Author of the Maryl Morgan Marks Series
Sharp, smart, and unflinching — fiction that puts women’s intelligence at the center of the story. Corporate power, personal survival, and the stubborn fight for truth.
Book 1
Book 2
What Authors Are Saying About COUNTERPUNCH
“The 1980s tech landscape feels real — the power dynamics, the language, the particular brand of institutional misogyny all ring true.”
“Very few books immediately grab my attention. COUNTERPUNCH by Taylor Zane is one of them. I didn’t want to put it down.”
“Her storytelling style is vibrant and crisp — part romance, part mystery, part thriller, and part time capsule.”
Set in the razor-edged world of 1980s corporate America, the Maryl Morgan Marks series follows a woman who refuses to be managed out of the room — or out of her own life.
Maryl Morgan Marks arrives in Philadelphia with ambition, a sharp eye for data, and no illusions about who runs the room. What she doesn’t see coming is Ethan. Or what he’ll cost her.
Manhattan. 1984. Maryl barely has her coat off before she’s hit with a $23 million lawsuit, a dead man who isn’t dead, and a conspiracy that reaches further than she can see. Everyone’s lying. She’s going to prove it.
Maryl is back — and this time, the threat is personal. A story of calculated choices, necessary escapes, and the stubborn refusal to be the person someone else designed you to be.
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Lessons in Chemistry meets The Devil Wears Prada meets The Firm
“For all the women who have been set up, shut down, cancelled, silenced, gaslighted, or crushed.
May you refuse to stay down.
— Dedication, REBUTTAL
Taylor Zane spent decades navigating the fast-paced, male-dominated corporate tech world that inspired the Maryl Morgan Marks series — and lived, more or less intact, to tell the tale. The resemblance between her career and Maryl’s is, as she will freely admit, not a coincidence.
After years of living — and writing — non-fiction during her corporate career, she decided that fiction was more liberating, and considerably less subject to HR review.
She writes Women’s Fiction that embraces, pulls, shoves, shakes, cajoles, and wraps its arms around you — for every woman who ever sat in a room full of people who underestimated her, and smiled anyway.
At 72, she has officially retired from corporate life, though corporate life has not entirely retired from her — it keeps showing up in her manuscripts, apparently unwilling to let go. Off the page, she lives a gloriously quieter existence involving books, gardens, good food, excellent movies, friends old and new, and a puppy who is, frankly, running the household.
Reviews of COUNTERPUNCH — Maryl Morgan Marks: Book 1
Zane’s cast of supporting characters are so well written they feel like your co-workers, your best friends, or annoying family. Her storytelling style is vibrant and crisp with period-specific details and nuances that makes the story part romance, part mystery, part thriller, and part time capsule.
Zane’s greatest achievement is period authenticity. The 1980s tech landscape feels real — the power dynamics, the language, the particular brand of institutional misogyny all ring true.
Very few books immediately grab my attention. COUNTERPUNCH by Taylor Zane is one of them. Captivated by how she smoothly walks the reader through equally exciting adventures or painful and excruciating experiences, I didn’t want to put it down.
The story is so well written that I laughed, cried, and even got really angry to the point I was yelling at the characters in the book. I applaud this author and look forward to book 2!!
This book gives fascinating insights into the culture of power businesses and the lengths that people will go to further their agenda against other people’s interests and safety. A compelling read and well-written. Bravo on this debut novel.
I love this fast-moving book and all of the characters, even the bad ones! I also love how Zane writes about Maryl’s complicated relationship with her father. Following Maryl’s adventures was a wild ride. I felt like I was in each scene (biting my nails). After a short hiatus I’ll probably be reading Zane’s next book to find out what happens!
I read this in one sitting without putting it down. If you’re looking for a fast-paced read with a spunky, smart, and relatable female lead who isn’t afraid to step up and take what she wants instead of waiting for someone to give it to her, this should be your next series.
As a woman who has spent 30 years in corporate America’s information technology era, this book was spot on! The development of Maryl’s character will have you turning pages and cheering in her corner as she delivers her counterpunches. Don’t think this book lacks emotions; you will feel them all! Well written. Only question: when is book 2 coming?
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