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Time to Die: The Cost of Mercy
Not yet published
Expected 7 Apr 26Time to Die - The Cost of Mercy
Greg Newsome has survived seven books by never going anywhere alone. His martial arts training? Picking himself up off the ground and dusting himself off. His secret weapon? Building teams of ex-military operators, FBI agents, and mobsters who actually know how to fight. But when he thinks the danger has passed and makes a routine trip to buy baby gear for his unborn daughter, he's alone at a red light in suburban Virginia. That's when everything changes.
Setup isn't Jack Reacher. He can't shoot straight, and he'd be the first to tell you so. He's a business consultant and executive coach who survives the dangerous world of international espionage and organized crime the same way successful CEOs by hiring the right people, building protective infrastructure, and staying strategic while others handle tactics. For seven books, it's worked perfectly.
Until the day it doesn't.
When Chinese intelligence hires Albanian assassins to eliminate everyone involved in shutting down their university espionage pipeline, Greg's carefully constructed protective network mobilizes. But Greg makes a fatal that the threat has been neutralized. Shopping for his daughter's nursery seems safe. Routine. The kind of ordinary task that punctuates every life.
He's wrong.Ensemble
What follows isn't just one man's story—it's the story of everyone who loved him. Benny "The Knife" Santini, the mobster who became a father figure, must confront the pride that started this cycle of violence. Isabelle Rossi, Greg's fiancée and former FBI agent, is eight months pregnant and watching her future evaporate. Lawrence "Sling" Slingoff, the mercenary whose mercy once saved a boy's life, discovers that same boy has betrayed them all. And Louis "Louie the Bat" Castellano, whose Brooklyn malapropisms have provided comic relief for seven books, carries a secret that will recontextualize everything you thought you knew.
Time to Die is tragicomic crime fiction in the tradition of Elmore Leonard and the Coen Brothers—where humor doesn't undercut the stakes but raises them. It's a found-family story wrapped in a thriller, a meditation on leadership and legacy disguised as an action novel, and a fourth-wall-breaking examination of what happens when the person who holds everyone together is suddenly gone.
Book seven of eight in the Greg Newsome series, Time to Die stands alone for new readers while delivering devastating emotional impact for longtime fans. It's a book about the teams we build, the masks we wear, and whether the organizations we create can survive without us.
Some chapters end with laughter. Others with tears. This one ends with both.
Editorial Reviews Section"A thriller that refuses to play by the rules—and is all the better for it."
"Greg Newsome isn't your typical action hero, and Time to Die isn't your typical thriller. It's smarter, funnier, and infinitely more heartbreaking."
"Combines the tragicomic sensibility of HBO's Barry with the ensemble crime dynamics of Ozark, all grounded in the literary crime tradition of Dennis Lehane."
"Hellman has created something genuinely a protagonist who survives through organizational leadership, not combat prowess. Until the day he can't."
Greg Newsome has survived seven books by never going anywhere alone. His martial arts training? Picking himself up off the ground and dusting himself off. His secret weapon? Building teams of ex-military operators, FBI agents, and mobsters who actually know how to fight. But when he thinks the danger has passed and makes a routine trip to buy baby gear for his unborn daughter, he's alone at a red light in suburban Virginia. That's when everything changes.
Setup isn't Jack Reacher. He can't shoot straight, and he'd be the first to tell you so. He's a business consultant and executive coach who survives the dangerous world of international espionage and organized crime the same way successful CEOs by hiring the right people, building protective infrastructure, and staying strategic while others handle tactics. For seven books, it's worked perfectly.
Until the day it doesn't.
When Chinese intelligence hires Albanian assassins to eliminate everyone involved in shutting down their university espionage pipeline, Greg's carefully constructed protective network mobilizes. But Greg makes a fatal that the threat has been neutralized. Shopping for his daughter's nursery seems safe. Routine. The kind of ordinary task that punctuates every life.
He's wrong.Ensemble
What follows isn't just one man's story—it's the story of everyone who loved him. Benny "The Knife" Santini, the mobster who became a father figure, must confront the pride that started this cycle of violence. Isabelle Rossi, Greg's fiancée and former FBI agent, is eight months pregnant and watching her future evaporate. Lawrence "Sling" Slingoff, the mercenary whose mercy once saved a boy's life, discovers that same boy has betrayed them all. And Louis "Louie the Bat" Castellano, whose Brooklyn malapropisms have provided comic relief for seven books, carries a secret that will recontextualize everything you thought you knew.
Time to Die is tragicomic crime fiction in the tradition of Elmore Leonard and the Coen Brothers—where humor doesn't undercut the stakes but raises them. It's a found-family story wrapped in a thriller, a meditation on leadership and legacy disguised as an action novel, and a fourth-wall-breaking examination of what happens when the person who holds everyone together is suddenly gone.
Book seven of eight in the Greg Newsome series, Time to Die stands alone for new readers while delivering devastating emotional impact for longtime fans. It's a book about the teams we build, the masks we wear, and whether the organizations we create can survive without us.
Some chapters end with laughter. Others with tears. This one ends with both.
Editorial Reviews Section"A thriller that refuses to play by the rules—and is all the better for it."
"Greg Newsome isn't your typical action hero, and Time to Die isn't your typical thriller. It's smarter, funnier, and infinitely more heartbreaking."
"Combines the tragicomic sensibility of HBO's Barry with the ensemble crime dynamics of Ozark, all grounded in the literary crime tradition of Dennis Lehane."
"Hellman has created something genuinely a protagonist who survives through organizational leadership, not combat prowess. Until the day he can't."
231 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication April 7, 2026
About the author
Glen Hellman
12 books1 followerGlen Hellman is a Distinguished Faculty member at the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering and an accomplished business turnaround expert turned author. As a CEO coach and reality check for executives, he uses storytelling to drive accountability and results.
His Greg Newsome thriller series, beginning with "Write to Die," blends Silicon Valley intrigue with organized crime drama, drawing from his extensive business experience. Hellman's non-fiction work "Intentional Leadership" captures his practical approach to executive coaching and business transformation.
Based in the Washington, DC area, Hellman continues writing while serving as a business advisor and educator, bringing authenticity to both his fiction and leadership teaching through compelling storytelling.
His Greg Newsome thriller series, beginning with "Write to Die," blends Silicon Valley intrigue with organized crime drama, drawing from his extensive business experience. Hellman's non-fiction work "Intentional Leadership" captures his practical approach to executive coaching and business transformation.
Based in the Washington, DC area, Hellman continues writing while serving as a business advisor and educator, bringing authenticity to both his fiction and leadership teaching through compelling storytelling.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I feel like this book’s protagonist responds how a real person would respond - he is no text book hero who acts without thinking and copes with whatever trauma ensues. This makes for a very interesting point of difference. This is not to say the book is not full of action. Rather, there is action aplenty but the descriptions and reactions are more thoughtful and credible than many fast paced thrillers. It’s a great book - can’t believe I missed this series and am keen to read the previous books.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the characters, the plot, the pace, really all of it. Very fun read.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Im reading the arc, and let me tell ya, this book is awesome!! It's fast-paced, full of action, and the writing is phenomenal
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews