Title:	The Second Life of Nick Mason
	Author:	Steve Hamilton
	Published:	2016, G.P. Putnam’s & Sons
	No. of Pages:	304
	Cover Price:	$26.00 Hardcover, $12.99 Kindle

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In the first book of the Nick Mason series, The Second Life of Nick Mason, bestselling author, Steve Hamilton, sets the stage for what will most likely be a number of popular crime thrillers. Mason was a small-time criminal, who fell in love, got married, and had a child, promising his wife that he wouldn’t get mixed up in a crime again. He was, however, talked into helping with a heist gone wrong, and while he didn’t fire the bullet that killed a law enforcement officer, he kept his mouth shut and took the blame; his sentence was 20+ years in prison. However, after serving only five of those years, a very powerful prisoner, Darius Cole, whose crimes are ongoing on the outside, decides Nick is the perfect man to take care of his outside business. Nick agrees to the deal, and somehow Cole gets him released without parole or a record. Cole arranges for Mason’s living arrangements, a generous salary, fancy cars – almost everything Mason could want – in exchange for carrying out his orders.

After being forced to commit a murder, then more crimes escalating in severity, Nick wants out. There is a group of dirty cops working, and they are after him, since what Nick is doing will eventually expose them. Nick gets himself involved in some very dangerous situations, and the more serious the crimes and situations become, the less chance Nick has of surviving.

Nick Mason is an unlikely and unique protagonist. He is a criminal, and certainly working against the right. However, he is likeable, and readers will want to see him succeed. The suspense in the novel is palpable, and danger for Mason is constant, making this a novel that is very difficult to put down. It is refreshing to read a thriller that doesn’t follow the status quo. This book is highly recommended for thriller aficionados and anyone else who enjoys a unique thriller.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying an advance review copy of this novel

This book may be purchased at Amazon:
The Second Life of Nick Mason (A Nick Mason Novel), Hardcover
The Second Life of Nick Mason (A Nick Mason Novel), Kindle