The Second Life of Nick Mason - Steve Hamilton

Hi my book-loving friends. Sorry for another lull in the blog posts, so much summer wonderfulness is going on...and today's is just now the first day of summer. ;-) Hopefully soon I'll have some exciting news to share, but for now, I have a review to share. My review of Steve Hamilton's The Second Life of Nick Mason first appeared as a starred review in Shelf Awareness for Readers. I am posting it today with their permission. Hope you enjoy.

First line: "Nick Mason's freedom lasted less than a minute."

In a stark departure from his Alex McKnight novels, Steve Hamilton kicks off an impressive new series featuring Nick Mason, a former car thief from Chicago who tries to go straight for the sake of his family but winds up in prison for a murder he didn't commit. Now Mason is sitting in Terre Haute Penitentiary for 25 years to life. He learns the ropes of general population, doesn't make unnecessary waves, but also doesn't let anyone get the better of him. Then everything changes when Darius Cole summons Mason to the Secure Housing Unit.

Cole is the powerful head of a Chicago criminal enterprise in federal prison on a RICO conviction. Despite being locked up, his reach extends far beyond the walls of USP Terre Haute, and he's offering Mason a deal. Cole will arrange for Mason's conviction to be overturned, his slate wiped clean. In exchange, Mason works for Cole for the remaining 20 years of his original sentence.

The desire to return to his wife and daughter convinces Mason to trade his soul to the devil. But when the reality of his deal finally becomes clear, Mason discovers he may have put himself and his family in the worst danger possible.

The Second Life of Nick Mason is a new chapter in Hamilton's career, and it's intensely exciting. The concept is fresh, the action is heart pounding and Nick Mason is a solid protagonist. His halo is tarnished and his intentions are gold. Readers will connect with him and clamor for his return.

The Second Life of Nick Mason is available in hardcover (ISBN: 9780399574320) from Putnam and as an unabridged audiobook (ISBN: 9780451483546), narrated by the wonderful Ray Porter, from Penguin Audio. You can find a copy at your favorite independent bookstore or any of these online retailers:

  

   

Sorry...and Catching Up

Greetings! Long time no blog. First, I would like to send out big, warm virtual hugs to those people who sent me nice messages. They were so kind; not one of them said, "hey slacker, what the heck is going on?" I apologize for my hiatus.

For those that don't know, I went on vacation to Virginia during the second week of April, where I played with dogs and chickens and my wonderful friend Ginny Phillips who blogs over at gspotsylvania.

Henrietta Poppy

Millie

Tiffin

I'm sorta, kinda caught up from being away. As much as I'm ever caught up, I guess. Anyone else  feel perpetually behind? Ah well, 'tis life. It's all about the journey, right? While I was away, it snowed in NE Ohio. Left several inches on the ground. But then I returned to the mowing season. My dog Rufus was getting lost in the grass, so I figured it was time to drag the mower out. While I complain about the snow in Ohio, let me say right now, I'm glad I don't live in Denver. Unless you're a snow lover living there, I'm so sorry Denver folks. I hope this last storm is it for y'all now.

I did quite a bit of reading while I was on vacation--that's the joy of vacationing with a fellow book lover. Finished up a great book from Lindy West called Shrill, Steve Hamilton's new one--The Second Life of Nick Mason--fantastic, and the upcoming book from Ben Winters, Underground Airlines. I'm on a run of good books and worried about when I'm going to hit that bad one that wrecks everything. I don't think it's my current read, though--Broken Ground (Karen Halvorsen Schreck) is off to a great start.  You'll be hearing about them all in more detail eventually, of course.

Since I drove down to Virginia, I got plenty of good audiobook time in as well. Finished up Michael Robotham's Close Your Eyes; David Taylor and Keith Szarabajka once again blew me away with the audiobook for Night Work (the second Michael Cassidy historical crime novel); and now I'm listening to a fun audio called Spill Simmer Falter Wither, which is dog-centric instead of crime-centric.

What good books have you been reading or listening to lately?

I posted this on Facebook, so you may have already seen it, but it's in print so I feel like it's real now, and I can share it with people--even though I still have a hard time believing it. I'm going to interview Fredrik Backman for his bookstore appearance at Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville, IL next month. If you are in the area...whether you live there or are maybe in Chicago for BEA...I hope you'll come out. I'm so thrilled and excited about this. Hopefully I manage to keep my inner fan girl under control and won't make a fool out of myself.

Coming up on the blog I have plenty of reviews to catch up on, but I also have an interview with  debut novelist, Pamela Wechsler. She's a first time novelist, but she's writing and consulting for TV prior to her first book, Mission Hill.  I'll be sharing that interview with you tomorrow. I thoroughly enjoyed Mission Hill, a legal thriller, and it's due out next week, so I'll be reviewing that for you later this week as well.

I'm also hoping to get a new post up, probably next week, about the books I'm looking forward to this summer--as far as I know at this point anyway. And I have more posts for Where Jen's Book Thoughts' Readers Are Reading. I'm still taking submissions (details here). If you haven't sent one yet, I hope you'll consider doing so. I'd love to have YOU on the blog. It's been fantastic connecting with some of you for the first time through this feature. So thank you to everyone who's sent something in so far.

That's it for today. I'll be back tomorrow with Pam Wechsler. I hope you'll join us. Thanks so much, my book-loving friends. Happy reading!

MISERY BAY - Steve Hamilton

First line: "It is the third night of January, two hours past midnight, and everyone is in bed except this man."

Foes join forces in Steve Hamilton's eighth book of his Alex McKnight series. Chief Roy Maven seeks Alex's help when his friend, Charles Razniewski, is looking for answers about his son's suicide. Alex doesn't think there's much he can do to help, but for the grieving father, he's willing to go ask some questions. When a few details seem a little off kilter, Alex starts to ask more questions and discover some other oddities. The problems only escalate when Razniewski is murdered in the Chief's house. Alex has stumbled onto something much bigger than a young man's suicide and if he doesn't uncover the truth, Chief Maven may be the next target.

The Alex McKnight series has consistently been a strong crime fiction series, but with MISERY BAY Hamilton's taken his characters to a new level. The dynamics have changed between Alex and Roy Maven as they share experiences that no humans should have to endure. They see new sides of each other and that connection is authentic and well constructed. The bruised egos and jostled reputations are believable, often humorous and heartfelt.

Hamilton once again uses his setting to not only compliment but enhance the plot and build suspense and mood.

I had to chuckle to myself because once again Hamilton got me. I was anticipating his use of a cliche construct only to have him turn the tables and show that he was very conscience of that cliche. I could almost see him sticking his tongue out and saying, "really Forbus, don't you know better by now?" And I should because Steve Hamilton has not let me down to date, and MISERY BAY was no different.

Hamilton pays homage to two other crime writers in MISERY BAY; pay close attention to find Reed Coleman and Jim Fussilli making appearances in this McKnight novel.

I listened to MISERY BAY on audiobook, narrated by Dan John Miller. I am a fan of Miller. I think he does an outstanding job with crime novel narration. His style is especially fitting for Alex McKnight. He's not overly dramatic, but he build an appropriate intensity when it's called for. Miller also brings out the mood that Hamilton creates through his setting, so that you can almost feel the environment where the story is taking place. This isn't a fast-moving novel; Miller sets an appropriate pace that also brings out qualities in the characters. A very well-done audiobook.

MISERY BAY is available from Brilliance in audiobook (ISBN: 978-1-441-81552-1) and from St. Martin's Minotaur in hardcover print (ISBN: 978-0-312-38043-4).

A COLD DAY IN PARADISE - Steve Hamilton

First line: "I stood in a cheap motel room just inside the Soo city limits at 2:30 a.m., looking down at a man who had died that night, a man who had seemingly lost every ounce of blood from his body."

Having discovered Steve Hamilton through one of my favorite reads of 2010, THE LOCK ARTIST, I absolutely had to go back and read his backlist. Lucky for me, Brilliance Audio is putting it out on audiobooks now.

In Steve Hamilton’s first novel, he introduces readers to Alex McKnight, a former minor league baseball player, former Detroit cop. A devastating shoot-out that left his partner dead and Alex with a bullet in his chest drives McKnight back home to Paradise, Michigan where he runs a hunting camp and does a little private eye work on the side.

When McKnight’s friend calls him in the middle of the night for help, Alex finds himself in the thick of a murder investigation that seems to be connected to the man who killed his partner. The only problem with that theory is the fact that the murderer is locked up in a maximum security prison.

Readers, like me, who are late arriving at Hamilton’s McKnight series are in for a treat. There’s humor, there’s drama, there’s crime, and there’s love. Just the right amount of each. And every time you think you have it figured out, Hamilton will jerk the rug out from under you. I loved everything about this book, but because of the plot twists, I didn’t realize that until the very end.

Hamilton’s characters are rich and layered. McKnight’s internal demons add an extra dimension to an already complex detective novel. I may have been late to this party, but in the case of Hamilton’s Alex McKnight, I say it’s far better to be late than never to experience it at all. I look forward to catching up on this series.

Dan John Miller narrated A COLD DAY IN PARADISE with a tone that seemed to expertly compliment Hamilton's damaged character. McKnight's passion and pain came through in a natural sound. At points in the narrative when Hamilton had me completely snowed, I was chastising McKnight as though it was truly him speaking to me through the speakers of my audio player. This is an audio that easily pulls you into the world of Alex McKnight and Paradise, Michigan. One that dims the lights and turns the temperature way down without you even realizing it.

A COLD DAY IN PARADISE is available in audio from Brilliance (ISBN: 978-1441817426). It was originally published in print by Minotaur (ISBN: 978-0312192488) and is available in mass market paperback from St. Martin's Press (ISBN: 978-0312969196). A COLD DAY IN PARADISE was the recipient of the Edgar Award for Best First Novel.

BBAW - Forgotten Treasures

I was so excited to see this topic for Book Blogger Appreciation Week. One of the "unexpected treasures" I discovered when I started blogging was finding books that weren't on bestseller lists but were amazing stories. And then when I started telling other people about them and they loved them, there was this warm feeling inside me. I found this magical reward of connecting people with great books. And that's really become the mission of this blog - connecting people with great books.

Thursday is normally the day I write about audiobooks, so what I decided to do was to highlight a few books that are phenomenal stories and equally amazing audiobooks. Whether you are a print reader, an audiophile, or both, these are some unsung books that I highly recommend:

Craig Johnson is becoming more and more familiar to readers, which makes me very happy, but it still surprises me how many people haven't heard of him or read his work. He has a series of books featuring Wyoming sheriff, Walt Longmire, that begins with THE COLD DISH. Johnson has created a fictional town full of the most amazingly real characters. His development of the setting is along the lines of James Lee Burke. His plots focus on social issues and are richly complex. Emotions run the gambit in this series. You'll cry from laughing so hard, and you'll cry from heart ache. This isn't a series that allows the reader to be passive. All of the books in this series are narrated by George Guidall and while I have other audiobook narrators that I enjoy and consider among my favorites, no one brings a book to life the way Guidall has brought the Walt Longmire series to life. Guidall picks up on all of the subtle nuances, the sarcasm, he even sings when Johnson writes it into the book. This is a stellar series that has garnered fans well beyond the boundaries of the crime fiction genre and I don't hesitate to give it my highest recommendation.

Louise Penny has a series set in the fictional Canadian town of Three Pines. Her protagonist is Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, but the diverse citizens of Three Pines are as vital to the series as Gamache. The series begins with STILL LIFE. While I have adored each book in this series, it is also a series that has gotten better with each subsequent installment. Penny also has a gift with weaving humor into her works, but they would never be classified as comedies. Instead they are studies in humanity. This series is beautifully narrated on audio by Ralph Cosham. Not only does he handle the French in the novel expertly, he brings out the relationships between characters. The importance of those relationships is essential to this series. This is another series that is gaining fans and attention. It's through efforts like this that the word is spread and the greatness becomes more apparent. I highly recommend this series as well in both print and on audio.

And finally, I'll share with you two books written by different authors, but recorded by the same narrator. Brad Parks' FACES OF THE GONE and Steve Hamilton's THE LOCK ARTIST are both available on audio, narrated by MacLeod Andrews. FACES OF THE GONE is Brad Parks' debut novel featuring investigative reporter Carter Ross. This is the first of a series. Steve Hamilton's THE LOCK ARTIST is a stand alone featuring a teenage thief. Make no mistake, however, THE LOCK ARTIST is not a YA novel. It's a dark, gritty, moving crime novel.

I could go on for days about books I think are hidden gems in the crime fiction genre, so if you're ever looking for some such book, please feel to drop me an email. I'll be happy to recommend. And of course I'm always excited to hear about hidden gems myself. Discovering them for the first time is exciting. And if you're looking for more gems you can also head over to the main Book Blogger Appreciation site today and see what books the other bloggers are sharing today.

Technorati Tags: BBAW 2010, Steve Hamilton, Craig Johnson, Brad Parks, Louise Penny

You've The Right to Six Words

Welcome back for the fifth week of Season 2 in "You've the Right to Six Words: Six-Word Memoirs From Crime Fiction's Greatest Writers." This season is turning out to be a lot of fun for me because I'm meeting a lot of new writers. I met a lot in Season 1, but moreso this time around; many more are new to ME. And my TBR pile just keeps growing. Yesterday there was a discussion going on Twitter; Ron Hogan was taking questions dealing with authors being involved and connecting with their audiences, engaging their readers. The thread was fascinating and you can pull it up by doing a search for #pubQT on Twitter if you'd like to check it out. One especially poignant statement Ron made was "Publishers and authors should both stop acting like 'engaging readers' is a CHORE." Well, just take a look back and you will find a large slew of authors who reached out through their memoirs to engage their readers - YOU! They gave a little glimpse of themselves through this project. As one author I was recently speaking with said, "six is harder than sixty....hey wait!" :-) This isn't an easy task and you can see the time and thought that has gone into all of these. It's an honor to collect them up so that they can be shared with everyone. And I'm so thrilled that you all have enjoyed it as well.

Now let me quit babbling, because you know if I had to say anything in six words, we'd be in a lot of trouble. Here we go with an author I read for the first time this year:

Steve Hamilton submitted his first story to Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine when he was twelve years old. Now he is the author of the Alex McKnight series of PI novels. The first, A COLD DAY IN PARADISE, won that awesome PWA/St. Martin's Best First Private Eye Novel (we've seen memoirs from quite a few other winners of that same award). The contest was actually what prompted Steve to start the Alex McKnight series. Of course that was just the beginning. Steve also won the Edgar and Shamus for Best First Novel and had nominations for the Anthony and Barry as well. After seven Alex McKnight books, Steve tried his hand at a stand alone with NIGHT WORK and that was followed up early this year by another brilliant stand alone, THE LOCK ARTIST. Steve hails from Michigan but these days calls New York home. When asked if he could have his choice between hitting the winning home run for the Tigers in the final World Series game or hitting the New York Times bestseller list, he responded with, "That's easy. World Series home run for the Tigers. You can be a worthless hack and make it on the bestseller list. You win the World Series and people name their kids after you." Steve also has the great distinction of hosting the first date of Jon and Ruth Jordan - they attended one of his book signings. While his books may not end happily ever after, Jon and Ruth sure did. He has a magic touch. Steve's tendency to work on his writing in the wee hours of the night helps explain:

Turned empty nights into bedtime stories.

That memoir just makes me smile. I love it. When Steve won the Best First Novel Edgar he greeted the audience with , "Who are you people, and what are you doing in my dream?" We are all glad Steve allows us into his dreams!

Next up is a new friend of mine - I told you I was meeting new authors. Stephen Jay Schwartz made quite a huge splash into the crime fiction world last September with his debut novel, BOULEVARD featuring sex addict, police detective Hayden Glass. Stephen will be continuing Glass's story in BEAT due out this September. Before joining the ranks of L.A. Times Bestselling authors, he was the Director of Development for film director Wolfgang Petersen. That's just a small piece of his movie world talent! He's had his film work exhibited at film festivals, the Met in New York City, and even Walt Disney Studies in California. He's been both the screenwriter and the "script doctor." These days he has his own production company and calls Southern California home. The Schwartz household includes a labridoodle and a rat. And another stunning memoir:

In fiction observe report in truth.

Isn't it amazing how these authors in six words create distinct tone and atmosphere? I love it!

And wrapping up today's post is an author for whom counting is nothing new. As a matter of fact, these days Janet Evanovich is counting somewhere up around, oh say sixteen? SIZZLING SIXTEEN is her newest Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter, mystery due out on Tuesday. Janet started her writing career with romance novels; she then shifted to the mystery genre and breathed life into Stephanie Plum. Another mystery series penned by Janet is the Alex Barnaby series. TROUBLEMAKER, the third book in this series, is going to be a graphic novel, mother collaborating with daughter, Alex, this time around. Their foray into graphic novels is due out next month. But the mother-daughter adventure isn't the only family affair. Far from it. The whole family works to make Evanovich, Inc. run smoothly. Janet does the writing, Peter takes care of the financial aspects, Alex handles everything website-related, and Pete (Janet's husband) manages the business aspects of Evanovich, Inc. One big happy family/business.

Janet says her favorite exercise is shopping and her drug of choice is Cheeze Doodles. She enjoys reading comic books, watching happy movies and spending her money before she makes it. Janet is absolutely confident that

Life is more fun with birthday cake.

And here's to many more birthday cakes for all of our contributing authors. My most heart-felt thanks to all three memoirists for their beautiful contributions to the series. I'm honored and thrilled to have you visit. Thank you for taking the time to engage with us, your fans!

And thanks to everyone stopping by to read today. I hope this week's installment was as much fun for you as it was for me. Happy Reading!

Technorati Tags: You've the Right to Six Words, Steve Hamilton, Stephen Jay Schwartz, Janet Evanovich

They Said WHAT?

It's the last Sunday of March already. Where the heck did March go? Although, I have to admit, I'm rarely sad to see March go. It means the warm weather is that much closer. However, March was great reading time for me. I hope it was for you, too. Here are some of the great lines from books I was reading this month.

In THE LOCK ARTIST by Steve Hamilton:

"I had learned on freestanding safes, where I could really get my body up next to them and feel what I was doing. As the Ghost had said so many times, when he was teaching me how to do this...It's like seducing a woman. Touching her in just the right way. Knowing what was going on inside her. How do you do that if every part of the woman except her face is hidden behind a wall?"

From Pat Conroy's SOUTH OF BROAD:

"I have an affinity for choosing the tightrope walk across the abyss and have developed a genius for the wrong turn."

"Living as I do in the backwaters of South Carolina, I had not fully appreciated the corroding effect of the celebrity obsession that has taken hold in America, leading to a maggoty and fly-spotted culture."

"As we sit there watching the water recede, I think about Niles in the orphanage on the day I met him, and I guess he had wanted someone, anyone, to hold his hand during the long, dreadful forced march of his childhood. It was the least I could do, as he had long ago taught me a lesson about the great inner strength sometimes granted to the most wounded of men. And how those men can sometimes grow up to be heroes."

In THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS by John Connolly:

"Stories were different, though: they came alive in the telling. Without a human voice to read them aloud, or a pair of wide eyes following them by flashlight beneath a blanket, they had no real existence in our world. They were like seeds in the beak of a bird, waiting to fall to earth, or the notes of a song laid out on a sheet, yearning for an instrument to bring their music into being. They lay dormant, hoping for the chance to emerge."

Ed Lynskey wrote in TROGLODYTES:

"The CNN reporter talking in the background...said another GI had died in Iraq. I frowned. That made one more Gold Star mom. Before the war ended, we'd see a galaxy of them."

In May, Chris Grabenstein's ROLLING THUNDER is coming out, and I think you'll agree that this is one heck of a hook for the book:

"The day starts like so many others with John Ceepak: we bust an eight-year-old girl for wearing high heels."

I just love his opening sentences - every book!

And to round out this month's awesome lines, I was listening to the audio for THE FIRST RULE on the way back from Pittsburgh yesterday and was reminded of this great line:

"He moved back along the hall, thinking how different his own home was from the home that Frank Meyer built. Pike's furnishings were minimal, and the walls were bare. Pike did not have a family, so he had no pictures of family on the walls, and he did not keep pictures of his friends. Pike's life had led to blank walls, and now he wondered if his walls would ever be filled."

I find that excerpt hauntingly beautiful, but it was even more incredible in Robert Crais' gravelly Pike voice.

I hope your March was filled with wonderfully great lines as well. If you have any YOU'D like to share, feel free to leave them in the comments. And let's meet up here again next month to share some more! Happy Reading!