Mark Hosack

Jake Boxer was a brilliant newscaster, shining a light on the world’s wrongs. However, in Russia with the death of Brody (the soundman), things spiral out of control for Jake. He gets sucked into his own paranoid conspiracy theories and his show is canceled. It takes years, but with the help of Claire (now his wife), a good therapist, and some regulated meds, he is a stable and caring person. Claire and Jake are on their honeymoon at a ski resort in Blind Creek, Alaska. The future is looking up for Jake… at least until an old source dies and his Claire starts acting a bit erratic. A murder and severe back injury may just be the thing to unhinge him as he gets caught up in yet another conspiracy.

I don’t always care for espionage novels because I find them a bit formulaic and therefore, predictable. This book was not that way and I quite enjoyed it. Jake is an interesting character. When we first meet him, he has confidence, charisma, and a drive to hunt down the truth. Circumstances in Russia break him and the story jumps forward several years. Jake is a changed man and he continues to change through this tale.

There’s skiing (which always makes me think of James Bond flicks), a valuable piece of art, the missing artist (did she defect or is she dead?), the mysterious accident that left Jake injured and two dead, and a colorful cast of characters. Jake has a lot on his plate to deal with: severe crippling pain, guilt over the newly dead, unraveling the mystery behind the art and artist, and just plain staying alive!

One of the most interesting aspects to this story was the Dagestan Hum. I labeled this as a red herring initially. We have the Taos Hum here in New Mexico and there isn’t anything particularly nefarious about it. At any rate, the Dagestan Hum is a jumping off point for this tale with Jake running a bit wild with his theories as to what causes that Hum and why Brody was killed for recording it.

As the story unfolds, there are conversations that only Jake is privy to. For a while, I wondered whether or not Jake was an unreliable narrator, having become addled after his latest accident. I loved that I was unsure right up to the last hour or so of the book. Of course this coincided with the big reveal of who was responsible for what. Some I had guessed but not the whole of it and I quite enjoyed being wrong on a few of my guesses.

Let’s talk about those wolves! That was a small but significant creepy bit tossed in by the author. The local wolf pack has been heavily hunted and their heads and bodies have been mounted in the not-yet-opened wing of the ski resort. Now who wants to sit around in a room full of stuffed wolves on a dark and cold night? Definitely a bit creepy and it allowed me to hate on the bad guys just a bit more.

This mystery closes by opening Jake’s eyes to the fact of a larger conspiracy. The loose ends for these immediate events were nicely tied up and the author did a good job of opening the door for more books in the series. It was good to see Jake regain some of his confidence.

I received a free copy of this book via The Audiobookworm.

The Narration: Mark H. Hosack narrated his own book and as always when an author narrates their own work, I get a bit concerned. In this case, there is no need to be. This is a quality performance and a quality production. He goes out of his way to add little bits of music and sound effects here and there but not often enough to call this an audio drama. His female voices are believable and he does accents as well.… (mere)

My original The Good Spy Dies Twice audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

The Good Spy Dies Twice is an action-packed, psychological thriller that never lets up. Jack Boxer is a newlywed, ex-investigative journalist and ex-host of Bullseye as well as a man tortured by the death of his sound man. Add in the Cold War, double agents, a lost painting and greed to complete the psychological thrill and mystery of this book.

Recovering from a nervous breakdown, Jack comes face to face with espionage and the New World Order in Alaska at an isolated ski resort. Having lost his sound man to the New World Order and espionage, Jack is taken by surprise when he discovers his new wife is neck-deep in spying where she texts him the same words as a recently executed killer. Jack discovers that Claire (his wife) is writing an earth shattering news story that is Bullseye worthy.

Trapped in a closed resort facing starvation, starving wolves and members of the New World Order, Jack is left to save the day. Can he get those few left with him to a safe place before the bomb arrives or will they all meet the same fate as his sound man? Recovering from a near death experience and crippled with a broken back, Jack pushes forward to tell the world.

Mark Hosack creates a world where the Cold War still exists and there are mind-blowing twists and turns in this thriller that keeps the listener mesmerized. The Good Spy Dies Twice is a well-written plot with characters that are developed in a realistic way. The situations that Jack finds himself are realistic as well. Hosack describes the helplessness of Jack not being able to find Claire to the possibility of being wolf food in a vivid and detailed style. Hosack does an excellent job of tying everything together and in growing Jack into a character that connects to the listeners.

The narrator, also the author Mark Hosack does his novel justice as the listener is treated to a passionate performance and the smooth flow of a narrator connecting to the story. He speaks clearly and concisely. His passion, excitement, doubt, fear, pain and more are portrayed in a riveting performance.

There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.… (mere)

This is a fun and interesting novel about a broadcast journalist named Jake Boxer and his
TV Show, “Bullseye.” The first of a planned series it does a reasonable job of grounding the main character in the world and then proceeds to develop the rather fantastic conspiracy theory as the antagonists. The cabal supposedly running the world apparently does exist for Jake and manifests itself as an aged double (triple?) agent who's name must be discovered and revealed. Needless to say, Jake is successful in learning the secret, but there's no elaboration of the consequences of the conspiracy. Presumably, stuff for further installments. This was fun to read, read easily and quickly, and while obviously not profound a good entertainment. I'd recommend it highly and will await the next stories in the series.… (mere)