark and dangerous world when his identity is mistaken by a cast of mysterious, well-drawn characters, whose real identities are in turn ambiguous to him. Hosack’s background as a screenwriter shows in outstanding dialogue and vivid descriptions of people and places. The caliber of the writing is first-rate and the action is augmented by a delightful wry wit. I can’t wait to see more from this author.
August 26, 2016
Great read until the very weird ending
I absolutely loved this book literally until the very last page and actually had to go back to be sure I hadn't skipped a page or two. Really a fascinating story with an incredible number of twists and turns but the ending just wasn't what I either wanted or expected. It just felt wrong.
The characters are well drawn, interesting and the story was compelling. Change the ending or do a sequel.....
I absolutely loved this book literally until the very last page and actually had to go back to be sure I hadn't skipped a page or two. Really a fascinating story with an incredible number of twists and turns but the ending just wasn't what I either wanted or expected. It just felt wrong.
The characters are well drawn, interesting and the story was compelling. Change the ending or do a sequel.....
January 19, 2014
The idea of the FBI setting up a civilian to be bait for ruthless international killers under false pretenses strains believability, but then the whole genre of sci-fi strains believability for me. If you can get over that hump the story is a beautifully created suspense-thriller. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews