Praise for Exit Strategy
“A compelling trek across very dark terrain putting Nick Mason through increasingly pulse-pounding paces with so much non-stop suspense, I read the book in two sittings.”—Huffington Post
“[Hamilton has] perfected his craft as an author of high-powered, fast-paced crime thrillers. Exit Strategy . . . moves so quickly you instantly find yourself sucked into its slipstream and pulled along like a water-skier behind a low-flying rocket careening toward the finale.”—NY Journal of Books
“The Second Life of Nick Mason rocketed Steve Hamilton to literary stardom, all the reasons for which are on clear display in that book’s sequel, Exit Strategy. . . . The book’s brisk prose wondrously sets the tone, starting with, “You kill one person, it changes you. You kill five ... it’s not about changing anymore.” Think Don Winslow at his coolest, as Hamilton turns up the heat in a bold, bracing and brilliant thriller.”—The Providence Journal
“The intensity Hamilton generates here is almost too much—like a wailing siren growing steadily louder at the same time its pitch climbs ever higher—but readers will be utterly powerless to close the book. Noir is all about characters attempting to find options for themselves where none exist. The brilliance of this thoroughly uncompromising novel lies in the way Hamilton, with the legerdemain of a master conjurer, turns despair to hope and back again, finally blending the two into their own unique nightmare world. Stunning.”—Booklist (starred review)
“When it comes to no-nonsense, pressure-cooker plotting, Hamilton has few rivals. The book starts turning up the heat from the start [and] maintains its breathless pacing until the end. . . Its hard-wired plot and adrenaline-fueled scenes make it another must-read for fans of lean, mean crime fiction.”—Kirkus Reviews
“The action is nonstop in Hamilton’s latest, and the violence quotient has risen, but Nick remains an empathetic character for whom readers will gladly root. Aficionados of Gregg Hurwitz and Thomas Perry will quickly become fans.”—Library Journal
“Another knockout performance. . . Hamilton has carefully crafted an atmospheric, edgy thriller with strong characters and a swiftly escalating tension level. . . Easily one of the best crime novels of the year – even though it surely will be facing strong competition.”—Lansing State Journal
“One of our favorite authors, Steve Hamilton continues the gritty, action-packed saga of Nick Mason in his newest book, Exit Strategy. . . If you have weekend plans, clear them. This is the kind of book that demands to be read in one sitting. . . The pacing is stunning, cinematic in its precision.”—Harbor Light News
“How does Nick resolve this second life he is now forced to live? The manner in which he does so is revealed in this fascinating novel by Steve Hamilton, and the suspenseful way he accomplishes it is typical of what we have come to expect from this author, in this newest page-turner. . . Expect the unexpected from this wonderful author. . . Highly recommended.”—Midwest Book Review
Praise for The Second Life of Nick Mason
“[The Second Life of Nick Mason] is so good, it legitimately stands shoulder to padded paranoid shoulder with the classics of the crime noir genre...There are so many terrific elements in this novel—Nick’s haunted character, a plot that never darts in the direction you expect it to, and a truly ingenious climax—that I could be here till Labor Day singing its praises.”—Maureen Corrigan, NPR Fresh Air
“The sinner who gets a chance to start over is an archetypal figure in crime fiction. Steve Hamilton works a smart variation on it in The Second Life of Nick Mason.”—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review
“[An] intelligent thriller....The reader has a vulnerable underdog to root for: a loser who may yet be born to win.”—The Wall Street Journal
“The plotting is crisp, and the story moves smoothly, slipping easily between timelines....Nick is a very mobile character juggling different sides of his identity. One day, he’s slitting the throat of a man in a public restroom, and another he’s shopping for a puppy. That Hamilton is able to imbue both of these scenes with sharp tension is a testament to his skills as a writer. And as expected from a writer with Hamilton’s award-winning, best-selling track record, all the novel’s threads tie up in a powerful, violent resolution.”—The Los Angeles Review of Books
“A complicated plot, a lot of action, some vivid language and a variety of nicely detailed scenes.”—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“In this edgy noir from a crime fiction maestro, an ex-con struggles with unexpected freedom, falteringly rebuilding his life while a depraved puppet master still behind bars pulls his strings.”—O Magazine
“It’s a killer summer read.”—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“An impressive new series...The Second Life of Nick Mason is a new chapter in Hamilton's career, and it's intensely exciting. The concept is fresh, the action is heart-pounding and Nick Mason is a solid protagonist. His halo is tarnished but his intentions are gold. Readers will connect with him and clamor for his return.”—Shelf Awareness
“A high-octane, tension-filled novel that's received well-deserved praise from great authors.”—Huffington Post
“[A] heart-pounding thriller with cinematic appeal...Hamilton cleverly imbues the narrative with myriad of twists and turns, allowing the intricate plot to unfold with stunning and extraordinary skill and suspense. From the honor amongst thieves, to the honor amongst those sworn to protect us, to the loyalty among childhood friends and beloved family, multiple worlds collide as Hamilton catapults us into Nick Mason's complex psyche.”—Esquire.com
“As fertile as Chicago is for crime fiction, it isn't often that an outsider captures the underside of the local scene as memorably as Steve Hamilton does with The Second Life of Nick Mason, the terrific first installment in a projected series...The novel more than lives up to its hype.”—Chicago Tribune
“[A] reinvention of the noir thriller...There are a number of ways Hamilton could have gone that would have turned his knockout premise into pandering. Instead of patronizing readers with a morality tale (criminal struggling against the dark pull of enterprise), Hamilton gives us a bad guy who is willing—and able—to do worse. The result is edgy and intelligent entertainment that hits with the force of a narrative bullet...Hamilton gets just about everything right in Nick Mason.”—Arizona Republic
“Steve Hamilton’s new novel, The Second Life of Nick Mason, is every bit as good as Don Winslow and Harlan Coben and Michael Connelly say it is.”—New York Daily News
03/27/2017
Edgar-winner Mason’s sequel to 2016’s The Second Life of Nick Mason falls short of his usual high standard. In Second Life, Mason, a nonviolent thief incarcerated for felony murder after a fellow conspirator took a life in the course of a robbery, made a deal with the devil. In exchange for arranging for Mason’s early release from prison via false, exonerating testimony, criminal kingpin and fellow inmate Darius Cole exacted a promise that Mason would “do whatever was asked of him.” Cole now orders Mason, who’s already murdered one man at Cole’s insistence, to take out Ken McLaren, who was once Cole’s chief accountant. A key witness against Cole, McLaren is under heavy federal protection in Chicago. Despite the obstacles, Mason succeeds in breaching the government’s Witness Security Program. The plot follows familiar lines, Mason’s transformation into an unstoppable killing machine is unconvincing, and he and the other characters lack depth. Author tour. Agent: Shane Salerno, Story Factory. (May)
01/01/2017
With The Second Life of Nick Mason, Hamilton launched a new series and made the New York Times best sellers list for the first time. This follow-up has the hero looking to crack the top-secret federal witness-protection program to find and kill three men who put his boss behind bars.
Ray Porter packs a punch as he intensely narrates the struggles of Nick Mason, a macho sharpshooter with a conscience. As laid out in the previous book, THE SECOND LIFE OF NICK MASON, he’s bound to a high-ranking underworld thug but wishes he could return to normal family life. Porter portrays Mason’s cunning and cold-blooded focus as he reluctantly kills the federal witnesses who put his crime-lord boss in prison. The Hispanic go-between, Quintero, and crazy Irish sniper, Sean Burke, are well rendered by Porter. But Porter’s portrayal of Mason’s female sidekick fails to depict a woman steely enough for this business. Porter’s strength is fast-paced masculine action, which is abundant in this novel. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
Ray Porter packs a punch as he intensely narrates the struggles of Nick Mason, a macho sharpshooter with a conscience. As laid out in the previous book, THE SECOND LIFE OF NICK MASON, he’s bound to a high-ranking underworld thug but wishes he could return to normal family life. Porter portrays Mason’s cunning and cold-blooded focus as he reluctantly kills the federal witnesses who put his crime-lord boss in prison. The Hispanic go-between, Quintero, and crazy Irish sniper, Sean Burke, are well rendered by Porter. But Porter’s portrayal of Mason’s female sidekick fails to depict a woman steely enough for this business. Porter’s strength is fast-paced masculine action, which is abundant in this novel. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
2017-03-21
Nick Mason, who has been killing people for Darius Cole, the all-powerful inmate who got him sprung from a maximum security prison in exchange for such services, is targeted himself after initiating a scheme to free himself from Cole's clutches.In Hamilton's acclaimed series debut, The Second Life of Nick Mason (2016), the embattled protagonist agreed to do Cole's lethal bidding after serving five years of a 25-to-life sentence (for a killing he did not commit) so he could see his 9-year-old daughter again. He was set up in a luxury apartment in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, a far cry from the working-class South Side community where he had been a small-time criminal. In the sequel, Mason is ordered to penetrate seemingly impenetrable federal witness protection facilities and kill former associates of Cole's set to testify against him in a retrial. Attempting to regain control of his life, Mason has to contend with not only Cole's henchmen, but also a scary Irish assassin with ties to the crime lord. Moral considerations get short shrift, and Hamilton is nothing if not expedient in dispatching characters, including the attractive pet shop owner with whom Mason is involved. And those who haven't read the first installment will miss quite a bit in terms of context and character development. But when it comes to no-nonsense, pressure-cooker plotting, Hamilton has few rivals. The book starts turning up the heat from the start with an office building bombing and maintains its breathless pacing until the end. Though this book lacks the depth of the series opener, its hard-wired plot and adrenaline-fueled scenes make it another must-read for fans of lean, mean crime fiction.
