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Mason Ashford Thriller #1
Bad Faith
Former deputy U.S. marshal Mason Ashford has it easy running security at Gridlock, the largest nightclub in Washington D.C. When a federal judge’s daughter goes missing, an old friend reaches out to Mason with a desperate plea: find the girl, wherever the path leads.
Paired up with a suspended cop with her own demons, Mason’s investigation uncovers a violent world of gangs, human trafficking, and drug-fueled cults. When another missing girl with ties to Mason turns up dead, and more bodies are discovered, he finds himself on the run from the police.
With few leads and a cold trail, Mason’s only choice is to find the judge’s missing daughter before her time runs out.
Paired up with a suspended cop with her own demons, Mason’s investigation uncovers a violent world of gangs, human trafficking, and drug-fueled cults. When another missing girl with ties to Mason turns up dead, and more bodies are discovered, he finds himself on the run from the police.
With few leads and a cold trail, Mason’s only choice is to find the judge’s missing daughter before her time runs out.
238 pages, ebook
Published May 18, 2021
108 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 31, 2021
I finished Bad Faith in one setting. That's how good it was. Bad Faith is the first book in the series, and I can not wait to read the rest of the series. The characters are likable and the plot is easy to follow. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I honestly felt like I was solving the case myself. I love action-packed books, and Bad Faith delivered that. Bad Faith is one of my all time favorite thrillers/mysteries of the year. It is a well written, fast-paced pack with a whole lot of action. Mason boy, let me tell y'all, Mason is a badass. I would love to learn more about Mason. It was all for one for me. It does have gangs in it, human trafficking in it, and drug-fueled cults. If any of the three I mentioned disturbs you, then this is not the one for you.
June 24, 2021
Although it took a while to get going, I really enjoyed the book. Girls go missing and Mason and Sal team up together to find out what’s going on. I’m sure the book content is based on what actually happens to missing girls, and money and corruption are never far away.
June 6, 2021
In addition to the many surprises this novel holds, the biggest one was learning this is Nick Stevens first book. The plot is well thought out and logical in its development. The characters are believable and remain consistent in their actions with the personalities given them by the author. Mr. Stevens has introduced another good guy crime fighter in the person of Mason Ashford, a former U. S. Marshall who gets the job done. This is a thriller worthy of the name, and I look forward to additional Mason Ashford adventures from this inventive author.
I did receive an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I did receive an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 24, 2021
I never really understood before when people called a book gritty. After reading this one, I now understand. As the story unfolds, it is handled more as a real couple of bad-ass people would handle it while still remaining believable.
There is drugs, kidnapping, white slavery, forced drug use, and that is only at the camp. Back in the city there is much more.
For anyone liking action almost nonstop. This would be the story for you.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
There is drugs, kidnapping, white slavery, forced drug use, and that is only at the camp. Back in the city there is much more.
For anyone liking action almost nonstop. This would be the story for you.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 23, 2021
Well paced and tightly written first outing
Descriptive scene building without overdoing it. The action builds toward the inevitable conclusion without falling prey to cliches and overused tropes. The characters were believable and likable. I read half the book in one afternoon and would have finished had my battery not died. A very good book especially for a first outing. Would recommend.
Descriptive scene building without overdoing it. The action builds toward the inevitable conclusion without falling prey to cliches and overused tropes. The characters were believable and likable. I read half the book in one afternoon and would have finished had my battery not died. A very good book especially for a first outing. Would recommend.
May 4, 2021
Really great book, well written and easy to read. No loose ends or far fetched senarios in the story line. Story well thought out with enough detail to make it interesting.
I liked the way all the characters in the story were described in detail and their physical characteristics matched the persona. Lots of different characters/personalities and the story line is very believable.
Story made both sad in parts & happy in others. Great detail included about human trafficking, drug dealing, enslavement and cults.
Great ending to a well thought out and well written storyline - loved it
Made a refreshing change that the two main characters didn’t fall madly in love!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I liked the way all the characters in the story were described in detail and their physical characteristics matched the persona. Lots of different characters/personalities and the story line is very believable.
Story made both sad in parts & happy in others. Great detail included about human trafficking, drug dealing, enslavement and cults.
Great ending to a well thought out and well written storyline - loved it
Made a refreshing change that the two main characters didn’t fall madly in love!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 7, 2021
This was not a bad story. Fair amount of action. Minor character development. Reasonable plot. My only real problem with the book was the large number of minor typos. This book would have benefitted from a good proofreading.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 13, 2021
Nick Stevens’ novel, Bad Faith, starts with a young woman named Chloe getting drunk in Club Trinity in Washington, D.C. She meets a woman named Bethany who invites her to her apartment. The story jumps to Mason Ashford at the upscale Gridlock nightclub, a four-story club that caters to D.C. politicians. Mason is the Chief of security and was formerly an Army Ranger and a deputy U. S. Marshall. In the club that night there were four young men who were hired to find a girl named Laurel in the club and deliver her to a man named Aaron’s awaiting car. The four young men corner Laurel next to a dumpster in the alley. Mason hears her scream, defeats the four thugs, walks her home, and leaves her with the doorman at her upscale apartment complex. She was convinced that she was being kidnapped for ransom since her dad was the CEO of a large military contractor.
The next morning, Mason is called by a Supreme Court Justice whom Mason had rescued from captivity when he was a U. S. Marshal. The judge sent a car to bring Mason to his house. The car was driven by Salome Peterson. She was a police detective who was currently suspended for using excessive force. The judge wanted to hire Mason and Sal to find Chloe Stewart, the college daughter of another powerful judge. The girl’s picture looked eerily similar to the girl Mason walked home the night before. That was so coincidental that Mason and Sal suspected that they may be dealing with a human trafficking case. The plot alternates between sophisticated and often thrilling detective work and Chloe’s ordeal in captivity.
This is a expertly written novel that deals with gangsters and human trafficking of young women, which are both dark themes. The three main characters captured my attention and kept me engaged. I would have preferred less attention to Chloe’s depressing ordeals, but they were very well written. I received an advanced review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I rank this novel four stars out of five.
The next morning, Mason is called by a Supreme Court Justice whom Mason had rescued from captivity when he was a U. S. Marshal. The judge sent a car to bring Mason to his house. The car was driven by Salome Peterson. She was a police detective who was currently suspended for using excessive force. The judge wanted to hire Mason and Sal to find Chloe Stewart, the college daughter of another powerful judge. The girl’s picture looked eerily similar to the girl Mason walked home the night before. That was so coincidental that Mason and Sal suspected that they may be dealing with a human trafficking case. The plot alternates between sophisticated and often thrilling detective work and Chloe’s ordeal in captivity.
This is a expertly written novel that deals with gangsters and human trafficking of young women, which are both dark themes. The three main characters captured my attention and kept me engaged. I would have preferred less attention to Chloe’s depressing ordeals, but they were very well written. I received an advanced review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I rank this novel four stars out of five.
July 15, 2024
Hero: Adam Mason, white man. Ex Marine. Security boss at club, Gridlock.
Heroine: Salome Peterson, black woman. Ex cop.
This is not a romance book. Most thrillers aren’t. This story is about a Judge’s daughter Chloe being kidnapped for the person of sex trafficking. Other women were kidnapped too for sex trafficking. A woman named Bethany would get the girls for Paul.
Drug, sex trafficking, crooked cops.
What I liked about this story is the relationship between Mason and Sal. Two strangers put together to find Chloe. These two worked good together, had a fun relationship. They liked each other and briefly kissed, but Nick wasn’t putting them together, although I thought they would have made a cute couple. At the end they’ve parted ways.
Salome ran marathons. She a tough cookie. She can handle her own against bad guys. She was suspended from her job, because she handled bad guys leaving one in a wheelchair. Her partner was a crooked cop, who was tortured and killed and Salome didn’t like that.
This is my first Nick Stevens book. There are three books to this series, but since Mason and Salome are not a couple and gone their separate ways, I don’t think I will bother reading the other books.
Heroine: Salome Peterson, black woman. Ex cop.
This is not a romance book. Most thrillers aren’t. This story is about a Judge’s daughter Chloe being kidnapped for the person of sex trafficking. Other women were kidnapped too for sex trafficking. A woman named Bethany would get the girls for Paul.
Drug, sex trafficking, crooked cops.
What I liked about this story is the relationship between Mason and Sal. Two strangers put together to find Chloe. These two worked good together, had a fun relationship. They liked each other and briefly kissed, but Nick wasn’t putting them together, although I thought they would have made a cute couple. At the end they’ve parted ways.
Salome ran marathons. She a tough cookie. She can handle her own against bad guys. She was suspended from her job, because she handled bad guys leaving one in a wheelchair. Her partner was a crooked cop, who was tortured and killed and Salome didn’t like that.
This is my first Nick Stevens book. There are three books to this series, but since Mason and Salome are not a couple and gone their separate ways, I don’t think I will bother reading the other books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2021
The First book In this action packed series by Nick Stevens introduces ex US Marshall, Mason Ashford.
Leaving the job and that world behind, Ashford is now the head of security at a big nightclub in New York, and he’s enjoying the easier lifestyle until an old colleague reaches out and asks for Masons help with a missing girl.
Soon finding him Inexplicably linked to another missing girl, Ashford reluctantly team’s up with suspended Cop, Sal Peterson in the hunt for the girls whilst clearing himself of any wrongdoing.
Whilst there is something of a slow burning start as Nick Stevens starts to builds and crafts his story, the action soon picks up as this thriller really hots up and the pace quickens as this tale of Drugged up Cults and Human Trafficking really starts to get the adrenaline pumping.
In Ashford and Peterson, Stevens has created a quite unlikely duo that bounce off each other very well as the chemistry between them fizzes up much like the itself. I like both of them very much, especially in the fact that with a protagonist such as Ashford, it’s easy to create a cardboard cut out of Jack Reacher, but Ashford is certainly not that. He’s a fine creation , a strong confident character I want to read more of.
A well crafted thriller that hits the right notes at the right times, with great characters and bad guys, it’s great stuff and somewhat of a surprise this is a debut, it’s a very strong start to what promises to be a go to series for action thriller fans.
Leaving the job and that world behind, Ashford is now the head of security at a big nightclub in New York, and he’s enjoying the easier lifestyle until an old colleague reaches out and asks for Masons help with a missing girl.
Soon finding him Inexplicably linked to another missing girl, Ashford reluctantly team’s up with suspended Cop, Sal Peterson in the hunt for the girls whilst clearing himself of any wrongdoing.
Whilst there is something of a slow burning start as Nick Stevens starts to builds and crafts his story, the action soon picks up as this thriller really hots up and the pace quickens as this tale of Drugged up Cults and Human Trafficking really starts to get the adrenaline pumping.
In Ashford and Peterson, Stevens has created a quite unlikely duo that bounce off each other very well as the chemistry between them fizzes up much like the itself. I like both of them very much, especially in the fact that with a protagonist such as Ashford, it’s easy to create a cardboard cut out of Jack Reacher, but Ashford is certainly not that. He’s a fine creation , a strong confident character I want to read more of.
A well crafted thriller that hits the right notes at the right times, with great characters and bad guys, it’s great stuff and somewhat of a surprise this is a debut, it’s a very strong start to what promises to be a go to series for action thriller fans.
April 3, 2022
4.5 rounded up.
This is a well written story with an interesting and likeable protagonist, former U.S. Marshall Mason Ashford. Ashford is trying to live a peaceful life running security for a large upscale nightclub, but his relationship with a Supreme Court justice has him called away from that job.
Ashford and suspended cop Salome (Sal) Peterson are thrown together to search for a missing girl. They find themselves facing dangerous adversaries who are engaged in the trafficking of young women. There is conflict between Mason and Sal but they set that aside to work together because so many lives are at stake.
There is almost nonstop action and plenty of thrills. What is nice is that the story never has you thinking that the events could not possibly have happened. Every character is adequately described. You might like them or hate them, but you don't question that such a person could really exist.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This is a well written story with an interesting and likeable protagonist, former U.S. Marshall Mason Ashford. Ashford is trying to live a peaceful life running security for a large upscale nightclub, but his relationship with a Supreme Court justice has him called away from that job.
Ashford and suspended cop Salome (Sal) Peterson are thrown together to search for a missing girl. They find themselves facing dangerous adversaries who are engaged in the trafficking of young women. There is conflict between Mason and Sal but they set that aside to work together because so many lives are at stake.
There is almost nonstop action and plenty of thrills. What is nice is that the story never has you thinking that the events could not possibly have happened. Every character is adequately described. You might like them or hate them, but you don't question that such a person could really exist.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
February 8, 2022
This book was great! It reminded me of the books I read in the 80's and 90's that were shelved on the "Men's Action" shelf of my local bookstore! Of course it was better because it didn't have the sly misogyny many of the the books back then had. (seriously, I just have to roll my eyes reading some of those books again now.)
This was a fast-moving story with interesting and engaging characters. I liked that the main characters were flawed in their own ways, which made them believable and made me root for their eventual success. The story took a turn I was not expecting and I thought it was well thought out and well-written.
If you're looking for a thrilling book that is different from some of the typical recent thrillers, give this one a try! I will be waiting anxiously for the next book in the series!
This was a fast-moving story with interesting and engaging characters. I liked that the main characters were flawed in their own ways, which made them believable and made me root for their eventual success. The story took a turn I was not expecting and I thought it was well thought out and well-written.
If you're looking for a thrilling book that is different from some of the typical recent thrillers, give this one a try! I will be waiting anxiously for the next book in the series!
November 22, 2025
Read 50%. Did not finish. Not much action as of 1/2 way through. 22 characters as of chapter 11, and none were really developed. A lot of evil and weird religions cult stuff. Sexual abuse, roofies, and forced drug poisoning and exploitation of women abounds. Woke drivel in the dialogue.
No thanks.
No thanks.
January 21, 2023
Very entertaining first in a series. Mason Ashford and Sal are characters I'm interested in and the subject of a religious cult involved in criminal activities just sounds realistic. Looking forward to the next installments.
May 9, 2023
Good Read
Great storyline, characters too. Believable scenarios. Good ending. Glad that Mason wasn't the let's get into bed with his partner lead character. In my opinion Mason needs to be unattached.
Great storyline, characters too. Believable scenarios. Good ending. Glad that Mason wasn't the let's get into bed with his partner lead character. In my opinion Mason needs to be unattached.
March 5, 2024
Fast paced, lots of action
This story portrays a bunch of bad actors running sex rings and drugs. Against the odds, only two people have any inkling of what's happening as they search for a missing woman.
This story portrays a bunch of bad actors running sex rings and drugs. Against the odds, only two people have any inkling of what's happening as they search for a missing woman.
March 8, 2024
I really enjoyed both the characters and the story. I hope Marshall and Sal have the opportunity to work together again. In addition. The book takes place in Washington DC, which happens to be my old stomping grounds, so it was fun to revisit that area
August 24, 2025
Free for review:
Fast paced and easy to read. A trip into drug and human trafficking. This may be fiction but is only the tip of the problem. It's a larger problem in real life than this peek portrays.
Fast paced and easy to read. A trip into drug and human trafficking. This may be fiction but is only the tip of the problem. It's a larger problem in real life than this peek portrays.
January 29, 2022
An intriguing story line that moves right along, although I got lost a few times due to the way it switched between characters. All told, a solid story with plenty of twists and turns.
July 23, 2023
Great book full of action and suspense
August 17, 2024
It was a very good story but a little too much violence.
September 16, 2024
Mason Ashford is my new hero!
I liked this book from the very start. It pulled me in quickly and had my attention to the very end. I will be reading the rest of the series.
I liked this book from the very start. It pulled me in quickly and had my attention to the very end. I will be reading the rest of the series.
June 8, 2021
I really liked this book BAD FAITH. I’m waiting for the next novel to be this exciting.
July 7, 2021
"Bad Faith" was a fun read! I enjoyed the character development and hope to see some of these characters in future books. I liked the level of detail for people but also for environments. I could envision the sights and sounds in scenes.
I did find a couple typos but reached out to this first-time author. He was SUPER receptive and appreciative of the feedback and said he was making updates. He hinted there is more of Mason to come.
Looking forward to seeing more from Nick Stevens!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I did find a couple typos but reached out to this first-time author. He was SUPER receptive and appreciative of the feedback and said he was making updates. He hinted there is more of Mason to come.
Looking forward to seeing more from Nick Stevens!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 19, 2023
Cracking read. Plot zipped along.
Waiting for the next one on kindle unlimited.
There are not many books I give a five star rating too let alone leave a review.
This book was one.
Waiting for the next one on kindle unlimited.
There are not many books I give a five star rating too let alone leave a review.
This book was one.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews