7 Steps to Midnight Review
But for this guy, I decided to really think of a recommendation for his taste. He kept saying he loved Alfred Hitchcock, and that he wanted a book that felt like a Hitchcock movie. I asked the customer which Hitchcock movies he liked best - his favorite was North By Northwest (I agree with him, by the way). At first, I recommended the book I’m reading now - Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. The customer said he didn’t like long books, so that was out. (If you don’t mind long books, I recommend Shadow of the Wind - I’ll post a review after I finish it.)
But then, it came to me out of nowhere. Just as I was about to fake my interest in a bestseller, I thought of 7 Steps to Midnight - a highly underrated novel by the great Richard Matheson. In case you don’t know, I am obsessed with Matheson. I’ve literally read everything he’s written, even his screenplays and television scripts. Seriously check out his books and short stories if you’ve never heard of him. You owe it to yourself.
I asked the customer if he likes science-fiction at all. If he did, I would have recommended Matheson’s I Am Legend or The Incredible Shrinking Man instead. Turns out, he didn’t like science-fiction. I handed him 7 Steps to Midnight and described it as North By Northwest in paperback form. The book is fantastic - it has a million twists and turns, and grows more and more complex as the pages progress. It’s similar to the themes of North by Northwest - one man on the run from all these different factions that are chasing him for no apparent reason.
I know this is a giant cliche, but the book will have you guessing right up until the very end. You literally won’t know what’s happened until the last three or four pages. It all gets explained, and it’s incredibly satisfying.
7 Steps to Midnight isn’t one of Matheson’s best known works. I think it should be up there with his others, but I suppose the book is too different. 7 Steps to Midnight is more of a thriller than science-fiction or horror, but the book is a breeze to read through. It’s really enjoyable, too.
I hope that customer is enjoying his copy as much as I enjoyed mine. If you have the chance, you should pick up a copy, too. It’s one of the few books I’ll go out of my way to recommend.
-MP