The novel involves three brothers who learn of an impending disaster – a giant eruption is about to lay waste to much of the continental U.S. and release a deadly virus in a secret military underground laboratory – and set out to save their family and friends. Michael Hanson, one of the brothers, is the flawed protagonist still trying to overcome the grief of having lost his wife and daughter in a car accident who meets up with Cassie, a beautiful woman trying to flee an abusive husband. She puts her trust in Michael to help her get her away from her husband and learns about the devotion he and his brothers have toward each other and their families. They get caught up in a political scheme by a crooked senator that attempts to hide, then exploit, the coming tragedy.
Much of the book is fast-paced with riveting and heart-stpping action; the science is believable, the characters are multi-dimensional, and the tension in life-or-death situations is authentic and palpable. Warning – there are some violent scenes involving a hit man sent by the crooked seantor to stop two of the Hanson brothers from leaking the story of the eruption before it happens. Chimenti is a medical doctor and can be graphic in describing the hit man’s favorite torture methods. The book is still a fine description of heroism in the worst possible cicumstances. The natural disaster described is comparable to what might have wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.
Reviewed by Steve Maginnis