Overview
FBI Special Agent and counterterrorism expert Sarah Cahill doesn’t know the man she’s tracking. But the so-called “Prince of Darkness” knows her—intimately. So when Sarah is summoned to Wall Street to investigate, little does she know that she’s the one under surveillance… until the terrorist infiltrates himself into the deepest, most desperate corners of her life.
Soon Sarah is plunged into a deep labyrinth of intrigue and catastrophe as she races to uncover a diabolically clever conspiracy…before time runs out…and the clock strikes THE ZERO HOUR.
The interception of a dark, digitally encrypted telephone call by the NSA's spy satellites sends FBI Agent Sarah Cahill, a counter-terrorism expert, to New York to investigate an imminent terrorist threat. Her investigation turns into the desperate pursuit of a highly sophisticated operative, known only by the code name Zero. HC: William Morrow. Fiction--Espionage/Thriller
Synopsis
A breathtaking escape from a South African prison. A call girl found brutally murdered. A fugitive American billionaire obsessed with revenge. A digitally encrypted telephone call is intercepted by NSA's spy satellites high over Switzerland, and Special Agent Cahill is urgently summoned to investigate an impending terrorist attack on Manhattan. Her investigation immediately turns into a desperate pursuit of a charismatic and exceptionally dangerous South African terrorist-for-hire.
Realizing Sarah is onto his plans, he plunges her - and her eight-year-old son - into a terrifying cat-and-mouse game in which their lives become intertwined, forcing Sarah to race to uncover a diabolically clever terrorist conspiracy . . before the zero hour.
Publishers Weekly
At his best-as in this thriller about a terrorist plot to bring down Wall Street-Finder (Extraordinary Powers, 1994, etc.) rivals the early Frederick Forsyth in his riveting combination of cool prose and hot plot. Indeed, there's more of a hint of the Jackal in Baumann (aka Zero; aka the Prince of Darkness), a freelance terrorist/assassin who can slay and mutilate with "no visible change in [his] glacial demeanor." Baumann's new boss is billionaire Malcolm Dyson, an American fugitive in Switzerland who, motivated by greed and vengeance, breaks the terrorist out of a South African jail and agrees to pay him $10 million to trigger worldwide economic catastrophe by blowing up the computer network that's primarily responsible for trading on the Street. Arrayed against Baumann are, among other law-enforcement agencies, the FBI, personalized here through Agent Sarah Cahill, who uncovers links between Dyson's plot, a murdered call girl in Boston and a New York banker with a taste for masochistic sex. What ensues is a cerebral but violent chess game played by Baumann, Cahill and others, with Cahill's young son winding up as pawn. Again in the manner of Forsyth, Finder textures his story line with precise technical expositions; his details on bomb construction are particularly fine. Not impressively original, but controlled with a master hand, this is a thinking person's thriller with bite. 100,000 first printing; major ad/promo; film rights to 20th Century Fox; author tour. (May)
Editorials
From the Publisher
THE ZERO HOUR
“Thrilling.”—The New Yorker
“Breathlessly exciting.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“A labyrinth of suspense…brilliant…a master storyteller.”—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“A thinking person’s thriller with bite.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
HIGH CRIMES
“Fast and furious.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Exciting . . . deliciously absorbing . . . full of hair-pin turns.” —The Washington Post
“A powerhouse tale.” —Chicago Tribune
“Provocative and chilling.” —Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
“Rattling good entertainment.”—Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
VANISHED
“Financial thriller whiz Joe Finder has fully and seamlessly entered the world of Lee Child and James Rollins. A rousing, lightning-paced thriller from the first page to the last. ” —Providence Journal
“If Jack Reacher met Nick Heller in a dark alley, my money’s on Reacher. But it would be ugly. Or would it? Actually, I think they’d go for a beer together and set the world to rights—because Joseph Finder has given me a terrific new hero to root for. This is an action-packed, full-throttle, buy-it-today-read-it-tonight series that you definitely shouldn’t miss.” —Lee Child
“A humdinger....a thriller to enjoy for its Washington locales, convincing familiarity with cutting-edge spy gadgetry, and taut action scenes.” —Washington Post
“Cliffhangers galore, the fascinating tradecraft of corporate espionage, and an engrossing story will propel readers through this outstanding thriller. Highly recommended as a great summer read.” —Library Journal (starred review)
Publishers Weekly -
At his best-as in this thriller about a terrorist plot to bring down Wall Street-Finder (Extraordinary Powers, 1994, etc.) rivals the early Frederick Forsyth in his riveting combination of cool prose and hot plot. Indeed, there's more of a hint of the Jackal in Baumann (aka Zero; aka the Prince of Darkness), a freelance terrorist/assassin who can slay and mutilate with "no visible change in [his] glacial demeanor." Baumann's new boss is billionaire Malcolm Dyson, an American fugitive in Switzerland who, motivated by greed and vengeance, breaks the terrorist out of a South African jail and agrees to pay him $10 million to trigger worldwide economic catastrophe by blowing up the computer network that's primarily responsible for trading on the Street. Arrayed against Baumann are, among other law-enforcement agencies, the FBI, personalized here through Agent Sarah Cahill, who uncovers links between Dyson's plot, a murdered call girl in Boston and a New York banker with a taste for masochistic sex. What ensues is a cerebral but violent chess game played by Baumann, Cahill and others, with Cahill's young son winding up as pawn. Again in the manner of Forsyth, Finder textures his story line with precise technical expositions; his details on bomb construction are particularly fine. Not impressively original, but controlled with a master hand, this is a thinking person's thriller with bite. 100,000 first printing; major ad/promo; film rights to 20th Century Fox; author tour. (May)Library Journal
Finder (Extraordinary Powers, Audio Reviews, LJ 4/1/96) weaves an intricate and intriguing plot in his latest work of fiction. Fans of technothrillers, mystery, or spy fiction will love this timely excursion into the high-tech world of modern terrorism, counterterrorism, satellite communications, and the illicit munitions/weapons supply industry. The reading by J. Charles and some nice effectsespecially the phone conversationsdo the fast-paced story justice. The narrative also offers insights into some of the more infamous terrorist acts of the recent past. Additionally, Finder explores the rigors of maintaining a career while a single parent, getting along in modern society, and the demands of a law enforcement career. Very highly recommended.Cliff Glaviano, Bowling Green State Univ. Libs., OhioGeorge Needham
Henrik Baumann, the so-called Prince of Darkness among world terrorists, has escaped from a high-security prison in South Africa with the help of fugitive financier Malcolm Dyson. Dyson, who was paralyzed and saw his wife and daughter killed in a botched kidnap attempt by bounty hunters working for the U.S. Marshal's Service, has scores to settle against New York banker Warren Elkind (who turned Dyson in to the SEC for insider trading) and the world economy in general. Dyson hires Baumann to wipe out the computerized records of Elkind's Manhattan Bank and then blow up the Network, the supersecret computer center that handles most of the world's monetary transactions. Pitted against Baumann is FBI terrorism expert Sarah Cahill, the special agent who identified the key clue to solve the mystery of the bombing of Pan Am flight 110 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988. The battle of wits between Baumann and Cahill forms the heart of this story. Finder lingers too long on the hardware used by good guys and bad guys alike, and the novel takes a while to gain momentum. Once it does, the tale provides lots of surprises, zooming along at breakneck speed to a thrilling climax. A 100,000 first printing and a seven-figure movie sale to Twentieth CenturyFox should help stimulate interest.Kirkus Reviews
A well-briefed, well-financed, well-armed international terrorist goes up against the computer at the nerve center of a Wall Street bank.Billionaire Malcolm Dyson, a fugitive from American justice ever since Manhattan Bank CEO Warren Elkind resisted his criminal blandishments and turned him in for insider trading, has been licking his wounds in his Swiss estate. And ever since a clandestine federal attempt to grab him for informal extradition without benefit of legal niceties left him crippled and his wife and daughter dead, Dyson's plans for revenge have broadened to include the US government. What can he do to send a mortal blow to both his enemies? Dyson breaks terrorist Henrik Baumann, the so-called Prince of Darkness, out of a South African prison so that Baumann can (1) tap into Manhattan's computer and siphon off billions in funds, and (2) plant a bomb that will bring the building crashing down and humble the CIA and FBI. But the murder of the prostitute who steals crucial computer codes from Elkind accidentally brings FBI agent Sarah Cahill into the case—her philandering NYPD ex-husband, who knows Sarah had been running the woman as an informant, calls her in to make the identification—and with a few additional lucky breaks (a secure phone line from Switzerland that's not so secure, an erased answering-machine tape Sarah succeeds in bringing back from the dead), we're off to the races, with the feds hot on the Prince's trail, and the Prince, who knows they're hunting him, icily determined, amid all the high-tech dirty talk, to kill anybody who gets too close.
Despite frequent echoes of the World Trade Center bombing, Finder (Extraordinary Powers, 1994, etc.) keeps the menace breathlessly exciting rather than grimly scary. The result is as fleet and entertaining as Black Sunday, if you don't mind rooting for an international bank.