Hope Rises
Hope Rises (Walter Nash, #2)
By: David Baldacci
Hope Rises is the (mostly satisfying) redemption arc after the chaos and collapse in Nash Falls.
“Walter Nash had gone from reviewing business plans and acquiring companies and flying on corporate jets, with not a whiff of intrigue or danger in his life, to playing a deadly game of cat and mouse and having to fool everyone around him into believing he really was Dillon Hope.”
Attention: You do not want to read this book unless you have read Nash Falls.
You need to read Nash Falls to see the mess Walter Nash got himself into because of the illegal dealings of his boss/company. Pretty much immediately after agreeing to help the FBI and be a whistleblower his daughter is kidnapped and killed and he’s framed for all kinds of stuff.
He goes underground with the help of his deceased father’s Vietnam War friend— Shock— who then trains and transforms Walter from a lanky desk job businessman into a buff, tatted-up fighter with all kinds of new skills. And of course a new name: John Wick. I mean Dillon Hope.
I struggled with the beginning of Nash Falls and wasn’t sure if I would want to read this second one, but the second half of Nash Falls was much better. I was pleased that Hope Rises was even better than Nash Falls in terms of swearing and sexual content— it has half the swearing and if I’m remembering right, only one short sex scene.
Which I take to mean that those things were heavily character-based and not just stuff Baldacci wanted to have in every book. Nash is the stand-up hero-guy so since this part of his story is somewhat removed from his previous life and those people, we are also removed from the debauchery side of things because Walter Nash isn’t going to be like that.
Although this part of his life is more dangerous and therefore more violent so I suppose it’s a give and take.
Hope Rises takes up immediately after Nash Falls: Walter is on a plane to Hong Kong. He has maneuvered his way into being the bodyguard of Rhett Temple (his former boss) and is accompanying him as he reports for duty to Victoria Steers— the criminal warlord and the one responsible for taking his daughter from him.
His plan? Revenge.
He’s going to take down Steers and her global enterprise and avenge his daughter’s death!
But as much as Nash believes he has erased his own humanity and that he’s capable of killing Victoria, Hope Rises is also about following your heart, thanks to a fortune cookie. I mean Victoria’s childhood nanny Hiroko:
“‘The mind thinks too deeply and will play you false when you most need it to be true… But your heart will lead you to where you need to go, Dillon-san. It always does.’”
*rolls eyes*
This is not good advice for real life (Read Don’t Follow Your Heart) but it keeps this book from being a bloodbath of rage and violence so there’s that.
Hope Rises covers a lot of ground. They are sent on a mission to rescue Victoria’s (evil) mother from a prison in Myanmar, he becomes Steers’ bodyguard, there are all kinds of business dealings over the course of many months, we get a small dissertation on the instability and false promises of cryptocurrency (dangit!), and most importantly…. we learn about cows:
“‘you must always remember that no matter whether a cow looks like a cow, and moos like a cow, and gives milk like a cow, there is no guarantee whatsoever that it is indeed a cow.’”
The more time Nash spends with Steers, the more conflicted he comes about whether or not she’s really a cow. (aren’t we all just out here… skeptical of cows?)
“I have every reason in the world to hate Victoria Steers. And yet now I don’t. And I hate myself for that.”
But whether he’s ready or not, when his identity is revealed, things snowball fast and he’s forced to make a decision: is he going to protect Victoria Steers or bring her down?
This is a decently long book. Some reviewers think they should have edited these two books down into one. I definitely think that could/should be done if it was done in movie form. I don’t know if the length necessarily bothered me but the span of time it covers does slow down the plot and the suspense.
But. You can’t just get yoked in a week. And you can’t earn trust from a global criminal in a few days. Some things take time, ya’ll.
While I do love (and prefer) to just hate the bad guys and watch their demise, it was interesting to see Walter battling with his humanity. That there was more to Victoria than meets the eye.
Of course the Steers’ illicit drug empire did a lot of damage in the world (and people who don’t think drugs are a big deal should read this book and consider the economic and political affects of their drug addiction alongside the personal and human detriments to their own life and community) so I wasn’t completely ready to let her off the hook. It’s easy to just think of the ‘daughter’ side of things since we aren’t reading about the real destruction from the drugs. But even her ‘changes’ to the drugs were still harmful.
At times it was hard to picture Nash enduring the criminal world undercover for as long as he did and stomaching being so close to such an evil operation, but patience was a major character trait for him and what was required for the book, so I allow it.
That’s why I say it was ‘mostly’ satisfying. I guess it forces the reader to think about what kind of second chances you would be willing to give certain people and what punishment would fit in Victoria’s situation. I do think there was some justice done and we do see some redemption. And though I totally expected the big ‘twist’ at the end, I was glad I was right about it.
This is a fictional story but it brings to mind the real criminal enterprises operating in the world today and the havoc they’ve wreaked on people’s lives and entire countries all for the sake of money and power. It does feel overwhelming and discouraging to think about how anyone could stop them or bring them to justice or reverse the destruction and addictions.
I am reminded and comforted that God reigns supreme and he says ‘Vengeance is mine.’ He is a God of both love and justice and though it looks like evil is winning and not held accountable, He is working. And ultimately every person will stand before the Lord to give an account. If they have not surrendered their life to the Lord, repented of their sin, and received the gift of forgiveness, they will pay the due penalty of that evil and it will be worse than anything I could come up with.
I can trust that God’s plan for justice is sure and righteous and he will make all things right. Plus trusting him to avenge his name and his image-bearers saves me from having to get a head tattoo and run on a treadmill, so I’m good with that too.
Because I’m always fascinated with how the books I read connect with each other in unexpected ways, I have to mention: Victoria Steers is selling her criminal empire for one dollar. Why does this sound familiar? Because in Everyone in This Bank is a Thief, the bank robber who took everyone hostage said that all he wanted from the bank vault was one dollar. He’s GOT to be the guy buying Steers’ business! What a twist!
Recommendation
I enjoyed this book and was glad that the second book had less swearing and sexual content than the first. I was happy with the redemption arc Baldacci chose for Walter Nash and Victoria Steers.
You can’t really read this as a standalone so my only hesitancy for recommending it would be whether or not you can handle Nash Falls, so I would recommend reading my linked review for that one first if you are considering Hope Rises.
If you like the concept of this story but want it without a ton of swearing and sexual content, I would highly recommend Out for Blood by Ryan Steck, Broker of Lies by Steven James or even Baldacci’s Memory Man books (though I read the first of that series a really long time ago and am not sure what content it had). The first two for sure I recommend to everyone— they are great!
[Content Advisory: 28 f-words, 55 s-words, 8 b-words, 22 a-words, 9 blasphemes; some sexual innuendo and one short not-super-descriptive-sex scene]
**Received an ARC via NetGalley**
This book releases today (April 14, 2026)! You can order a copy of this book using my affiliate link below.
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