Member Review

Hope Rises is the sequel to Nash Falls by David Baldacci. Walter Nash, now living under the name Dylan Hope, travels to Asia driven by a need for revenge after losing both his daughter and the successful business career that was stripped from him by a sinister drug lord, Victoria Steers. With nothing left to protect and nothing left to lose, Hope becomes a man consumed by vengeance and is willing to sacrifice everything to get it.

Victoria Steers, however, is no ordinary adversary. She is a formidable and highly perceptive opponent, capable of sensing Hope’s true intentions at any moment. As Hope moves deeper into her world, the line between hunter and hunted begins to blur. The question becomes whether Dylan Hope will complete the mission he believes he wants, or whether his descent into Steers’ dangerous underworld will lead to an entirely unexpected outcome.

While Hope Rises is a strong and engaging thriller, it does take a while to ramp up. The beginning of the book is slow and drawn out, preventing it from reaching five-star status for me. That said, Baldacci’s writing remains sharp and polished throughout.

The second half of the novel gains momentum and becomes genuinely intriguing, filled with twists and turns that keep the pages turning. Dylan Hope and Victoria Steers are both strong, well developed characters whose interactions create constant tension and drive the story forward. Overall, Hope Rises is a very good thriller that I would rate a solid four stars. I do recommend reading Nash Falls first, as it provides an important background that makes this sequel much more meaningful.