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.

Book Summary

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.