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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
interesting book - don't know if i would read the second one.
Nick Mason grew up poor in Chicago, and was a bit of a delinquent in his young adult life, until one time when he got caught and sent to prison. While in prison, he sold his soul to get released early. He is now beholden and does things he never expected to do. Enjoyable first Nick Mason story.
See my review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2017/03/30/day-1058-the-second-life-of-nick-mason/
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2017/03/30/day-1058-the-second-life-of-nick-mason/
Dear Mr Hamilton,
I have read and enjoyed all of your books. I absolutely adore the Alex McKnight series. I thought The Lock Artist was terrific. I even loved Night Work, and NO ONE loved Night Work. I love your gift for writing real and rounded characters. I love the sense of place that your books have. Your books are keepers that stay on my shelves and make me happy when I look at them.
I did not like The Second Life of Nick Mason.
I get it, you've been writing these fantastic books and not enough people have been reading them. But it feels like you read and thoroughly analysed Lee Child and Roger Hobb's books and decided to write something in that vein. I like Child and Hobb's books, but they have skills that you don't have and you have skills that they don't have. Suddenly, you're not writing to your strengths. Where are the believable characters? Where is the storyline that we care about and that makes sense? Where is the feeling of suspense that your books always have? Gone, gone, gone.
I hate writing this review. You have no idea how much I wanted to like this book. But this muddled story about crooked cops and sinister criminals, with our hero being an ex-con who drives round in classic cars and lives by his own set of rules - it just doesn't add up. You're a better writer than this. I'll be crossing my fingers that the series picks up.
I have read and enjoyed all of your books. I absolutely adore the Alex McKnight series. I thought The Lock Artist was terrific. I even loved Night Work, and NO ONE loved Night Work. I love your gift for writing real and rounded characters. I love the sense of place that your books have. Your books are keepers that stay on my shelves and make me happy when I look at them.
I did not like The Second Life of Nick Mason.
I get it, you've been writing these fantastic books and not enough people have been reading them. But it feels like you read and thoroughly analysed Lee Child and Roger Hobb's books and decided to write something in that vein. I like Child and Hobb's books, but they have skills that you don't have and you have skills that they don't have. Suddenly, you're not writing to your strengths. Where are the believable characters? Where is the storyline that we care about and that makes sense? Where is the feeling of suspense that your books always have? Gone, gone, gone.
I hate writing this review. You have no idea how much I wanted to like this book. But this muddled story about crooked cops and sinister criminals, with our hero being an ex-con who drives round in classic cars and lives by his own set of rules - it just doesn't add up. You're a better writer than this. I'll be crossing my fingers that the series picks up.
I'm a big fan of Steve Hamilton. Love the Alex McKnight series and Edgar Award winner: The Lock Artist. This is another stand alone. Good story, good characters. Fast read and enjoyable.
Rather tedious book full of testosterone where women exist to either be rescued or for sex. There wasn't a fully drawn female character in the book. Not that the men had much depth either to be fair.
A ridiculous premise to be sure, resolved through a ridiculous plot, and okay, I finished it.
This was one of the more anticipated releases of summer because so much attention was given to it when it switched publishers - but all of the hype is totally justified. Mason is a terrific character to build a series around and the set up - Mason's prison sentence is abruptly shortened when he makes a deal with the biggest criminal in the system - makes for a terrific read. I'm sure I'll read more good books this summer, but not sure any of them will top this one.
This book has a decent premise but it all feels like it needs some fleshing out, both the plot and the characters...perhaps especially the characters. The female characters seem to barely exist as little more than the faintest of outlines and I frankly have no idea why two of them (out of three) are even in the story. Nick Mason, the anti-hero, is okay but I feel like his own lifetime of bad decisions has landed him in his current situation and so he sort of deserves the mess he's in. As for pacing, things started out well but felt more rushed towards the end and overall the story had a superficial feeling. I think this may be the start of a series but I it works as a standalone and I may leave it at that.
Nick Mason is serving a twenty year term. He started his criminal career as a car thief. He then worked his way up to robbing some drug dealers and a variety of other crimes he deemed okay. He has to make a better life for him and his wife Gina and young daughter. He is approached for the 'big job' that could make him set and Gina has laid the rules down that he has to go straight. Even though his gut tells him that there is something off about the job he goes ahead with it anyways. And ends up behind bars.
He is in Terre Haute, a federal prison with some of the most notorious criminals in the country. Then he gets summoned to meet another inmate. Darius Cole.
Darius takes an interest in Nick. He thinks that Nick has 'potential.'
"There are three kinds of people in prison," he said. "People who want to get out, people who never want to get out, and people who know they are never going to get out. You can't count the days. You keep quiet, keep to yourself. Don't go with anybody, don't owe anybody. You're all you got in there. The only thing you can count on is yourself."
Darius gets Nick's conviction over-turned. The kicker is...now he works for Darius.
He gets out of prison. Completely cleared. A new job as a 'assistant-manager' at a fancy resturant, a gorgeous new apartment and a cell phone that he MUST answer.
"This isn't freedom. This is mobility. Don't get those two things confused."
It doesn't take long for that cell phone to start ringing.
Nick's character is not perfect. He is not even a really good guy. But I cheered for him. What can I say? I love a good anti-hero.
This is the first of a series and for a first book this one is pretty decent. There are some cookie-cutter characters but I'm interested in picking up the next book.
Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.
Check out my buddy Brenda's review for this one also.
He is in Terre Haute, a federal prison with some of the most notorious criminals in the country. Then he gets summoned to meet another inmate. Darius Cole.
Darius takes an interest in Nick. He thinks that Nick has 'potential.'
"There are three kinds of people in prison," he said. "People who want to get out, people who never want to get out, and people who know they are never going to get out. You can't count the days. You keep quiet, keep to yourself. Don't go with anybody, don't owe anybody. You're all you got in there. The only thing you can count on is yourself."
Darius gets Nick's conviction over-turned. The kicker is...now he works for Darius.
He gets out of prison. Completely cleared. A new job as a 'assistant-manager' at a fancy resturant, a gorgeous new apartment and a cell phone that he MUST answer.
"This isn't freedom. This is mobility. Don't get those two things confused."
It doesn't take long for that cell phone to start ringing.
Nick's character is not perfect. He is not even a really good guy. But I cheered for him. What can I say? I love a good anti-hero.
This is the first of a series and for a first book this one is pretty decent. There are some cookie-cutter characters but I'm interested in picking up the next book.
Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.
Check out my buddy Brenda's review for this one also.