First published 2026
Annie Jacobsen explores how a biological weapons attack could destroy modern society within days. Drawing from new interviews with political, governmental, medical, and military experts, she traces the timeline from initial infection through complete societal breakdown. The book examines how quickly infrastructure would fail when faced with mass death and widespread panic. Unlike nuclear warfare with its visible destruction, biological warfare begins with something microscopic yet devastatingly effective. Jacobsen follows her Nuclear War success with another scenario-based investigation, mapping the hours, days, and weeks after a biological agent's release. She reveals how lab accidents or deliberate attacks could trigger global pandemic conditions leading to anarchy and civilizational collapse. The narrative shows how existing emergency systems would crumble under the pressure of such an event, leaving behind a plague-ravaged world unrecognizable from current civilization.
Genres: science, thriller, non-fiction, political-thriller, apocalyptic
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: scenario-based
432 pages · Hardcover · Dutton
Content warnings: death, graphic-violence