Mark Firth

Mark Firth is a general contractor who lives in Howland, Massachusetts. He is married to Karen Firth, and they have a daughter named Haley. His sister, Candace, and his brother, Gerry, both live in or near Howland, and his parents live in nearby Pittsfield. He has one other sister, Renee, who lives in Colorado Springs.

At the beginning of the novel, Mark has lost a significant amount of money to a financial swindler, Garrett Spalding. He is scheduled to meet with a lawyer in New York City who is building a case against Spalding on 9/11. While in New York, Mark meets another potential co-plaintiff, who befriends him and steals his credit card.

After he returns to Howland, Mark does a major security system installation job for Philip Hadi, a wealthy hedge fund manager who moves permanently to his Howland vacation home following the terrorist attacks. Philip's success...