This books gets a 5 star rating. It was an excellent book. I have never read anything from Dale Brown, but I will definitely be reading more of his books. It was a very well written book. He digs into each character and gives a point of view from each. He makes sure that we understand each character, so that we can judge for ourselves about that character. The main character Nick Flynn rushes to stop an attack from Russia and the main bad guy in the book. The plot was awesome, and flowed really well! Hence my rating of 5 stars

Dale Brown's "Countdown to Midnight" is the 2nd in a military thriller series starring ex-U.S. Air Force intelligence officer Nick Flynn.

Previously a U.S. Air Force intelligence officer, Nick has been recruited by a worldwide intelligence organization that works entirely in the shadows.

Nick and fellow operative Laura Van Horn come up against Russian operatives in Vienna, deep inside Afghanistan and Iran, and finally aboard an oil tanker.

Of course they do foil their plot, but the journey to do so is makes for a gripping thriller.

Dale Brown http://www.dalebrown.info/index02.htm (website out of date) is the author of 50 novels. The novel Countdown to Midnight was published in 2022, and it is the second in his Nick Flynn series.

I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of delivering a fair and honest review. Due to scenes of violence and mature language, I categorize this novel as R. Intelligence agent Nick Flynn is the primary character.

Flynn is a former US Air Force officer now working for a secret US intelligence organization. While on an operation in Austria, he is ambushed and nearly killed. His investigations disclose a joint operation between Russia and Iran, code-named Midnight. Midnight is under the direction of a wealthy Russian, Pavel Voronin. Security for the operations is provided by Raven, the elite security company Voronin owns.

A huge oil tanker is being refitted in an Iranian port. The plot involves the tanker and an effort to seriously damage the US. Flynn and his team must stop Operation Midnight before it is too late.

I enjoyed the 10 hours I spent reading this 398-page action-packed thriller. Since Brown’s first novel The Flight of the Old Dog was published in 1987, I have read many of his works. I have always enjoyed them and this novel was no exception. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 4.2 (Rounded down to a 4) out of 5.

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What a great book! Countdown to Midnight, by Dale Brown, is the second book featuring Nick Flynn, can be read as a standalone, as I did. In fact, I thought I had read the first book in the series but I obviously had not. And I'm not sure if it would have made a difference either way. It was that good.

Flynn, beginning a new job with a shadow intelligence outfit, is almost killed during his first mission when a source hes meeting with is assassinated. Turns out Russia and Iran are about to launch an ingenious plot to cripple the United States and it is up to Flynn and his new team to stop this new threat to the US and the world at large.

Filled with a great plot and characters, cool gadgets and nonstop action, Countdown to Midnight is an intense thrill ride every thriller fan should not miss.

My sincere thanks to Dale Brown, William Morrow, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of Countdown to Midnight!

This book was so good! I want to see more from this author in the future!! I couldn't put this book down. What a page turner!!!

I really enjoy reading books by this author and this one did not disappoint. After my last Nick Flynn book, I was hopeful future books would be nearly as good. This one was better. It read like a Tom Clancy novel with Flynn and the US trying to figure out what the plan is and how to deal with this new almost unstoppable weapon. Action packed and the pages kept turning, I can't wait for the next book in the series to see where it takes Flynn next. I especially enjoyed his parts with his female partner and hope she continues in the series.

Dale Brown follows up the sensational Arctic Storm Rising adventure with a spy like history lesson on how to save the world. Brown is no slouch when it comes to writing great books, as his series have been hitting best seller lists since the early 90’s. I couldn’t pass up the chance at a second Nick Flynn journey as the first was a gripping tale of survival.

Countdown to Midnight follows Nick Flynn, one of my favorite characters following his jaunt in the Alaskan wilderness combating the Russian Spetsnaz, doing things that most people would not dare want to do. After a dark meeting with a contact at a ski resort, blood is spilled on the slopes and Flynn is left on the run vowing not to take a bullet himself. The link to the next mystery that plagues the world rests in one of the most hostile areas on Earth, but Flynn is not scared, he lives life dangerously, or else he would not be doing what he does for a career. Nor would he have joined the Quartet Directorate and made himself one of the shadowy figures the world depends on.

Flynn teams up with Laura Van Horn to place himself quietly and precisely in the confines of a country that no American would date want to be, Iran. It is not a place that most people dare to visit, much less sneak into, to find who is behind the plan to bring MIDNIGHT to fruition. Finding out why Moscow has connections to the vilified country and why they are retrofitting large commercial naval vessels to launch weapons is on the to-do list while on his foreign country vacation. The depth of deception and treachery grows deep while Flynn is tasked with risking life and limb to serve the greater good in lands far from home.

Brown delivers a sky bounding adventure with unmatched imagination. Nick Flynn is one of the characters that you feel like you have known forever but you are waiting to learn so much more about. Precise character development, a great supporting cast, and a plot that bleeds like a big screen flick keep you glued the whole time. The pace slows a bit to help set up the kickoff into violating airspace of a sovereign nation, but Nick Flynn is a damn fine character, and this was a fun read.

Another entertaining thriller by Dale Brown filled with great characters, gripping action sequences with creative covert operations and massive geopolitical stakes that concludes with a bang. This second book in the Nick Flynn series delivers an engaging and scary storyline with an outcome that is very much in doubt until the very end, driving anxiety and blood pressure higher and higher. A solid novel with an intriguing protagonist that sets up numerous opportunities for further books in this series.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a Dale Brown book and now I wonder why. I have always enjoyed this type of military or aviation/techno-thriller fiction. I think Brown’s history as an aviator brings a lot of realism and credibility to the book. It was an engaging read. It reminded me of the Tier One series by Andrews & Wilson. I like the camaraderie amongst the team members. I like their mission. I appreciate the fact that there are people out there doing everything they can to keep our country safe. The things this team did were CRAZY but necessary because of the dire straits they were in.

This is book two in the Nick Flynn series. I just purchased book one so I can learn more of the backstory and I’ll definitely look forward to the next book in the series. Thank you to William Morrow and Netgalley for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I've read many books by Dale Brown and have enjoyed them all. This one was no different. His books are faced pace and easy to read. Great characters that are easy to root for. I highly recommend this book.

I have read most of Dale Brown’s books and this is the best book about covert operations I have read in the last 5 years. This book is written about the Quartet Directorate, a military type operation of tremendous intrigue and mystery outside the scope of the US. Government. Brown does an outstanding job of character development, introducing military weapons, and the planning necessary to bring this threat to the United States. This is a great book, one I could not put down. I appreciate receiving a copy of the book from netGalley in return for an honest review.

OK, first, I had fun reading the book and will definitely follow the series. There is a fun plot, interesting characters, and it is well written. As a techno-thriller, however, it really strains the limits of credulity. The access Four has, and the lack of access, is problematic. The team experience vis-a-vis the scope of their operations is problematic. Russia rolling the dice for world domination is problematic. Etc, etc, etc. So what. Dale Brown spins a mean tale, and it is a fun read.

I just finished my read of Dale Brown's latest book, "Countdown to Midnight", to be published by William Morrow. I extend my appreciation to the publisher for making the ARC available to me. I have been a fan of Dale Brown since he published "The Flight of the Old Dog" in 1987. He has been a prolific writer in the genres of technofiction and aviation (reflecting his earlier career trajectory) since that time. Not surprisingly, most of his thematic concerns occur at the nexus of technology, aviation and military events. The latest series, featuring a protagonist named Nick Flynn and sensitive to a changing military and political landscape, hews quite closely to the rest of Brown's canon. "Countdown to Midnight" is the second volume in his latest series, following up on "Arctic Storm Rising" and developing a new cast of supporting characters but otherwise remaining true to Brown's canon. The action, again taking place against a background of sophisticated military technology, is fast and furious. The plot is complex and is wrapped in an appreciation of modern geopolitics, but the author's deft hand and mastery of his material keeps things moving without distracting the reader too much from his plot. One of the interesting and very relevant themes that emerges is Western weakness in terms of espionage and direct action against our nation's enemies. Indeed, this weakness and political correctness is the very reason why Nick Flynn's new employers are kept busy trying to keep America safe despite the political/military/espionage establishment's manifest indifference to assorted threats. This is, incidentally, a recurring theme in much of the genre of technofiction as it has evolved over the years. If the novel has a weakness, it is in the author's tendency to work up to a grand finale which might not be as plausible as one might hope, but I will leave this for you to make your own determination. For my part, the action was plausible within the caveat I have just made, and the characters are sharply drawn and easy to relate to. If you like books like "The Hunt for Red October" or "Red Storm Rising," you will be right at home reading this book. It is fun and interesting and well worth your time.

Dale Brown has written another blockbuster military thriller. It's non stop action thriller than keeps the reader glued to their seat until the last page. I enjoyed all the twists and turns. Nick Flynn has returned for another novel and is flawless again.

This was an explosive read from page one. The powers of Russia and Iran united to launch a devastating blow against the United States keeps the reader at the edge of their seat for the entire book. Looking forward to more Nick Flynn adventures. I received an ARC from NetGalley, and the opinions expressed are my own.

Countdown to Midnight is an audacious blend of tradecraft, tactics, and thermonuclear warfare. Dale Brown brings his crisp writing style back to this action packed series that sees Nick Flynn battling foes, new and old.

Now in the full time employ of a shadowy intelligence organization, Nick Flynn sees a routine meetup with a high-ranking Iranian official in the Austrian Alps go sideways in all the worst ways. Barely avoiding taking a bullet himself, Flynn learns that Russia and Iran are working on a secret project together codenamed MIDNIGHT.

In order to uncover the truth behind the project, Flynn and his team must root out who is truly pulling the levers of power in Moscow and to what end. With a flurry of misdirection, limited resources, and minimal cooperation from the American intelligence community, Flynn is determined to stop MIDNIGHT before it is too late.

This is not a gritty, hyper realistic action adventure book so popular in today’s market. Rather it feels more like a throwback to the golden age of Bond movies. Solid storylines, clever espionage encounters, and an entertaining level of combat makes this a fun read for any thriller fan.

Dale Brown delivers an action-packed international conspiracy thriller. The storyline and characters are solid, while somewhat cliché, just work in Brown's cinematic writing style. Nick Flynn is advancing to the top of my favorite protagonist list with his noir aura. Highly recommend Countdown to Midnight to fans looking for high adrenaline and action.

Dale Brown strikes again with an energetic and adventurous thriller that catapults readers into high adrenaline rush of Clive Cussler’s Hollywood-styled explosive scenarios without venturing too far off technical and tactical authenticity.

Countdown to Midnight evolves Nick Flynn from a former airforce captain to a budding spy working for a clandestine organization, Four, comprised of retired intelligence members from different nations with the singular goal of maintaining peace. On his first official mission, Flynn’s contact is assassinated and Flynn is caught in a web of shadows and conspiracies pointing to an alliance between Iran and Russia with an enigmatic goal. Flynn and his teammates must uncover the true nature of the bold threat before its fruition.

Nick Flynn is a throwback to the earlier devil-may-care protagonists, with a continuous dose of adrenaline coursing through his veins as he undertakes bold combat maneuvers and tactics from skiing under sniper fire to infiltrating an enemy ship in heavy storm with experimental wingsuits.

The action hits fast and hard as Flynn runs and guns with his Glock 19 and his wits on all sorts of vehicles. One notable bike chase has Flynn zooming past flying bullets as he navigates through enemy lines. Dale Brown keeps the momentum rolling constantly with no slow moments.

Along with the action, Dale Brown enumerates a remarkable roster of characters alongside Nick Flynn that compliment Flynn’s character development as well as stand equally well on their own merits. The seeds planted through numerous conversations and events promise ambitious plans for this brand new series that’s quickly ramping up to be a breakout hit.


Countdown to Midnight is high octane entertainment concocted with a tasty recipe for big-screen action extravaganza and enthralling storytelling that brings a fresh change to a familiar concept.

Full Review posted with blurb image on: https://www.bestthrillerbooks.com/kashif-hussain/countdown-to-midnight-by-dale-brown