The Zero Hour: A Novel

by Joseph Finder

When FBI Special Agent Sarah Cahill, a counterterrorism expert, begins pursuit of a South African terrorist-for-hire known as the Prince of Darkness, he turns the chase back on Sarah and her eight-year-old son. By the author of Extraordinary Powers. Tour.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Espionage

418 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1996

About the author

Joseph Finder is the author of the forthcoming novel JUDGMENT and fourteen other novels, many of them New York Times bestsellers, published in 35 countries around the world. His book HIGH CRIMES was adapted into a movie starring Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd; PARANOIA was made into the Harrison Ford/Gary Oldman film.

He was born in Chicago, lived in the Philippines, Afghanistan, Washington State, and upstate New York. His novels have won numerous awards, including the Strand Critics award, the Barry Award, and the International Thriller Writers’ Thriller Award for best novel. His first novel, THE MOSCOW CLUB, was named by Publishers Weekly as one of the 10 best spy novels of all time.

He lives with his wife in Boston and Cape Cod, where he roots for the Red Sox and mourns his Golden Retriever rescue dog, Mia. He’s currently trying to convince his wife to get another dog.

Reviews

[Janie Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I decided to buy, then read this book based on the synopsis and on the fact that this was also a new Author for me. I really like to try new authors to expand my reading horizons.

It was actually a very disappointing and boring read. What I read in the description never even happened in the book till more than halfway through it. I felt like the synopsis was very misleading. There was so much unnecessary back story and government explanations that I almost abandoned the book, but I kept on till I finished.

Once it did actually begin to pick up, it got very predictable. The characters of the story were not even likable either. So I feel the 2 stars is a very generous rating for this book.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first book by this author. It is about terrorism in New York and I may have been able to give this 4 stars if it wasn't for one big problem.

The problem is that I have read this kind of story before. I think the author (a male) was writing through the eyes of the antagonist ( a male) and not through his MC who happened to be female. It was like the female was there only to be manipulated and duped so that the antagonist could shine. Really.....she did nothing but fall into trap after trap. She didn't even get the bad guy in the end. She was just a tool and it would have been best to have relegated her to a lesser role. I really hated that part of this because it has been so many times and there was really nothing that set this book apart from the herd. Now if the author had reversed this and had the antagonist as the female and the protagonist as the male maybe it would have been better. Granted, that has been done before too, but not nearly as much as the first scenario.

I did like the plot as a whole...so 3 stars.

[Tracy P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action packed, hang on to the seat of your pants thrill ride.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An older Joseph Finder novel that I missed - was just what I needed this past weekend. Absorbing, interesting plot, characters...but I think it was the quick back and forth pacing between the terrorist and the FBI team chasing him. Also, this was written pre-9/11...some creepy prescience going on here. Took me away for a good day into that special “reading place” where you can forget what’s going on in your real life!

[Jane Stewart · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 ½ stars. No fun watching good guys make mistakes and being stupid. Too much lecturing about technical subjects.

This is a weak imitation of The Day of the Jackal. I loved Jackal. I did not enjoy Zero. Similarities: Someone hires the best of the best to do a job. In Jackal it’s kill the French President. In Zero it’s hack a bank and plant a bomb in NY City. In both books authorities learn something is going to happen but don’t know who will do it. In both books the authorities get closer and closer with a lot of neat clues. In both books the hired guy has an inside source and other means to learn what the authorities learn and are doing.

What I liked in Zero:
A happy ending.

What I did not like in Zero:
The good guys do stupid things which gives information to Baumann, the hired guy/terrorist. When the Jackal got information I was impressed, but when Baumann got info I was depressed. I was frustrated and let down at how easily the good guys were outsmarted.

MINOR SPOILERS:
Examples: Baumann calls the FBI, and asks a secretary where an FBI agent lives. She tells him! Maybe a temporary employee in a business might give out something like that, but not the FBI! Baumann calls a passport agency clerk (in South Africa) asking who has been asking for passport information about Baumann. She tells him. Ok maybe South Africa is different from the U.S. but that seemed too convenient. Baumann calls a car dealer pretending to be someone else and asks for the key code for that person’s car. The car dealer person gives this over the phone without any I.D. The NSA calls an FBI agent to provide info about the terrorist. The NSA makes sure the line is secure before he talks. That was good. But then the agent calls another agent’s home (which is being tapped) and leaves all those details on an answering machine. Stupid. Two FBI agents know they are after a dangerous killer/terrorist. They get killed because they are alone and too trusting when interacting with him. Baumann is crouched down behind one agent’s car. Baumann says he’s looking for a contac lense, so the agent helps him look?

CAUTION BIGGER SPOILER:
In Jackal, stupid bureaucrat Raoul is part of the group searching for the Jackal. They have daily update meetings. Every night he tells his mistress what they’ve learned. She’s a spy for the Jackal. Raoul is one of those guys the reader hates. So that worked. But in Zero, Baumann sleeps with Carol the lead FBI investigator. She’s the main good guy. She’s supposed to be smart. So it was no fun seeing her date the terrorist without being curious or investigating him, and then seeing all the ways he got information from her. He had keys to her home, taped her phone calls, used a pencil to see message imprints on her notepad, etc. It just felt bad.


Way too much technical history and details about how things work. It was like a classroom. Subjects included: telephone encryption, how to get a message from a tape that has been erased, ways to tap a phone line, bomb timers, banking system network details, FDIC rating system mechanics, types of fingerprints and databases, the history of and how jpeg pictures worked.

AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR.
Jeff Gurner was ok for most of the book, but two things bothered me. I kept hearing his breaths – distracting. He used a weird Ronald-Reagan-type voice for some characters (Christine Vigiani, Perry Taylor).

DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 13 hrs and 53 mins. Swearing language: Strong including religious swear words, but rarely used. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: two. Setting: mid 1990s mostly New York, Massachusetts, Switzerland, and South Africa. Book copyright: 1996. Genre: suspense thriller.

OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my ratings of other Joseph Finder books see my 5 star review of Paranoia.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Johnny G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joseph Finder is a great storyteller, and after passing this one by for years, I came back and read it, even thought it's one of his oldest books. He knows his stuff - from technology to weaponry to the ways people think, and it's 99% believable. Even though the information is dated, the story is still fresh and I wanted to read half of it in one sitting last night, but finally went to bed. What I like best is that much of the book follows the villain, Baumann, an ice-cold terrorist and killer. His perspective is so horrible we simply have to find out if his plot to bring down the financial institutions in New York will actually happen.

[Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like all of Joseph Finder's novels and have been able to rate them with 4 or 5 Stars. This one was 4 Stars because it didn't hold my interest all the way through like some of his others. As usual, Finder's research was incredible, as he discussed each subject. There were minute details on bomb making, communications and how the cell phone system works, helicopters and their controls, geography of NYC, etc. He doesn't just write an interesting story but educates the reader at the same time.

[Ada Iaboni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although the underlining story was good and rousing, the other parts were soooo technical that I almost fell asleep.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this author's writing. This book was written in 1996 and deals with counterterrorism. Since September 11th had not yet occurred, it manages to forecast without being knowing about what is going to happen. Don't misunderstand, it doesn't predict a 9/11 scenario, but the circumstances that allow it to happen are all there for us to read and shudder. Really good, really frightening.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this was one of his earlier books. It has way too many technical details and not enough plot.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I had read all of Joe's books. I missed this one, and I really missed out. I'm glad I went back to double check his catalog. The technology, specifically the hacking and references to domestic terrorism are dated now, the latter making me somewhat nostalgic for simpler times. Regardless, the story holds up. Everything I've come to expect from a Finder book: strong characters, a fast plat, suspense, and action. As a reader, it's easy to become invested in the good guys; it's even easier to love hating the bad guys. The primary antagonist in this book is particularly interesting. He's intriguing in a way that makes him almost likable. Even when he's doing the unthinkable. His boss... that's the real problem. All the trouble really started there.

[Dad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an “ok” book—rather predictable and seemed to follow the typical plot. FBI agent falls for the terrorist and foils the terrorist’s ability to complete his task. Yawn. What was very interesting was the detailed background of the nuclear reaction team, the banking network, and the international extradition process. There was so much potential but it just came up short of being an outstanding audiobook.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author Joseph Finder loves his alphabet of government agencies ! This one written in 1996 is really dated. If they only knew what was coming to the World Trade Centers in 2001 would change this read 100 %. Another pretty good read from a master story teller in author Joseph Finder !

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because the action is so clearly defined and the characters so relatable, it is very difficult to breathe while reading a Joseph Finder novel.

The Zero Hour is literally breathtaking and completely absorbing!

[Flori Anghel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐️

[Jenna Maier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I was impressed with the main character, Baumann’s, way of conniving and cunning the South African prison system and the rest of the world. However, this book was way too technical for me. There were too many details surrounding the physics of bombs, computers, dynamite, you name it. After a while, I just got bored.

[Russ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book off and on over several years. It's not that it was bad, it's just that I had other reading priorities. Finally I returned to it and I'm glad. Good pace, super-high stakes, dangerous villain, and a blockbuster ending.

It's like Black Friday by James Patterson in that the subject is a terrorist plot designed to wreck Wall Street. But Patterson's villain is a more conflicted and visible character. It is easier to hate and fear the villain in The Zero Hour.

This thriller focuses more closely on the good guys, especially Agent Sarah Cahill of the FBI. She's an interesting character in parts of the novel, though sometimes she seems to recede and become distant from the reader, almost behaving like a bystander in her own novel. Put differently, sometimes I felt disconnected from her and didn't get a good sense of how her character traits contributed to her successes as an FBI agent.

But I'm not sure how much that matters. I mostly read this book for the gripping economic terror plot, not because I wanted to learn about the characters involved. That our economy could be so reliant on a server room in a Wall Street basement was surprising but persuasive. Also the personal weaknesses/indiscretions of a couple of Wall Street CEOs make them highly susceptible to blackmail, which itself is a scary thought if you think about it. The lack of information sharing among law enforcement agencies and the lack of centralized databases depicted in this book gave the terrorists an advantage that they have hopefully lost post-9/11.

I agree with many of the comments by other reviewers that there was too much explanation of technologies and other details, but it showed that a lot of research went into the book and made it seem more plausible. And it still wasn't as much of a data dump as Tom Clancy or Jules Verne, so I accepted it and skimmed where needed.

Overall, a smart, ambitious, and effective financial/techno/international thriller.

[Margaret · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was written ~1996 and it shows. Not just in the technology but in the world view - a throwback to a time before the attack that brought down the twin towers and a second Gulf war - and all the security checks in airports etc.
At times he seems to be explaining terrorism to his (presumably American?) readers - anyone who grew up in Europe during the 70s did so against a backdrop of bombings and assassinations by ETA, IRA, Brigati Rossi, Baader-Meinhof etc on the nightly news so we know something about terrorism. I was in the US when the Oklahoma City attack happened and I do remember it being reported as the first major terrorist attack on US soil despite all the upheaval and revolutionary agitation of the 60s and 70s, and the original attack on the world trade centre; so maybe that's a valid approach for him.
He has done a huge amount of research about explosives, SA prisons, international banking etc and it is *all* on the page. The story keeps screeching to a halt whilst he explains microwave radiation or the minutiae of obtaining C4.
There's a blindingly obvious plot twist involving the detective's son that makes no sense - you're in a new city for a very short time, working against the clock to prevent some catastrophe and you get distracted by trivia in your social life?
And the ending not only assumes we're perfectly happy with law enforcement officials nonchalantly breaking the law and meting out their own punishment - confident in the belief that none of their colleagues will have any concerns or report them - but we will also enjoy their being insufferably smug about it.

[Lori Henrich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sarah Cahill is asked to head a task force to capture an unknown person or persons who might or might not be a threat to a major bank in New York. Very well written and it keeps you on your toes from the first page. I found a slight predictability during one section, but it didn't detract from the story as a whole.

A prisoner in South Africa is helped to escape to conduct a special job. The prisoner is known as the Prince of Darkness and is supposed to be the best at his job. His job is whatever someone whats done at a good price. They are paying for his expertise and that he doesn't leave any clues that would lead back to the person/persons doing the hiring.

I have read another book by this author and found it just as intriguing. A very exciting read.

[John Grazide · Rating 3 out of 5]

Behind the overload of information I think there could have been an okay story. But I think between descriptions of JPEG to cellular signals to the details of a helicopter it was lost.

There were quite a few very surreal moments in the book. Remembering that it was written in 1996, the world was a different place. Mid way through chapter 81 page 344 hardcover was one of the most surreal sections I have read in any book. "...He knew there had been four studies done on the engineering aspects of the World Trade Center complex, which determined based on vibration analysis that the World Trade Center could not be knocked down by any bomb short of a
nuke."

After reading this I had to pause.

[D.K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

After one of FBI Special Agent Sarah Cahill's informants was found dead, Cahill feels obligated to solve her murder. Collected evidence leads into a even bigger case--a case that could affect the world's financial stability. Cahill is placed in charge of a special investigation to stop this threat.

Joseph Finder wrote a true thrillride with The Zero Hour--great characters, solid story and once it's over, you wish there was more.

[Redbird · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finder’s third novel (1996) and he’s so much better now. The story is good but the writing is exhausting. It seems like Finder can’t go a couple paragraphs without author-splaining something. He’s done so much research and didn’t want to omit any, so he’s had to tell us about it all. Much of it is out of date (cell phone tracking, faxing, beepers) and much could have been incorporated into the scenes better or (even better) left out. But now his stories are much more enjoyable to read.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listened to the audio book. The plot was good although rather out of character of Ms Cahill to put so much trust in someone she barely met. Had I been reading the book I would have skimmed at least half of it - just too much detail to everything.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this author. The book is a little dated, but still excellent. A thriller.

[Jim Hart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story

Got to techy at times spent to much time on tech info otherwise enjoyed book will more of authors books

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

As you vread this, it's important to remember what year it was published and the era in which this story is set – it's 1996, and, significantly, before 9/11. So there are references to “the World Trade Center bombing” meaning 1993 and “former President Bush” meaning the elder Bush. Lockerbie is still considered the worst hijacking of a plane in history. This a high-tech book, and the tech is also the tech of 30 years ago – the heyday of clunky car phones, CDs, pagers, and faxes. Finder obviously wanted it to be up-to-the minute, and it was up-to-the-minute for about a minute, but it feels woefully out of date now.

Finder clearly wants his story to have lots of details about the technology that's involved – satellite phones, how to un-erase an audio tape, how American intelligence agencies listen to everyone's phone calls, how bugs work, and the like. So he infodumps directly to the reader on these topics, and the result has a slightly annoying “Look at all this research I did!” vibe. And the amount of detail probably made it feel dated faster than it would have if he'd left things more vague. I can't help comparing it to a book like Earth Abides, a post-apoc novel published in 1941. That book aged really well and nothing about it is particularly jarring today. And I think a big part of its longevity is that George Stewart didn't try to add technical detail to his story. He told the story in terms of generalities, and while it was clear there were basic TwenCen technologies like electricity and cars and telephones, he didn't talk in details, so it still felt comfortably familiar 70 years later when I vread it.

Still, these are minor gripes about a book that was a reasonably fun ride. Remember, 3 stars means “I liked it.”

One thing it does that some readers didn't like, but I appreciated: Throughout the story, Finder highlights how many potential points of failure there are for both a complex plan like Villain's and an equally complex police effort to discover and stop Villain. Over and over again, one side or the other will either make a blunder that lets the other side get ahead, or catch a lucky break. Thus, it's a constant cat-and-rat game with both sides hovering one mistake, one bit of bad luck, or one redundant backup away from failure.

I debated whether it needs to go on the “mommyjacked” shelf and list. Yes, Protag is mother to an 8yo son, and he's just sort of there for most of the story, not hijacking the story, but then at the end he's taken hostage (this isn't a spoiler, as it's right in the blurb) so Villain can use him as an escape ticket, so he becomes sort of central. It's not as bad as Hostage, where the question a mother is faced with is whether to allow a bomber to kill a plane full of people versus saving her son. In the end, I decided it does not qualify as mommyjacked.

Does it pass the Bechdel test? Yes, if just barely. Protag is surrounded by men, many of whom are jerks to her, but has a single female colleague to talk to about work.

[ka fi de · Rating 4 out of 5]

done :)

2 weeks. the quickest one yet.

second best. i read the velveteen rabbit in a few minutes so... i don't know if it amounts to anything?

***

it's been 3 days since i've done anything on here.

let's get this over and done with because i'm literally going to fail this year's reading challenge. there's no saving it at this point.

i liked this story.

baumann was a good villian. cunning and convincing. great character. love his arc throughout the book. gives me... kevin spacey in se7en vibes with george clooney's voice and face with some generic superhero body

sarah was a great character too. love her. she's not like other girls. she's a strong independent woman but is also flawed. love it.

was it weird that i shipped both of them anyway. i know he's a bad guy but also *chefs kiss*

was it also weird that i rooted for baumann to actually succeed.

i have 7 notes. there's not much tbh. i just cbf

my first note was just talking about baumann's description and i think i've already mentioned that. we get it. he's fucking built.

this book is so old that they call phones a "cellular telephone" and pentium was a quality processor bahahahahahahahahaha ... and i only realised how old this was when they mentioned the world trade centre as if it was still standing and i got really confused because i never knew it as a structure that still stood.

that brian dude was dodgy from the fucking beginning. how small of a world is it??? i think it was mentioned that he hired street children or something??? and when these kids beat up jared and brian approached... there was an inkling that this dude is baumann.

i ship them so bad tho. soz. that scene after their date oooooof

the ending was good but i wish there was a reveal that baumann didn't actually die. because he's my favourite character.

.
.
.

these notes are basically useless. i hope no one read this. i'm so sorry you had to waste your time reading "this".

anyways. i have to read something else now. read this book. i like it.

[Donna Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book written in 1996 features Sarah Cahill with the Boston FBI’s Organized Crime Unit. Her Confidential Informant has been murdered.

The master criminal is Henrik Baumann, code name Zero, a Boer assassin recently escaped from a South African prison where he was serving a life sentence for terrorist activities. His escape was facilitated by Malcolm Dyson, a disgraced billionaire, indicted on US tax evasion and securities fraud, living in luxury in Switzerland, as there is no extradition to the US for such crimes.

Dyson believed that Baumann was a “savant of the terrorist netherworld.” He hired him for $10 million to blow up a New York City target.

The build-up requires lots of complicated algorithms, polynomials and pages of technical data. Most was confusing but did convince the reader that the CIA, NSA, FBI, DIS, INS and INR are all tech-savvy. There also is an inordinate amount of information dealing with fingerprints. There are a couple of interesting twists, but a lot of boring details.

The FBI Counterterrorism Group must trace a crime, a criminal, and the perpetrator…and then stop the plot. It was also nice to read about New York City. Although the World Trade Center has not yet been brought down by terrorists, the tension from other terrorist acts brings a real sense of realism to the story.

[Leftbanker · Rating 3 out of 5]

One lesson that would-be writers can learn from this book is the danger of trying to wow readers with “state of the art” technology. It’s like when you laugh at movies from the 1990s when someone is talking on a mobile phone the size of a full-grown Dachshund. The author must have done a lot of work to write about all of that over-the-hill technology, and that was back before Google, so chapeau!.

Take out the constant torrent of unneeded and useless detail and this book would have been a manageable 300 pages instead of its ungainly 450.

. “We going to put this out on the NCIC?” asked Mark McLaughlin of the NYPD, who had sandy blond hair and a face dense with freckles. .

Do we really need or want to know that a character who has one line in the book has freckles? He does this over and over and over and over…(see what I’m trying to do here?).

¡¡Spoilers!!

The attack on her son in the park made almost no sense. It would have been insanely risky and why wouldn’t she have her gun with her at the time? How would he have known that? That whole plot line was ridiculous. The guy is sociopathic killer, but he’s somehow good with kids?

The reason I am generous with the stars is that the book was paced well.

[Andrew Langert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read just about everything Joseph Finder has written, I caught up with this 1996 novel, his 3rd.
This is a thriller about a hired gun’s quest to blow up a major bank in New York City to exact revenge against that bank’s leader, who had turned in another major banker for insider trading, causing the guilty crook to find exile in Switzerland.
The author uses multiple points of view, mainly the hired gun and FBI Special Agent Sarah Cahill, who is trying to figure out what the mysterious hired gun is up to.
In all of Finder’s novels, he is noted for creating an authentic setting, immersing himself in the environments he writes about to ensure authenticity. In The Zero Hour, the author has never been better at this. His knowledge of details about virtually every element of this planned crime, along with how the investigators operate, was demonstrated superbly.
A good entertaining read by one of my favorite authors.