She Treads Softly: Hope Rises

Sunday, March 22, 2026

Hope Rises

Hope Rises by David Baldacci
4/14/26; 432 pages
Grand Central Publishing
Walter Nash #2

Hope Rises by David Baldacci is a highly recommended thriller and the follow up to Nash Falls (2025), which ended on a cliff hanger. In the case of this series, you need to read Nash Falls before starting Hope Rises in order to understand everything that is going on, as well as the backstory.

Walter Nash, an informant for the FBI, has transformed himself and is now using the alias of Dillon Hope. He is working as a body guard for the despicable Rhett Temple but his ultimate goal is to take down Victoria Steers and her global criminal operation. As Temple's body guard he accompanies him to Hong Kong at the bidding of Steers. She informs the two that plans are in place for them to free her mother, Masuyo, from a prison in Myanmar. While Nash seeks vengeance, Temple believes following her orders, of which there is no choice, will result in him being able to disassociate from her. Nash knows she will never release her power over anyone, yet being on the inside will potentially give him access to destroy her.

That's all I'm going to say in order to avoid major spoilers. Let me reiterate, to appreciate Hope Rises you must read Nash Falls first. It's a wild ride to get there, but the loose ends are all tied up here.

This is another well-written novel that is fast-paced, action-packed, and full of twists, however, I'll be the first to proclaim that you need to set aside a healthy heaping amount of disbelief while reading. The chapters are short, helping keep the action and plot moving along quickly. There were certain developments which, admittedly, required the acceptance of more turn of events than I was willing to acquiesce to and this did lessen my interest somewhat as it changed some of Nash's original goals.

Hope Rises is a great, twisty thriller to read for everyone who was left hanging after reading Nash Falls. Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

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John Updike's six rules for reviewing:

1. Try to understand what the author wished to do, and do not blame him for not achieving what he did not attempt.

2. Give him enough direct quotation--at least one extended passage--of the book's prose so the review's reader can form his own impression, can get his own taste.

3. Confirm your description of the book with quotation from the book, if only phrase-long, rather than proceeding by fuzzy precis.

4. Go easy on plot summary, and do not give away the ending.

5. If the book is judged deficient, cite a successful example along the same lines, from the author's oeuvre or elsewhere. Try to understand the failure. Sure it's his and not yours?

To these concrete five might be added a vaguer sixth, having to do with maintaining a chemical purity in the reaction between product and appraiser.....Review the book, not the reputation.... Better to praise and share than blame and ban. The communion between reviewer and his public is based upon the presumption of certain possible joys in reading, and all our discriminations should curve toward that end.