Bill’s Pick
August, 2016
The Second Life of Nick Mason
Steve Hamilton
G. P. Putnam’s Sons, NY (2016)
Nick Mason, from Chicago’s South Side, was sent to prison for 25 years on a felony-murder charge arising from his role in a criminal operation that resulted in a death. Five years into his sentence, Mason gets an offer that enables his release – but it comes at great cost. Once outside, Mason has to answer the cell phone he is provided, whenever it rings, and carry out whatever action is instructed. This is the deal Mason made with Darius Cole, the head of a criminal enterprise run from the prison where both were incarcerated.
As Nick is drawn deeper into the operation with increasingly more violent assignments, he looks for a way out, hoping to begin a new life and to rebuild his relationship with the young daughter left behind with his now ex-wife and her new husband. Along the way, Mason reconnects with a boyhood friend from the Canaryville neighborhood where they grew up, is pursued by a detective who wants to put him back in prison, and encounters two women – one with a connection to Cole and the current arrangement, and the other someone he wants to believe in him. Mason ultimately decides that he has to regain control of his life and to go back on the deal that brought him “freedom.’’ That decision puts his life and those of others in potential danger.
The story moves at a fast pace and the characters well-sketched, especially Mason, who is troubled by his choice from the start. Background and plot are believably constructed, with some interesting twists. The novel is one that can be read in a single sitting – if you are so inclined – but, in any event, it is not easily put down. This is a good book for the beach or a rainy summer night.
Steve Hamilton is an award-winning mystery novelist.