Jonathan Finegold is the author of The Matchbook, a fast-paced military espionage thriller and the first book in The Matchbook Series. He lives outside Boston.
He trained at MIT and spent his career in technology, leading marketing and then running software companies. Much of that time was spent in media technology, working with the studios, broadcasters and post-production teams that move the world’s film and TV.
Why this book
Jon noticed that a lot of the people around him — smart, curious people who’d happily watch a whole season of a spy show in a weekend — hadn’t finished a book in years. Not because they didn’t like stories, but because most books made them work too hard before they got going.
So he set out to write the kind of thriller he’d want to hand them: one that grabs you on the first page, moves in short chapters, and is short enough to finish on a single flight. The result is The Matchbook: about 200 pages, built like a movie, with more heart than readers expect from the genre.
The hero, Alex Mercer, reflects that idea. He isn’t a born operator. He’s a CIA codebreaker thrown in with a Navy SEAL team that doesn’t want him, winning their respect the hard way.
Getting it right
A thriller lives or dies on whether the details ring true. The manuscript went through developmental and copy editing, and a Navy SEAL read it chapter by chapter to check the training, the tactics and the way operators talk. As one Amazon reviewer put it, it’s hard to believe the author isn’t a SEAL himself.
What’s next
Book 2 is underway, picking up threads left open at the end of The Matchbook. Follow the next mission or join the reader list to hear first when it’s out.
Connect
Book clubs, schools and podcasts: see the book club and classroom guide.
The Matchbook
4.9★ from 51 ratings on Amazon. About 200 pages, and free with Kindle Unlimited.