From Publishers WeeklyHunter ( The Spanish Gambit ) has written a smoothly believable race-against-time thriller with frightening plausibility. Unidentified military terrorists kidnap welder Jack Hummel from his Maryland home and direct him to cut through a block of titanium to reach a launch key in the South Mountain MX missile site. The president decides to send in the crack Delta assault team, but the man best suited to command them is Col. Dick Puller, who was discredited and disgraced in Iran in 1979. Puller, in turn, must work with the only man who knows the missile silo, its designer, Prof. Peter Thiokol. The leader of "Aggressor-One" is discovered to be Russian Military Intelligence chief Arkady Pashin: he is charismatic, reactionary and messianically determined to launch the single MX that will trigger a massive Soviet reply. Part of the fast-moving plot revolves around two abandoned coalmine tunnels, a stupid Russian spy and Thiokol's estranged wife, who unwittingly gave the Russians the plans for South Mountain. The 7 a.m.-to-midnight action flashes cinematically on Delta Force, the crack Russian Spetsnaz troops and various civilians. The book is fun, even if the finale is too drawn-out and a bit preachy: " . . . the regular people, the Rest of US" will save us. 40,000 first printing; $40,000 ad budget. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.About the AuthorStephen Hunteris the author of20 novels and the retired chief film critic forthe Washington Post, where he won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Criticism. His novels includeThe Third Bullet;Sniper's Honor;I, Sniper;I, Ripper; andPoint of Impact, which was adapted for film and TV asShooter.Hunter lives in Baltimore, Maryland. what is a book enthusiast The Day Before Midnight
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. a doomsday thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat and turning pagesBy dch822This is an old school Stephen Hunter thriller that grabs you from the opening pages and takes you on a frenetic race that never lets up until it reaches a tense, dramatic conclusion.A family is taken hostage and the father a welder is coerced into doing a treacherous job; a professor stumbles through a lecture as he tries to find some semblance of order in his life after a messy break-up with his wife; a Vietnam veteran is now imprisoned in solitary confinement; and a bungling Soviet spy who loves living in America barely survives an attempt on his life. These and other ordinary people are pitted against a diabolical plan to launch the world into nuclear war and with the clock counting down to midnight they are almost out of time.Hunter is a brilliant writer and THE DAY BEFORE MIDNIGHT is a doomsday thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat and turning pages. Originally published more than 25 years ago, my only complaint is with the publishing company itself and not the quality of the writing or storytelling. I read the Kindle edition, and as is the case with many older books that were recently formatted for distribution on Kindle, its as if they did a quick and shoddy job. Many sections run together and are missing the break that would separate them on the printed page. It made some parts confusing additionally, there were some screwy characters due to the conversion process that someone should really have caught and edited before its release. But again, none of that has anything to do with the quality of the story its a terrific thriller and I highly recommend it: 5/5 stars.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. open the book and be ready for the ride of your lifeBy LeotolWow!! One of the best books Hunter has written. His characters are all flawed in some way, and yet he manages to make heroes of some. This a multi-threaded story. One jumps from one situation to another in the eyes of character. I loved his Swagger books and this one though not at all like a Swagger novel, will not disappoint those that like "Swagger-like" action.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. It's A Thrill That He Still Cared About Plot Back ThenBy thirdtwinOne of the earlier books by Hunter and one that doesn't involve the Swagger characters at all but it has a tight plot that engages the reader along with a lot of fine action and detailed background description- written before he started phoning things in with later volumes- when frankly he still seemed interested in his own stories and how they were put together. Worth a look if you like adventure or his early work but missed this book the first time around.