“He’s made a deal with the devil,” says New York Times bestselling author Steve Hamilton ab
out his latest book, “The Second Life of Nick Mason” (Putnam’ 2016; $26) . “Everywhere he goes he’s watched, everyone he touches is in danger and all he wants to do is reunite with his wife and daughter.”
To get out of prison after five very long years instead of serving 25-to-life, Mason agrees to a mysterious agreement with Darius Cole, who is serving a double-life term in the same prison but still rules his criminal empire from his cell. What it means is Mason gets to live in a luxurious Chicago Gold Coast mansion stocked with gourmet food and drink and drive the super-fast sports car that’s parked in the garage. The downside? He has to do Cole’s bidding and so, every time his cell phone rings, Mason finds 
himself embark on ever increasingly dangerous—and need we say—illegal assignments. To make matters worse, he’s being tracked by the same police detective who put him behind bars to begin with.
Hamilton, one of only two authors to win Mystery Writers of America Edgar Awards for both best novel and best first novel, is meticulous about his research.
“When I was writing ‘The Lock Artist’ which is about a safe cracker, I found the best one in the world,” says Hamilton who is from Detroit but now lives in the Catskill Mountains in New York State. “I learned how to pick locks. In fact, I keep my lock picks on my desk and pick locks everyday just to keep my touch.”
He’s also been to maximum security prisons, like the one Mason is so desperate to leave that he’s willing to agree to anything.
“There’s so much of Nick I can relate to,” says Hamilton, whose books include The Alex McKnight series starting with ‘A Cold Day in Paradise.’ “You’d do anything to get out of those prisons just like Nick and I have a daughter like he does and it would just kill me not to see her.”
Ifyougo:
What: Steve Hamilton book signing
When: Monday, May 23 at 7pm
Where: Anderson’s Bookshop, Anderson’s Bookshop La Grange, 26 S. La Grange Rd., La Grange, IL
Cost: Free
FYI: (708) 582-6353
Shelf Life 