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Novel that was basis for 'Die Hard' gets rerelease

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“This is an amazing find. It's on these handwritten pages that ‘Die Hard' was born,” Zindel said.

The 11-page treatment is included as a bonus feature in the new e-book.

“When Roderick Thorp wrote this treatment, he knew he was onto something really big. Reading it, you can share in his excitement as he raced to get the story written down. ‘Die Hard' would go on to completely redefine the action/thriller genre.”

The novel is similar to the film that eventually resulted, if a bit darker and more introspective. It will even be of interest to readers of detective thrillers who may have somehow missed the “Die Hard” franchise.

In the book, the detective character is named Joe Leland, and is somewhat older and more experienced than John McClane from the first film. But his humanity and world-weariness are conveyed convincingly on the page, as is the drama and excitement as Leland matches wits with the terrorists.

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