Marked To Fail: A Mossad Spy Thriller About a Gripping Race to Expose a Financial Scandal That Could Fund a War. Based on Real Events.

by Max Grossman

426 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 26, 2026

Reviews

[Kristin Hazelwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of reading an advance copy of this book and enjoyed it! I don’t read thrillers constantly, but they’re my favorite palette cleanser. This one was quite different than any other I’ve read before. I loved the multiple characters and POVs - there are more than I typically see in a book so it takes a bit to get familiar with them all, but the set up of all the characters does not feel slow at all. The financial aspect was different, and totally understandable and easy to follow for someone that has no familiarity with the subject. I wasn’t sure how this one was going to end, but it was pleasantly surprised and pleased at the same time!

[Jon Weaving · Rating 4 out of 5]

A somewhat complicated read… not so much in the way it's written, but in its plot-heavy focus, the way in which that plot is told to the reader, and its subject matter of “international finance" which, I suspect, would be well out of the average thriller reader’s wheelhouse.

That said, it's very clear the author knows his stuff, but I think he may have expected a little much from the reader in regards to what they can reasonably be expected to already know. There were so many financial, corporate and regulatory details, so many acronyms and "shorthand terms", that I lost count of how many times I had to stop and reread bits just to try and get my head around where this novel was going. Add in to that early part of the book a LOT of characters, a LOT of backstory, and (I think) a LOT of unnecessary setup for many of those characters and, to be honest, I really didn't get into the full enjoyment of reading this, or have the focus of the novel clear in my head, until I was past the 1/3rd mark.

But I did then really start to appreciate it. Most of it at least. The style of writing is very much that of the mega-selling, popular fiction authors that pack out airport bookstores. I personally don’t like the fully omniscient point of view many of those authors use (I think it and the constant swapping from one character to the next is off-putting and makes it harder for a reader to “bond” with the main character), and I prefer to be “shown” what’s going on rather than being “told” (either by character dialogue or authorial comment), but Max Grossman’s book also gave us some moments of quite poetic prose that I admired a lot. It showed that this author really can write.

Overall, “Marked To Fail” doesn’t “fail” at all. It’s a good read and I give it a 6.5 out of 10.

[Heather Loock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky to be one of the early readers for this amazing spy thriller. What a fantastic and addictive read with many stories happening at once, but all tied together beautifully. This one had me gripped from the very first page and never let up. It was impossible to put down. Such great descriptive writing, I could picture each scene as if I was there. I highly recommend this to all thriller and mystery lovers!

[W.M. Parslow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gripping and engrossing, globe-hopping spy thriller. It has a good, varied cast, lots of cliffhangers and gives someone like me with no real financial knowledge an understanding of how the system works and can be exploited. Highly recommend.

[Noam Shalev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Great research, the story is full of surprises and suspense. Makes you wonder how steady is the global financial system. Very thought-provoking.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marked To Fail was bloody brilliant!! I can’t remember the last time a spy thriller grabbed my attention so quickly. From page one, I was hooked and didn’t want to put it down. Two nights in a row, I didn’t put it down until 4:30 in the morning, when I had to be up at 6:30 am. The book hangovers were well worth it! Both the style of writing and the story itself had a great flow to them. Even with the corporate and financial aspects being slightly above my pay grade, I found it easy to follow. My favourite aspect of this story, besides the amazing characters, was the twists and turns. Countless times I thought I had figured out the plot and where the story was going, only to turn the page and find out I was off the mark by a long shot. Marked To Fail had me emotionally invested in Agent James Ashford (aka The Actor) and his eclectic band of allies as I followed them through this world of corporate greed and geopolitical espionage. Fabulous read. I seriously can’t wait for the next book!