What do you think?
Rate this book
Sean Dillon #10
Midnight Runner
After her brothers are killed one by one, oil heiress Kate Rashid --- now the richest woman in the world --- swears vengeance on all who have harmed her family. Never mind that they tried to assassinate the President of the United States, that villainy ran in their veins. They were her brothers, and their enemies must pay with their lives: British agent Sean Dillon. White House operative Blake Johnson. And the President himself ...
289 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 2002
234 people are currently reading
991 people want to read
About the author
Jack Higgins
480 books1,277 followersThere is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Jack Higgins was best known of the many pseudonyms of Henry Patterson. (See also Martin Fallon, Harry Patterson, Hugh Marlowe and James Graham.)
He was the New York Times bestselling author of more than seventy thrillers, including The Eagle Has Landed and The Wolf at the Door. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide.
Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Patterson grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland. As a child, Patterson was a voracious reader and later credited his passion for reading with fueling his creative drive to be an author. His upbringing in Belfast also exposed him to the political and religious violence that characterized the city at the time. At seven years old, Patterson was caught in gunfire while riding a tram, and later was in a Belfast movie theater when it was bombed. Though he escaped from both attacks unharmed, the turmoil in Northern Ireland would later become a significant influence in his books, many of which prominently feature the Irish Republican Army. After attending grammar school and college in Leeds, England, Patterson joined the British Army and served two years in the Household Cavalry, from 1947 to 1949, stationed along the East German border. He was considered an expert sharpshooter.
Following his military service, Patterson earned a degree in sociology from the London School of Economics, which led to teaching jobs at two English colleges. In 1959, while teaching at James Graham College, Patterson began writing novels, including some under the alias James Graham. As his popularity grew, Patterson left teaching to write full time. With the 1975 publication of the international blockbuster The Eagle Has Landed, which was later made into a movie of the same name starring Michael Caine, Patterson became a regular fixture on bestseller lists. His books draw heavily from history and include prominent figures—such as John Dillinger—and often center around significant events from such conflicts as World War II, the Korean War, and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Patterson lived in Jersey, in the Channel Islands.
Jack Higgins was best known of the many pseudonyms of Henry Patterson. (See also Martin Fallon, Harry Patterson, Hugh Marlowe and James Graham.)
He was the New York Times bestselling author of more than seventy thrillers, including The Eagle Has Landed and The Wolf at the Door. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide.
Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Patterson grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland. As a child, Patterson was a voracious reader and later credited his passion for reading with fueling his creative drive to be an author. His upbringing in Belfast also exposed him to the political and religious violence that characterized the city at the time. At seven years old, Patterson was caught in gunfire while riding a tram, and later was in a Belfast movie theater when it was bombed. Though he escaped from both attacks unharmed, the turmoil in Northern Ireland would later become a significant influence in his books, many of which prominently feature the Irish Republican Army. After attending grammar school and college in Leeds, England, Patterson joined the British Army and served two years in the Household Cavalry, from 1947 to 1949, stationed along the East German border. He was considered an expert sharpshooter.
Following his military service, Patterson earned a degree in sociology from the London School of Economics, which led to teaching jobs at two English colleges. In 1959, while teaching at James Graham College, Patterson began writing novels, including some under the alias James Graham. As his popularity grew, Patterson left teaching to write full time. With the 1975 publication of the international blockbuster The Eagle Has Landed, which was later made into a movie of the same name starring Michael Caine, Patterson became a regular fixture on bestseller lists. His books draw heavily from history and include prominent figures—such as John Dillinger—and often center around significant events from such conflicts as World War II, the Korean War, and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Patterson lived in Jersey, in the Channel Islands.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
August 21, 2017
Don't read this if you're not already a fan of Jack Higgins. This is pure boys own action. The men are rock hard and the women are all beautiful.
I like to read Higgins now and again just for the purity of the storytelling.
As a writer, it reminds me that scenes can be set up in a few words, and you don't need to mess about too much to carry on with the plot.
Higgins doesn't worry about characters, his goodies are always super hard and super straight, and the baddies always get what's coming to them.
It's like taking a specific module of a creative writing class, that is all about getting to the action asap.
You have been warned.
I like to read Higgins now and again just for the purity of the storytelling.
As a writer, it reminds me that scenes can be set up in a few words, and you don't need to mess about too much to carry on with the plot.
Higgins doesn't worry about characters, his goodies are always super hard and super straight, and the baddies always get what's coming to them.
It's like taking a specific module of a creative writing class, that is all about getting to the action asap.
You have been warned.
April 7, 2015
Description; After her brothers are killed one by one, oil heiress Kate Rashid --- now the richest woman in the world --- swears vengeance on all who have harmed her family. Never mind that they tried to assassinate the President of the United States, that villainy ran in their veins. They were her brothers, and their enemies must pay with their lives: British agent Sean Dillon. White House operative Blake Johnson. And the President himself ...
Narrated by Patrick Macnee
Enjoyable enough as a back ground to some gardening in the warm spring sun.3* The Eagle Has Landed
CR Midnight Runner
2* Edge of Danger
2* Day of Reckoning
3* Bad Company
March 29, 2025
March 2025.
Nov 2023. Father Gs vengeance definition is still applicable. On
The other hand, the nemesis of this story is a lady Kate Rashid RASHID who swears vengeance on all who have harmed her family forever.
Oh well…
July 2018 When referring to vengeance, I prefer this quote from Father Greg Boyle of Homeboy Industries: "The highest hallmark of a civilized society is not the rapidity by which it exacts vengeance, but its ability to hold victim and victimizer in its compassionate heart. "
Nov 2023. Father Gs vengeance definition is still applicable. On
The other hand, the nemesis of this story is a lady Kate Rashid RASHID who swears vengeance on all who have harmed her family forever.
Oh well…
July 2018 When referring to vengeance, I prefer this quote from Father Greg Boyle of Homeboy Industries: "The highest hallmark of a civilized society is not the rapidity by which it exacts vengeance, but its ability to hold victim and victimizer in its compassionate heart. "
January 21, 2008
Don't hardly know what to say about this book. It started out with one character as apparently the "hero", but it wasn't really about him. The story line had a tendency to build and build and build, and then. . . nothing. Made me think of an impending sneeze that never comes to fruition. I think perhaps there is a book written prior to this one that would have made some things in this book more meaningful (as if any type of fiction of this genre is ever "meaningful.) At least the good guys "won" in the end (I think.)
December 15, 2023
The novel begins with Daniel Quinn in the past, so I mistakenly thought it would be about Daniel Quinn. Goodreads adds a little more information, saying that this is "Sean Dillon, #10", which makes a lot more sense, as Dillon is definitely the hero of the story. Maybe reading them in order would have made this more enjoyable to me, but there were so many characters that I thought were important that ended up not being important at all and a handful of storylines that I didn't see the purpose of. Overall it felt messy, but if you're looking for a book with a fair amount of death, fighting, explosions, planes, trains, and automobiles, this is it.
Also, what's up with the capitol building being on the cover? A tiny fraction of the story takes place in the US.
Also, what's up with the capitol building being on the cover? A tiny fraction of the story takes place in the US.
April 29, 2016
This book didn't move me. It didn't thrill me. It didn't impact me.
First, there is the introduction of Senator Quinn, who plays such a peripheral part to the story to be just short of non-existent. Yes, he is a key part, but only on the edges of the story.
Then, you have the baddies-- Kate and her cousin Rupert.... Both sides contrive to have multiple encounters with one another in an effort to size one another up, to taunt one another, to demonstrate a lack of fear of each other, and to offer implied threats to one another. RIDICULOUS!
There is finally some real action and Dillon goes off to stop a bomb on a train-- but even that is written in such a quick manner as to be sorely lacking. Then, the confrontation between the baddies and Dillon is so absurdly contrived and just utterly beyond any real belief...
And let's not forget all the alcohol consumed-- some of it in the midst of Arab people's who object to it.
Not what I would have expected from Higgins.
First, there is the introduction of Senator Quinn, who plays such a peripheral part to the story to be just short of non-existent. Yes, he is a key part, but only on the edges of the story.
Then, you have the baddies-- Kate and her cousin Rupert.... Both sides contrive to have multiple encounters with one another in an effort to size one another up, to taunt one another, to demonstrate a lack of fear of each other, and to offer implied threats to one another. RIDICULOUS!
There is finally some real action and Dillon goes off to stop a bomb on a train-- but even that is written in such a quick manner as to be sorely lacking. Then, the confrontation between the baddies and Dillon is so absurdly contrived and just utterly beyond any real belief...
And let's not forget all the alcohol consumed-- some of it in the midst of Arab people's who object to it.
Not what I would have expected from Higgins.
November 6, 2015
Book 10 in the Sean Dillon Series.
I loved every minute of this book. This particular novel in the Sean Dillon series carried on a story that has been going on for the last couple of books.
I love all the characters in this series, Dillon, Ferguson, Hannah Bernstein and even the Salters, Harry and Billy are growing on me. I love the way their is a continuation of the relationships from other books.
I've already read book 11 Bad Company - accidentally out of sequence. But can't wait to carry on with the series and see where it leads me now.
As always for me, Higgins so easily readable and his books are always enjoyable and make me smile. A well written bit of light reading that is not meant to be taken seriously. Taken on face value for what it is - you can't get much better.
5 stars
I loved every minute of this book. This particular novel in the Sean Dillon series carried on a story that has been going on for the last couple of books.
I love all the characters in this series, Dillon, Ferguson, Hannah Bernstein and even the Salters, Harry and Billy are growing on me. I love the way their is a continuation of the relationships from other books.
I've already read book 11 Bad Company - accidentally out of sequence. But can't wait to carry on with the series and see where it leads me now.
As always for me, Higgins so easily readable and his books are always enjoyable and make me smile. A well written bit of light reading that is not meant to be taken seriously. Taken on face value for what it is - you can't get much better.
5 stars
December 18, 2022
Although the Sean Dillon novels have a sort of ragged continuity, ‘Midnight Runner’ is the first linear sequel in the series. The bad news is that it’s a linear sequel to ‘Edge of Danger’, which is arguably the shoddiest instalment thus far. The good news is that it’s nominally better than ‘Edge of Danger’. In much the same way that stubbing one’s toe on an anvil is nominally better than taking a cricket ball to the knackers.
January 2, 2018
I gave the Sean Dillon series one more chance after Edge of Danger. This was worse :( Higgens builds up Daniel Quinn and then leaves him flopping like a crappie doing nothing at the end. What was the point??? The series has turned into pointlessness so this was my last book in this series. Too bad as Dillon and company were very interesting the first few books.
March 16, 2013
Great as always.
September 23, 2018
Could not put this book down! Always enjoy reading Higgins books and this series in particular. Lots of action and shenanigans
February 29, 2024
Daniel Quinn, Vietnam'da savaşıp pek çok insanı kurtaran büyük bir kahramandır ve yıllar sonra ABD senatörü olmuştur. Kızı Helen ise üniversitede okumaktadır. Kate Rashid servetini daha da artırmış ama içindeki kin bitmemiştir. Kuzeni Rupert Dauncey ile hem örgütlere el altında destek vermekte hem de Hazar sınırlarında eski bir IRA elemanı olan Colum McGee ile terörist eğitimi vermektedir. Amacı Dillon ve etrafındakilere olabildiğince zarar vermektir. Rupert bir plan yapar. Helen'in sevgilisine bir kaç ekstazi hapı verir ve bunları Helen'e vermesini söyler. Amacı Daniel'ı rezil etmektir. Ama içkinin üzerine alınca Helen ölür. Onu hastaneye bırakıp kaçan Albert'ı da Rupert öldürür. Ama o günkü eyleme katılmaması için uğraştığından mahkemede kendini aklar. Sean ise gerçeği öğrenmiştir. Daniel savaş açar. Bu arada Tony Villiers'in bir yardımcısını daha öldürdüğü için Tony de Kate'e savaş açar. Kate'in amacı kendi petrol kuyularını infilak ettirip ABD ve Rusya'nın petrol fiyatlarının fırlamasına sebep olmak ve onları ekonomik olarak çökertmektir. Sean planı öğrenince Harry ve Billy Salter, Ferguson ile beraber yola çıkar. Billy ile birlikte paraşütle atlar. Bu arada Daniel de vurulup hastaneye düşmüştür. Treni patlatacak olan elemanları engeller ama Kate Billy'yi defalarca vurur. Acaba Billy kurtulacak mıdır? Sean Kate ve Rupert'e ne yapacaktır? Kate uçakla ne yapmak ister? Kate ve Sean ne olacaktır? Keyifle soluksuz okunan bir roman.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2025
I don't know what to say... Worst book ever. 0 stars
There's the world's richest woman, who wears watermelon sized diamonds, smokes and drinks like there's no tomorrow, is absolutely stupid, starts every sentence with "Why...", wants revenge for her killed brothers, but can't think of anything better than blow up hers own business (blow up a bridge in a Middle East). And only people who can do it, despite all the billions she has, are some amateur IRA thugs in Dublin, where she goes to meet them in person.
She has a cousin, apparently super-duper ex-agent, who can hire only clowns and absolute dilatants at anything, who didn't succeed in one single task.
Every character smokes and drinks alcohol (always expensive!) in almost every chapter (made me want to cough). Service people in any place in the world wear "monkey jackets", all bad guys must wear a "bomber jacket", and every building has "french windows". Only expensive cars, like Jaguar and Bentley are driven, choppers and planes available at any point and time. And bad guys always have to be warned, that good guys have silenced weapons and they'll do bad things with their kneecaps...
"Why" , and there is president of the United States, who play no any role or have anything to do with this story whatsoever.
Also I find some lines very racist.
And all this repeats again and again in this book. Disaster. You're welcome 😁
There's the world's richest woman, who wears watermelon sized diamonds, smokes and drinks like there's no tomorrow, is absolutely stupid, starts every sentence with "Why...", wants revenge for her killed brothers, but can't think of anything better than blow up hers own business (blow up a bridge in a Middle East). And only people who can do it, despite all the billions she has, are some amateur IRA thugs in Dublin, where she goes to meet them in person.
She has a cousin, apparently super-duper ex-agent, who can hire only clowns and absolute dilatants at anything, who didn't succeed in one single task.
Every character smokes and drinks alcohol (always expensive!) in almost every chapter (made me want to cough). Service people in any place in the world wear "monkey jackets", all bad guys must wear a "bomber jacket", and every building has "french windows". Only expensive cars, like Jaguar and Bentley are driven, choppers and planes available at any point and time. And bad guys always have to be warned, that good guys have silenced weapons and they'll do bad things with their kneecaps...
"Why" , and there is president of the United States, who play no any role or have anything to do with this story whatsoever.
Also I find some lines very racist.
And all this repeats again and again in this book. Disaster. You're welcome 😁
May 11, 2025
A fast paced adventure written in a slick style, producing a very readable thriller. As with many books of this genre, you have to accept the stretches of the imagination - a clique of highly powerful men working together - including the US President - completely outside of normal procedures; a former IRA assassin now working as an enforcer for the British Government; a ruthless businesswoman who mixes with the very people she wants dead (and they know it).
But a novel of this type lives or dies on the storytelling, and it's first rate. Dialogue drives the plot forward rather than narrative. The characters are gritty and don't waste words. The action scenes are frequent and impactful. It's a very easy read and you never forget who's who or where they fit within the plot. Good use of locations too.
A bit of a tonic if you're tired of the psychological thriller and need a punchy adventure story to carry you along for a while, written in the Fleming style but with more characters.
But a novel of this type lives or dies on the storytelling, and it's first rate. Dialogue drives the plot forward rather than narrative. The characters are gritty and don't waste words. The action scenes are frequent and impactful. It's a very easy read and you never forget who's who or where they fit within the plot. Good use of locations too.
A bit of a tonic if you're tired of the psychological thriller and need a punchy adventure story to carry you along for a while, written in the Fleming style but with more characters.
July 19, 2021
3.5. This was a sequel to “The Edge of Danger” which I barely gave 4 stars, and I was surprised that it’s taken me over a year to read another Higgins book (so I guess that’s a better representation of how I felt about that book). Briefly, a rich half-English, half-Arab family wants to kill the U.S. President, Elders in the Middle East and the Russian Premier. The three brothers are killed, leaving the surviving sister pretty much insane.
In the sequel, the sister wants to destroy America by blowing up the Saudi oil reserves. Sean Dillon saves the day. I’m going to listen to another Higgins book soon, hoping these two books were an unfortunate hiccup for a great writer.
P.S. The audiobook was read by Patrick MacNee. I knew the name but couldn’t place it. He was the chap with the hat and umbrella in “The Avengers” (along with the lovely Diana Rigg). The only problem he had was that his idea of an American and Arab accent was to talk lower and slower. Odd.
In the sequel, the sister wants to destroy America by blowing up the Saudi oil reserves. Sean Dillon saves the day. I’m going to listen to another Higgins book soon, hoping these two books were an unfortunate hiccup for a great writer.
P.S. The audiobook was read by Patrick MacNee. I knew the name but couldn’t place it. He was the chap with the hat and umbrella in “The Avengers” (along with the lovely Diana Rigg). The only problem he had was that his idea of an American and Arab accent was to talk lower and slower. Odd.
May 19, 2020
I've been reading a lot of romance novels lately, and needed a palate cleanser. I picked this up at a second hand store, thinking I could use something to balance all the sweetness I've been ingesting.
It's been a while since I've read something from the action/adventure genre, and found myself missing some of the more introspective aspects of characters. I found it hard to sympathise with the main characters, because I was rarely let into their thoughts.
Also, I'm a bit fuzzy on who the MC was. The book starts out with the geneaology of Daniel Quinn, and has his daughter thoughtlessly murdered halfway through the book. Despite all that, he sits out the ending. Not just the last few pages, but the last few chapters. Weird.
Other than that, I suppose the book does what it's genre promises. Dishes up a bad guy (woman) and takes her down.
It's been a while since I've read something from the action/adventure genre, and found myself missing some of the more introspective aspects of characters. I found it hard to sympathise with the main characters, because I was rarely let into their thoughts.
Also, I'm a bit fuzzy on who the MC was. The book starts out with the geneaology of Daniel Quinn, and has his daughter thoughtlessly murdered halfway through the book. Despite all that, he sits out the ending. Not just the last few pages, but the last few chapters. Weird.
Other than that, I suppose the book does what it's genre promises. Dishes up a bad guy (woman) and takes her down.
November 13, 2020
I was introduced to Jack Higgins years ago by my Dad and read a few of his earlier works such as "Night of the Fox". I have not read anything of his in years and seeing these in a local charity shop I thought I might give Jack Higgins another go. I read "Angel of Death", "Day of Reckoning" and "Midnight Runner" all "Sean Dillon" character novels and I have to say that I was disappointed in all of them. None of these were up to the standard that I remembered from his earlier works. All the books seemed rushed, the plot and style written to fill a "quota" rather than written as stand out books. Maybe this suits a new audience of Jack Higgins that are unaware of his earlier books, but I am sorry to say this will not include me.
Although will be happy to return to earlier works such as "The Eagle has landed"!
Although will be happy to return to earlier works such as "The Eagle has landed"!
December 9, 2016
Kate Rashid with the death of her 3 brothers is now the head of the Arab/Rashid family.
She has sworn vengeance on all who have harmed her family even though her brothers
tried to assassinate the President of the U.S. British agent Sean Dillon, White House
operative Blake Johnson and the President himself are on her list. Their time is coming and only she knows where or when. This is book 10 in the Sean Dillon series from 2002. I like this series and I'm
reading some of the older ones that I missed. Sean Dillon is an ex IRA killer who now works
for the British Government eliminating anyone he is told to. I liked the story and gave it a 4.
She has sworn vengeance on all who have harmed her family even though her brothers
tried to assassinate the President of the U.S. British agent Sean Dillon, White House
operative Blake Johnson and the President himself are on her list. Their time is coming and only she knows where or when. This is book 10 in the Sean Dillon series from 2002. I like this series and I'm
reading some of the older ones that I missed. Sean Dillon is an ex IRA killer who now works
for the British Government eliminating anyone he is told to. I liked the story and gave it a 4.
November 22, 2020
I have read this series from the beginning and like how Higgins continues to develop the characters of Dillon, Ferguson, etc. This is a continuation of the previous novel where the Rashid family was introduced. After her brothers are killed one by one, oil heiress Kate Rashid --- now the richest woman in the world --- swears vengeance on all who have harmed her family. Never mind that they tried to assassinate the President of the United States, that villainy ran in their veins. They were her brothers, and their enemies must pay with their lives: British agent Sean Dillon. White House operative Blake Johnson. And the President himself .
February 21, 2025
Everyone should try everything at least once and I've done that in reading this pulp thriller by someone who the cover blurb describes as being "in a class of his own". The images it covered up in y head were the wooden marionettes in Thunderbirds with chisel-jawed heroes and posh ladies with cockney man servants. This seems to be the tenth novel in which Sean Dillion has been the central character and there's obviously a backstory there which, if you were sufficiently interested, might make a bit more sense of who this guy is. I mean, a former top IRA man who is now a prized asset for British intelligence? But then again, who cares?
May 10, 2017
Good but not his best
Pretty good action but too many story lines. I assume this book was the bridge to the next several books and was the "set up" book for those continuing stories. Kate was a weak character, too much of a cartoon. Rupert could have been a great villain. And Quinn was wasted as a character.
Pretty good action but too many story lines. I assume this book was the bridge to the next several books and was the "set up" book for those continuing stories. Kate was a weak character, too much of a cartoon. Rupert could have been a great villain. And Quinn was wasted as a character.
March 18, 2020
Picked up this Sean Dillon special when a touch of nostalgia hit me. Either I have outgrown this brand of Higgins masterclasses or this one was particularly insipid.
The so-called climaxes were anti-climactic at best and the end of villains quite tiring and dated. I was bored halfway through and it’s only the loyalty I once had to Higgins that made me finish the book.
The so-called climaxes were anti-climactic at best and the end of villains quite tiring and dated. I was bored halfway through and it’s only the loyalty I once had to Higgins that made me finish the book.
January 10, 2022
This is not a book I will be recommending to anyone. It simply didn't hold any surprises . However it did leave me a little puzzled as it presumes that if the law knows that a person is planning a crime and that crime is prevented then the law cannot successfully prosecute that person or organisation planning that crime.???
May 26, 2020
This book started off good, but faded fast. After awhile I found his writing style no longer in vogue and lost interest. Quit about halfway through. This author has been around a long time and was good earlier in his career.
March 22, 2023
Enjoyed the book. Made for an interesting read. Ending was interesting; rather abrupt. But overall, I like how he writes. The plot was intriguing and lots of twists and turns, something I rather enjoy.
February 8, 2025
I first found this author in my high school library and have since read a handful of his books over the years. Although I did like this book it definitely isn't at the top of the list of my favourites.
May 23, 2017
Abandoned at 50%. Simply boring and poorly written.
July 25, 2017
Read about 2/3 of the book but never could really get into it.
April 10, 2018
Typical fast paced Sean Dillon to the rescue. I thought the plot was a bit weak.
May 10, 2018
Entertaining read. Nothing really remarkable. A good tale overall.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews