1st place award in the 2023 Feathered Quill Book Awards, Mystery/Suspense category

When a top secret and powerful US surveillance technology is stolen and offered for sale on the black market, an exiled reporter races to expose the theft and untangle the plot-before the story is spiked, and he is silenced for good.

Coming off a successful investigation into a major banking scandal, Newshound reporter Nik Byron arrives in Washington, DC, with high hopes for his career. But a disruptive corporate merger and a vengeful boss quickly dash his plans. Relegated to scut work and the graveyard shift, Nik's career and emotions are in a tailspin. That is, until a late-night explosion levels a high-tech office park-home to some of the nation's top clandestine programs-and provides Nik with an opportunity to reverse his fortunes.

As Nik tries to unravel the mystery at the heart of the explosion, he suddenly finds himself confronting domestic terrorists, rogue American and Chinese spies, mercenaries, and a brilliant but temperamental computer expert.

With the help of a small team of colleagues and his new girlfriend, Samantha Whyte-the chief investigator for the Northern Virginia Sheriff's Department, who has her own secrets to conceal-Nik follows a bloody trail of bodies from DC to the upper Midwest. But as word gets out that what he has dug up threatens to expose the theft of highly sensitive US technology, now being sold to terrorists and repressive regimes, new enemies close in. How far is Nik willing to go for a story, and how much is he willing to risk to reveal the truth?

About the Author
Mark Pawlosky is an award-winning reporter, editor, and media executive. A former reporter for the Wall Street Journal, editorial director for American City Business Journals (ACBJ), and editor in chief of CNBC.com/msn, he oversaw financial news channels in the US, London, Munich, Paris, Tokyo, and Hong Kong. He successfully helped launch several media operations nationwide, including MSNBC, American City Business Journals, and Biz Magazine. A graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri, Pawlosky and his family spent the past twenty years living on an island in Washington state before relocating to the Midwest.

Reviews

"Written with all the speed and blunt force of a high-speed car chase, Mark Pawlosky's debut, Hack, is a thrill ride you don't want to miss. Part Jim Crumley, part Don Winslow, Pawlosky's prose is delivered with the confidence of an old pro. A killer thriller, to be sure." Vincent Zandri, New York Times bestselling Thriller and Shamus Award-winning author of the Dick Moonlight PI series and The Girl Who Wasn't There

"Hack by Mark Pawlosky is a heart-pounding novel and nearly impossible to put down. It's a compelling storytelling with hairpin twists. Not for the fainthearted." Jon Bassoff, author of Beneath Cruel Waters

"Nik Byron is flawed, charming, and always flirting with being down on his luck. But tell him he can't get a story and his smarts and ambition take over. Mark Pawlosky's clever plotting and affection for the craft of journalism and its rituals barrel through every page. Don't let this book's title fool you Nik and his creator are first-rate storytellers." Joe Drape, New York Times bestselling author of The Saint Makers, American Pharoah and Our Boys

"With fluid prose and a journalist's keen eye for detail, Mark Pawlosky's Hack delivers a rich and fast-moving tale populated with a fascinating collection of characters that readers will find equal reason to love and loathe. Hack will keep you up even after you stop flipping the pages." Bryan Gruley, Edgar Award-nominated author of the Starvation Lake Mystery trilogy.

"A propulsive conspiracy tale with a credible and capable hero. Pawlosky has a deft touch in conveying character." Kirkus Reviews

"Pawlosky infuses action elements and high stakes into this already energetically paced plot. The villains are engagingly villainous, and their histories imagined in detail. The protagonist, Nik Byron, is winning-and flawed. This a solidly enjoyable work."-BookLife

Book Information
ISBN 9781954854604
Author Mark Pawlosky
Format Paperback
Page Count 260
Imprint Girl Friday Productions
Publisher Girl Friday Productions