Published by Penguin Audio, G.P. Putnam's Sons on May 17th 2016
Genres: Mystery, Suspense
Pages: 288
Format: Audiobook
ISBN: 0399574328
ASIN: B01D0I6RGY
Goodreads
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.
Buy on Amazon
Buy on Barnes and Noble
#FirstInSeries #Second Chances #DirtyCops #CriminalMastermind @authorsteve @Ray_Porter @PRHAudio
I promised in last week’s review that the body count was going to get high and so it continues to pile up in Steve Hamiton’s award-winning novel The Second Life of Nick Mason. After listening to this gripping story which was voted Best Book of the Year by NPR and Kirkus Reviews as well as Best Thriller of the Year by Library Journal, I was totally captivated by the protagonist Nick Mason who lends a whole new meaning to the word antihero. He is very different from last week’s antihero Jack Reacher who is essentially a loner who shuns the things in life that tie you down like a family and “stuff”. In contrast, Nick Mason is a man who will do anything to regain his family and everything he lost as the result of a life spent living on the edge. When Nick’s lifestyle finally catches up with him, he lands in prison and squarely on the radar of an amoral man named Darius Cole who continues to firmly hold the reins of his crime organization from behind bars. Cole sees something in Nick that he can use to run his evil empire and, just in case you’re wondering how much a man can do from a prison cell, Cole arranges for Nick to be released after serving 5 years of a 20-year sentence. A factor that I frequently use in judging a storyline is plausibility. At the risk of sounding jaded, I’m going to say that there was a time when I would have found this storyline to test the boundaries of plausibility, but, sad to say, the nightly news has made me believe that just about any wicked thing the human mind can contrive is possible.
Ray Porter is quickly becoming a favorite narrator of mine. The Second Life of Nick Mason is an excellent showcase for his versatility and talent as he runs the gamut of voices from the evil Darius Cole to Nick’s young daughter. Follow this link to visit Mr. Porter’a Facebook page
Now before you click on something else thinking this book is just too “out there” for you, let me say Nick Mason is one of the most intriguing characters I’ve met in a long time. I think you will really like him . . . he has a girlfriend, he likes dogs, and he loves his daughter who is the driving force behind all Nick does. Even though he is willing to pay a high price to get his life back, he has standards. I’m looking forward to where the author is taking Nick in this three book series. The second book, Exit Strategy, was published earlier this year and the third book, An Honorable Assassin, is set for release in 2018.
Leave a Reply