The Fires of Midnight [Hardcover]

Jon Land (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1995

The author of Day of the Delphi presents his first hardcover thriller, concerning a teenaged renegade who devises a deadly bacterium that kills hundreds of shoppers at a Massachusetts mall.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

What begins with 1700 dead in a Cambridge, Mass., shopping mall ends with a spectacularly gory climax in Disney World as Land, author of numerous paperback thrillers (most recently, Kingdom of the Seven), makes his over-the-top hardcover debut. When Dr. Susan Lyle of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention arrives in Cambridge to investigate the mysterious deaths, this novel looks to shape up as yet another techno-thriller about yet another super-lethal disease. But expectations soon go awry as Land tosses in a career's worth of thriller standbys, beginning with a top-secret weapons-development agency called Group Six, plus an old Nazi geneticist and his "sons" (a 15-year-old lonely genius and a hideously deformed killer). Teaming up with Susan is ex-CIA agent Blaine McCracken and his colorful sidekicks (one of whom is a helicopter pilot named Harry Lime); also hanging about are some noble Sioux who live according to the old traditions and watch out for Blaine and Susan. The action leaps from Cambridge to Cuba to Key West to Colorado, before arriving at Disney World. There, the house the mouse built goes up in flames while a life-size, computerized T-rex runs amok and chomps on a villain. Fortunately, Land mixes his ingredients with a vigorous hand and cooks them at high heat, winding up with a zesty, if decidedly non-nutritious, mind-snack.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

After 1700 people die mysteriously in a shopping mall fire outside of Boston, Dr. Susan Lyle, an infectious disease specialist with the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, discovers that an unknown biological organism has drained the humans of all of their hemoglobin. Lyle's search puts her on the trail of a 15-year-old genius who has developed a deadly organism. Also searching for the boy is Blaine McCracken, an adventurer and ex-CIA agent, and he and Susan join forces. To their horror, they uncover a secret government organization that specializes in weapons research and biological experiments. The action is riveting, the writing is sharp, and readers will not be disappointed with the dramatic climax in this novel by the author of The Alpha Deception (Fawcett, 1987).?Maria A. Perez-Stable, Western Michigan Univ. Libs., Kalamazoo
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 317 pages
• Publisher: Forge; 1st edition (December 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312859716
• ISBN-13: 978-0312859718
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,918,653 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really Great-Even For Land, October 16, 1999

By 

LCB "Lit'rature Critic" (South Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fires of Midnight (Mass Market Paperback)

McCracken, Wareagle and Belamo are in it up to their necks in this outing but that's hardly new for them. A good mix of pop-paranoia and action adventure. Just read it and see. The villian whom Wareagle has to go hand to hand with in this novel is one of the nastiest yet.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blaine McCracken is at it again, May 7, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Fires of Midnight (Mass Market Paperback)

Jon Land has once again proven that he is currently the best author at creating troubled characters and twisted plots. The duo of Blaine McCracken and Johnny Wareagle once again confront a faceless enemy with the power to destroy the world. The only catch is that the weapon is a young genius. Definitely worth the read if you like Land, please also try to catch any Jared Kimberlain novel he has done. Enjoy

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ONE OF THE BEST THRILLERS I HAVE READ!, February 28, 2006

By 

Kathleen J. Riley (Baltimore, Maryland United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fires of Midnight (Mass Market Paperback)

Jon Land is the best when it comes to suspense and excellent writing! He leaves the idea that something other than a reasonable explanation can be found for the plot of this book. You keep thinking maybe it is not of this world explanation but then when it all comes together you almost wish it could have been something other than a human behind the horror going on. He is absolutely the best and keeps you turning the pages quicker and quicker to find out if he stops the deed from being done. I wish people were more aware of Mr. Land's books. Everyone is excellent! You will never regret reading one of his books! That is a promise!
Kathy Riley