The Midnight Strike

Rafael González

Summary

Oliver Baumgartner, a once-celebrated art critic whose reputation lies in ruins, boards the luxurious Berlin–Prague Express clutching a single hope: a rare Murano glass oval he acquired at auction, his last chance at redemption. But at the stroke of midnight, a team of professional thieves storms the dining car, unleashes chaos, and steals priceless artworks—including Oliver’s masterpiece. Trapped in his locked compartment, he discovers a detailed floor plan planted among his belongings: someone has orchestrated an impeccable heist to frame him as the fall guy.
 
With the unexpected help of Ingrid Stein, the train’s observant waitress, and a supposedly “diplomatic” customs inspector with secrets of his own, Oliver stalks the narrow corridors littered with broken glass, blurred footprints, and the echo of furtive footsteps. Each new clue pushes him deeper into a labyrinth of suspicion: a cosmetics magnate harboring a shadowy past, a timid rail engineer desperate to hide a career-ending mistake, and a thrill-seeking influencer willing to risk everything for a scoop.
 
When Oliver and Ingrid recover a deceptive replica of the Murano glass in Dresden, they also unearth a chilling warning:“Publish your truth—or watch yours shatter next.”What began as a daring art robbery evolves into a desperate race against time, a high-stakes game of mirrors where nothing is what it seems. As the Express hurtles toward Prague, the real Murano glass rests intact inside Oliver’s case—yet his greatest challenge lies ahead: exposing an international conspiracy of art trafficking, diplomatic forgeries, and political blackmail hidden beneath a veneer of steel and steam.
 
In El Golpe de Medianoche, Rafael González delivers a tightly wound, claustrophobic thriller that probes the dark heart of betrayal and the lengths one man will go to reclaim his name. Fast-paced and relentlessly suspenseful, this novel immerses you in a world where every whisper, every reflection, and every flicker of light can mean the difference between vindication… and ruin.

Available since: 06/20/2025.

Print length: 46 pages.

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