If you’re a regular mystery reader, then you might’ve come across all of the hoopla regarding Steve Hamilton’s The Second Life of Nick Mason. Basically, he called out his old publisher for telling him one thing, then doing another, and he then promptly bought himself out of the contract, refusing to accept the fact that they had lied to him.

This, uh, rarely happens. The buying out part, I mean.

After he did that, another publisher very quickly snapped up the rights to the book, along with a few other future books, and promised that they would, indeed, make sure this book (and Steve, because he’s a great writer and a super nice guy) got the attention it/he deserved.

So the book’s out and I just finished it.

It. Is. Terrific.

It seems rare these days that a book that gets a ton of advance hype lives up to the billing, but this one really does. It’s a terrific read, with a great anti-hero, and reads like a roller coaster going downhill.

If you’re looking for something to take to the pool this week, I’d highly recommend this one.