Clever, quick and highly engaging, Jake Boxer is a great character with many more stories ahead of him

A contemporary thriller with an interesting twist and turn plot. "The Good Spy Dies Twice" is helmed by an flawed character, Jake Boxer. Boxer has failed in his first career, and it looks like he is about to fail in his new marriage and newly chosen career. But this is a case of "just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean someone isn't out to get you." Jake's problem is that he doesn't know who, what or why!

I enjoyed the book, and recommend it for fans of the genre.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Good Spy Dies Twice by Mark Hosack: Wonderfully written thriller with a few twists, great characters and and an Alaska setting- who could ask for more. Recommended read.

This was was a face-paced story with lots of twist and turns. The characters have depth, the setting is interesting and the overall dialogue well written and believable.

What a great start to a series! The author is a terrific storyteller and this fast paced novel took me on a ride. I love the character of Jake and look forward to reading more of his adventures.
Many thanks to Wide Awake Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a quick read with lots of twists and turns. Some of it is implausible and other parts over the top but it will keep you turning the pages.

An interesting story of a news man who suffers a break down when searching for his coworker and friend. The story takes the reader through a maze of emotional and twisting events. I enjoyed the journey, although at times found some of the tale a little far fetched.
The author did keep me on edge wanting to discover the outcome.
I would recommend the book as a reasonably exciting read.

The Good Spy Dies Twice by Mark Hosack
This was a who-dun-it with the added trappings of multiple victims. An investigative reporter’s career crashes, he finds love, deceit, murder and conspiracy.
Hosack paints a good character in Jake, who is flawed in so many ways. The plot is intricate and colorful. This was more mystery than spy story. The setting was nothing less than chilly. Hosack’s descriptive prose provided a shiver on an otherwise sweltering night.
This was a good story with a solid plot.
I recommend it.

Parts of this story were bogged down in "why do I give a crap about this?" details. And the main character had a rather high opinion of himself. Well-written, but not particularly enjoyable.

Thank you for allowing me to review this book. I appreciate it. I found, however, that it was quite different than I anticipated, and I can't provide a favorable review. Rather than negatively review a book that didn't suit my preferences, I will just provide this feedback directly to the publisher. I am sure that there are others who loved and enjoyed this book, but it did not suit me.
Thank you for understanding.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wide Awake Books for this free readers edition. In exchange I am providing an honest review.
3.5 stars
Whoa! What a great start to a series. Well, maybe it is a series? No "The Bullseye #2" has appeared but I'm really hoping there is a #2.

Jake Boxer is a TV journalist that has fallen from favor after a very public meltdown but he's better - he's just married Claire and they are honeymooning in Blind River, Alaska. Claire is writing a travel article about Blind River so it's a working honeymoon of sorts. But things are not as they seem - with Claire's article, with Blind River, and even with Jake's progress made since his meltdown. Jake's journalistic mindset and eye has never stopped and in Blind River it's getting triggered all over the place. What is going on and does it have anything to do with his fall from grace years prior?

A great spy themed novel that was a fun and quick read. I'm crossing my fingers there is going to be a book 2, there are some questions Hosack posed and didn't answer and I need the answers!

Sorry I was not able to read you book but it went to archive before I could get to it. Sorry once again.

Wow! I really enjoyed this novel. This book has everything. A good mixture of twisted plot and intriguing characters. Great book for anyone who enjoys espionage stories. Definitely a page-turner and a difficult book to put down.

The title of this book is what caught my attention and I have to say, this one did not disappoint. This story has a lot of twists and turns that I did not see coming and I really like that in a good book. Jake had a show that he worked on when his sound man was murdered. The sound man was engaged to a woman named Claire who was the producer of the show then. Unfortunate events happen and Jake is taken off the air with his show.

Onto the present, Jake has just married Claire who is now a travel writer. These two are going on a Honeymoon in Alaska so that Claire can do some research. Meanwhile, there is a man that Claire has interview several times and was known to have murdered Soviet spies in the 70s that has just been executed. This execution hits Claire hard and while they are in Alaska, strange things keep happening and Jack keeps questioning what is going on. You will be on the edge of your seat with this one and wondering what is going to happen next.

I am thrilled to see that this is a series because I want more from Mark Hosack. Thanks for a great read!

I received an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

I really wanted to like this book. At first glance it has it all. A disgraced protagonist trying to redefine his life but pulled back into mystery, an old Cold War mystery, a tragic love story, an evil wealthy businessman, and even a bloodthirty wolf! But I had a hard time believing Jake Boxer could connect the dots the way he did. It was almost like he had the script ahead of time. But seriously, it felt like there were too many twists that didn’t make sense or feel realistic. Come on, he breaks his back and still manages to perform some impressive physical feats to save the day? Perhaps I am cynical, but it was just too many times stretching reality.

Wide Awake Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Good Spy Dies Twice. I was under no obligation to review this book and this is my honest opinion.

Jake Boxer, an investigative journalist who is the host of the conspiracy theory laden news program Bullseye, becomes involved in his own convoluted web of lies and deceit. After his soundman is murdered in Russia while on a story and Jake's paranoia on-air reaches a fever pitch, his removal from his job ushers in a deep depression. Just as he is beginning to piece his life together, with love and marriage taking center stage, Jake's honeymoon takes a turn that he never expected.

The Good Spy Dies Twice starts out a mystery and quickly spirals into a spy thriller. With too many potential suspects and a main character that is unreliable, the book just meanders along from plot point to plot point. I never really felt like I was involved in Jake's story and did not feel a connection to the character in any meaningful way. The whodunit aspect of the book was good, but the conclusion was really not anchored to the rest of the story. The Good Spy Dies Twice is more mystery than spy thriller, so readers who enjoy the mystery genre may find this book to their liking.

Mark Hosack does a lot of the right things with this untraditional spy novel. Changing settings, a diverse cast of characters, jumps in time, twists and turns, false leads to confuse the reader, a grand finale with a final showdown between the good and evil.
But still, I struggled somewhat getting through the book at times, and I can't quite put a finger on what caused this besides the main premise of the plot that seemed a little far-fetched to me as well as some of the symbols and imagery of the settting in Alaska, especially the wolves.
But, hey, in long stretches of the book, Hosack had my full attention and ends up with a 3½ stars leaning on 4 - primarily due to this fresh take on the genre.

A somewhat rambling thriller that does a good job of keeping the reader guessing as to the whos and whys, but ultimately drags many portions out beyond where they need to be. It could have used a lot of tightening up, especially in the early going. I was about ready to give up on reading the book until the protagonist's wife is killed.

The Good Spy Dies Twice is an intriguing title and the book doesn't disappoint! From the twisting, turning plot to the realistic characters, it keeps you interested until the last page when you say to yourself: Oh, didn't see that coming! With thanks to NetGalley for my copy.

Trigger Warning: Paranoia, Stalking, Conspiracies, Murder, Assholes, White as Snow,

A rocky start but it pays off in the end as an entertaining, thrilling scary read. However, the representation of mental illness might be questionable as it is outside of my experience. The physical disability though was painfully accurate.

The Gist:
➜Didn’t immediately grab me
➜Almost put it down and didn’t come back after Jake and Bullseye’s downfall
➜Was really confused with the switch to their honeymoon and hated Jake the paranoid stalker of his wife
➜The Russian aspect is especially terrifying given current events
➜Did not see any of the twists coming
➜Not much action until the last 25% or so
➜The ending is amazing, made up for the lackluster beginning
➜Jake is paranoid, used to be on medication, and his symptoms start coming back. I don’t remember a specific diagnosis though. I’m not sure how well the representation is though because I’ve never had this specific issue. It seems accurate from my outsider perspective as I saw from my mother’s ex. But just saying that makes me nervous. I could be completely wrong.
➜“Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you”
➜I do like the inclusion of the later physical ailments and limitations. That’s entirely accurate from my chronic pain experience and my mother’s, who's had 4 surgeries up and down her spine. It highlights what often taken for granted and never think about, like how a wheelchair means freedom, not confinement.
➜The last puzzle was very clever and fit perfectly
➜The change of POV and epilogue were chilling and a great way to end the story.
➜It’s wrapped up so if you don’t want to continue, you don’t have to, but leaves enough open that a follow up won’t be a stretch.