Praise for Exit Strategy A compelling trek across very dark terrain putting Nick Mason through increasingly pulse-pounding paces with so much non-stop suspense, I read the book in two sittings.- Huffington Post [Hamilton has] perfected his craft as an author of high-powered, fast-paced crime thrillers. Exit Strategy . . . moves so quickly you instantly find yourself sucked into its slipstream and pulled along like a water-skier behind a low-flying rocket careening toward the finale.- NY Journal of Books The Second Life of Nick Mason rocketed Steve Hamilton to literary stardom, all the reasons for which are on clear display in that book's sequel, Exit Strategy . . . . The book's brisk prose wondrously sets the tone, starting with, You kill one person, it changes you. You kill five ... it's not about changing anymore. Think Don Winslow at his coolest, as Hamilton turns up the heat in a bold, bracing and brilliant thriller.- The Providence Journal The intensity Hamilton generates here is almost too much-like a wailing siren growing steadily louder at the same time its pitch climbs ever higher-but readers will be utterly powerless to close the book. Noir is all about characters attempting to find options for themselves where none exist. The brilliance of this thoroughly uncompromising novel lies in the way Hamilton, with the legerdemain of a master conjurer, turns despair to hope and back again, finally blending the two into their own unique nightmare world. Stunning.- Booklist (starred review) When it comes to no-nonsense, pressure-cooker plotting, Hamilton has few rivals. The book starts turning up the heat from the start [and] maintains its breathless pacing until the end. . . Its hard-wired plot and adrenaline-fueled scenes make it another must-read for fans of lean, mean crime fiction.- Kirkus Reviews The action is nonstop in Hamilton's latest, and the violence quotient has risen, but Nick remains an empathetic character for whom readers will gladly root. Aficionados of Gregg Hurwitz and Thomas Perry will quickly become fans.- Library Journal Another knockout performance. . . Hamilton has carefully crafted an atmospheric, edgy thriller with strong characters and a swiftly escalating tension level. . . Easily one of the best crime novels of the year - even though it surely will be facing strong competition.- Lansing State Journal One of our favorite authors, Steve Hamilton continues the gritty, action-packed saga of Nick Mason in his newest book, Exit Strategy . . . If you have weekend plans, clear them. This is the kind of book that demands to be read in one sitting. . . The pacing is stunning, cinematic in its precision.- Harbor Light News How does Nick resolve this second life he is now forced to live? The manner in which he does so is revealed in this fascinating novel by Steve Hamilton, and the suspenseful way he accomplishes it is typical of what we have come to expect from this author, in this newest page-turner. . . Expect the unexpected from this wonderful author. . . Highly recommended.- Midwest Book Review Praise for The Second Life of Nick Mason [ The Second Life of Nick Mason ] is so good, it legitimately stands shoulder to padded paranoid shoulder with the classics of the crime noir genre...There are so many terrific elements in this novel-Nick's haunted character, a plot that never darts in the direction you expect it to, and a truly ingenious climax-that I could be here till Labor Day singing its praises.-Maureen Corrigan, NPR Fresh Air The sinner who gets a chance to start over is an archetypal figure in crime fiction. Steve Hamilton works a smart variation on it in The Second Life of Nick Mason .-Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review [An] intelligent thriller....The reader has a vulnerable underdog to root for: a loser who may yet be born to win.- The Wall Street Journal The plotting is crisp, and the story moves smoothly, slip sakriti opis