After reading The Master Sniper, I took me a while to get back to reading Stephen Hunter. I wish it hadn't. Upon finishing the last Bob Lee Swagger novel, I was leary about reading The Day Before Midnight since I loved the Swagger character so much. WOW - was I wrong. Let's just say this - NOBODY can develop a character like Stephen Hunter. While reading his books, you feel connected to the people he is writing about. Regardless of the number of central characters (in this book, there were at least 9), he is able to make every one seem lifelike and important. You remember his characters and you root hard for them or against them.

As far as the plot goes, yes, it has been done before. None have done it as well as Hunter. Period.

Stephen Hunter is perhaps the most unassuming and underated author writing thrillers today. While I love Clancy, Dale Brown, et. al, their work usually takes me half the book to get into. I can read Hunter from page one and be on the edge of my seat. This book, while not as good as Point of Impact and Time to Hunt, has all the elements of a great tale; heroes, villians, reluctant heroes, self-serving individuals, reformed criminals, cheating spouses, and a pulse-pounding finale that goes on for about 100 pages. A great read!