Long After Midnight [Hardcover]

Iris Johansen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 3, 1997

At twenty-nine, research scientist Kate Denby was a workaholic, divorced, the mother of an eight-year-old son. And she was weeks away from making a major genetic breakthrough. If she lived that long...



Danger has arrived in Kate's backyard with a vengeance, starting with an explosion at a Seattle pharmaceuticals plant and a car bombing at her son's Little League game. Then came the shocking warning: the attacks were connected and she was the next target. Stalked by a remorseless killer, Kate must put her trust in a total stranger, a man whose intentions are nearly impossible to fathom. For no matter what happens, she must protect her son and her work, the work that could save millions of lives. But someone will do anything to keep her miracle from unfolding. Someone not interested in holding out hope but in buying and selling death.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Kate Denby is on the run from a cold-blooded killer. A research scientist close to a breakthrough on a project that could revolutionize the health industry, she is unwillingly caught up in a web of danger, intrigue and murder. The stakes are high with her mother-in-law and son's life in jeopardy. Kate is forced to combine her scientific studies with Noah Smith, a scientist whose ideals match her own. But she must place her own safety and that of her son's in the hands of Seth Drakin, a man who incites her heart more than her trust. A suspenseful, well-crafted story.

From Publishers Weekly

Some familiar elements appear in Johansen's (The Ugly Duckling) new thriller: a heroic scientist on the cusp of a billion-dollar medical breakthrough; a rakish sidekick; an intrepid, appealing heroine; and a murderous and corrupt corporation in league with a corrupt politician. But Johansen knows how to take the formula and run with it, and readers will be won over by her flesh-and-blood characters, crackling dialogue and lean, suspenseful plotting. Kate Denby, recently divorced and the mother of a nine-year-old boy, is trying as hard as she can to refuse a prestigious job that will uproot her from her stable life. But Noah Smith, the prize-winning scientist to whom Kate's research is essential, won't give up easily. Any chance of stability vanishes, however, when someone blows up Noah's lab, killing most of his employees, and tries to kill Kate. She and her son soon find themselves under the watchful eye of a psychopathic hit man whose madness is steeped in the killing techniques and spirit lore of Indian warriors. Kate has no choice but to join forces with Noah?in hiding. In addition to Noah, Kate has another love interest?Noah's friend and protector, Seth, a hard-edged mercenary who lives dangerously and savors the moment. A thread of the story involving Kate's father, a respected doctor felled by Alzheimer's, surfaces to give the deft but somewhat protracted finish a moving, unexpected touch. Major ad/promo.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 371 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (February 3, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553097156
• ISBN-13: 978-0553097153
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,207,730 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Iris Johansen is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Pandora's Daughter, Stalemate, Killer Dreams, On the Run, and many more. She lives near Atlanta, Georgia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars WHAT HAPPENED TO CLIMAX?, August 23, 2005

By 

Connie Jean "EagleAngel" (Canton, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Long After Midnight (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was really good. It had me considering ways in which the characters were going to "get rid of" the bad guy, but the ending really let me down. There was no swinging-up to a big climax. That's why I gave it only 3 stars. Most times the ending can either make or break a story. This one just shot it right down.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Suspense, romance and strong characters!, October 11, 2003

By 

Candy Woods (Van Buren, OHIO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Long After Midnight (Hardcover)

Johansen has really provided some fabulous reads and this one is no different. The story grabs you and pulls you in at the very beginning and you just don't want to put it down...even after the last page.
The characters are strong, the story intersting, the plot flows smoothly and there is just the right touch of sensuality to sizzle. Keep up the great writing...

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Johansen is obsessed with showers, August 9, 2004

By 

G. Caspary (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Long After Midnight (Mass Market Paperback)

The characters in this book are forever taking showers. When they're not taking showers, they are either planning to take a shower, wishing they could take a shower, or telling each other to take a shower.

Why in the world does she make the main character, Kate, a scant *29* years old?? It's ridiculous. Not only does she have an MD, she has at least one PhD. And she has managed to reach the top of her field by 29. But wait, there's more! She also, during all this achievement, managed to squeeze out a baby at the tender age of TWENTY, and then raise it. Uh huh.

Why does Johansen not just make Kate 39, and be a bit more realistic on all counts? There is a hint early on when Kate muses that Benny, her ex-husband's new girlfriend, is only 23, which makes her so much more attractive than elderly Kate. ARGH! Clearly, Johansen does not think a woman can be attractive at the advanced age of 39. *snore* How ridiculous.