Nick Mason was four years into a 25-year prison term in
Terre Haute, Indiana, when he met Darius Cole, a prominent
gang leader in maximum security for two life terms.
Subsequent meetings with Cole eventually led to Nick
agreeing to a 20-year "contract" with the criminal. From
behind bars with connections on the outside, Cole is able
to get Nick's conviction overturned and his record
expunged.
Now free after serving only five years, Nick is picked up
at the prison gates and driven to Chicago where he's
provided a swanky home, a female roommate, a car, a job,
new clothes, excess funds and a cell phone. Nick's orders
are that whenever that cell phone rings, he is to do
exactly as instructed by the caller -- no questions asked.
For the next 20 years, Nick's life belongs to Cole. He has to
to follow every abhorrent order he is given until he can
figure some way to get out.
Throughout his life, Nick has always followed a set of
personal rules. They never failed him until he started
ignoring them. To deal with this nightmare, Nick has to
start including some new rules, especially when he realizes
the observant and determined Detective Frank Sandoval is
shadowing him.
Acclaimed mystery writer, Steve Hamilton has again
reached electrifying heights with THE SECOND LIFE OF NICK
MASON. I have enjoyed reading his immensely popular Alex
McKnight crime thriller series, so I was looking forward to
this new novel, especially after Hamilton left his previous
publisher over the release of this book. I can definitely
say THE SECOND LIFE OF NICK MASON exceeded my expectations.
With an intensely suspenseful plot and brilliantly
developed characters, Hamilton's commanding writing style
grabbed me from the first page and kept me spellbound
throughout. Nick Mason is a truly unique protagonist with
many flaws, but his redeeming qualities, especially his
love for his young daughter, make him a man I can cheer for
as he tries to make things right and even the score.
Obviously, this will take some time over subsequent books.
The cliffhanger of THE SECOND LIFE OF NICK MASON, though
simplistic, was still enticing enough to make me eager to
read the next installment to find out what new challenges
Nick must face.
From New York Times-bestselling, two-time
Edgar-award-winning author Steve Hamilton comes an
unforgettable new hero, a man who will walk out of prison
and into a harrowing double life that is anything but free.
Nick Mason has already spent five years inside a maximum
security prison when an offer comes that will grant his
release twenty years early. He accepts -- but the deal
comes with a terrible price.
Now, back on the streets, Nick Mason has a new house, a new
car, money to burn, and a beautiful roommate. He’s
returned to society, but he's still a prisoner.
Whenever his cell phone rings, day or night, Nick must
answer it and follow whatever order he is given. It’s
the deal he made with Darius Cole, a criminal mastermind
serving a double-life term who runs an empire from his
prison cell.
Forced to commit increasingly more dangerous crimes, hunted
by the relentless detective who put him behind bars, and
desperate to go straight and rebuild his life with his
daughter and ex-wife, Nick will ultimately have to risk
everything—his family, his sanity, and even his life—to
finally break free.
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