THE MARK by Jason Pinter

[Gerald So]

After a fight with his girlfriend Mya, 24-year-old New York Gazette reporter Henry Parker is in no mood to interrupt a sobbing voicemail from her, when in fact Mya was calling for help after being attacked. Guilt over his inaction drives Henry to intercede when the ex-con he's just interviewed is threatened by a man with a gun. In the ensuing struggle, the gun goes off, killing the man.

The next day, Henry picks up the paper to learn the man was a cop. The ex-con and his wife have lied to reporters, framing Henry as a cop killer. So begins Henry's desperate quest to evade capture, uncover the truth, and clear his name.

Pinter's crisp prose and tight plotting pace his debut novel of an everyman thrown into extraordinary circumstances. Reminiscent of Six Days of the Condor.