Midnight Burning

Named Historical Thriller of the Year in the 2025 BestThrillers.com Book Awards!

"Ingeniously pairs real-life friends Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin on a roller coaster ride to save America from a fascist threat within its borders."

– Jacqueline Winspear, author of the Maisie Dobbs series.

It's 1937 and clouds of war gather over Europe, and American fascists march at home. While the FBI chases suspected communists, Nazi agents plot an armed insurrection. When the world's two most famous men—Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin—uncover the scheme, which includes the assassination of Hollywood's biggest stars, they fight back with nothing but their ingenuity, raw courage, and the fierce resolve of Georgia Ann Robinson, LAPD's first Black female officer.

A dangerous chase takes our heroes into the heart of darkness, a fascist encampment in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles where a militia armed with machine guns plans its attack. Batten the hatches: it's brains versus brawn in an explosive, unforgettable finale.

Praised by The New York Times for his "realistic, gritty, and fun" novels, Paul Levine delivers a wildly inventive thriller laced with humor and a larger-than-life cast, including Charles Lindbergh, Douglas Fairbanks, William Randolph Hearst, and Joseph Goebbels.

Inspired by a true story. Learn more at paul-levine.com