"Freedom's Sunset" is a political thriller resembling "The Day of the Jackal," with page-turning tension until the end. This novel has been revised and updated as of June 2024, bringing the history to the current date.

It is June 1990, and the President of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, is visiting Minnesota for a day. He grew up in the countryside and is looking forward to being in the American heartland.

Zack Pedersen, bullied at school for his mother's affairs with local men in the small town of Westhope, South Dakota, takes action against one of the men and finds himself a fugitive on the road as he tries to reconnect with his father, who left a year ago to work as a lumberjack in Montana.

In a fateful, complex interweaving of storylines and timelines, Zack confronts Mikhail Gorbachev on Summit Avenue in St. Paul, Minnesota, in a moment that will resonate through time. What happened to the freedom that Mikhail Gorbachev hoped to bring to Russia?

This story has action, romance, political intrigue, and plenty to consider. Pick up your copy today! Reviews from discriminating readers:

5 stars: "This book caught my interest since I was among the crowds of people who lined up in front of the Minnesota state capitol on that cold day in June of 1990 when Gorbachev visited. There was excitement in the air and heightened interest in the changes taking place in the Soviet Union. This novel brought back those memories and provided an insightful fictionalized account of the visit. Moreover, the underlying story made this novel quite a page-turner. Mr. Middleton did a fine job of melding plot line, character development, and a historical moment into an enjoyable read." -- Sara S.

5 stars: "Middleton has turned Gorbachev's visit to Minnesota into a terrific thriller. The characters are extremely well developed, and the plot accelerates so that the reader finds himself reading faster and faster, in suspense right up to the end. I read this book in one sitting and enjoyed every minute of it." -- mgs