58 Minutes (Basis for the Film Die Hard 2)

Book excerpt: After Die Hard blew the doors off movie theaters, there was no doubt that Bruce Willis’s one-man-army of a cop would hit the big screen again, even harder. And Die Hard 2 made it happen—doubling down on the explosive action. And just like the original blockbuster, the sensational sequel leaped from the pages of a suspense master’s pulse-pounding novel... A massive blizzard has shut down nearly every East Coast airport, stranding travelers on the ground and in the air. But those circling the skies above New York’s Kennedy Airport have far more to worry about than missed connections. When the control tower’s radar suddenly goes dark, a mysterious caller known only as “Number One” announces that the countdown to terror has begun. Nineteen planes, and their helpless passengers, are now airborne hostages—in the ruthless hands of a dangerous man on a deadly mission. And if the U.S. government doesn’t bow to his demands, hell will rain from above as one jetliner after another exhausts its fuel... and plunges to earth. With only 58 minutes between life and death, there may be nothing anyone can do...except one New York City cop, with nerves of steel, attitude to burn, and a reputation for being hard on crime—and even harder to kill.