First published 2011
Andrew Laine serves as a U.S. Army officer in Afghanistan when America's economy crashes overnight. The stock market plummets, hyperinflation destroys commerce, and supply chains collapse. Power grids fail across the nation while riots consume major cities. This catastrophic period becomes known as "the Crunch." With all air and sea travel to America halted, Laine must find his own way back to his fiancée in Bloomfield, New Mexico. Meanwhile, Air Force Major Ian Doyle and his wife Blanca struggle in Arizona as their young daughter Linda remains trapped in northeastern riots. Three teenage orphans named Shadrach, Reuben, and Matthew Phelps leave their closing orphanage to survive on their own. The ruthless Ignacio Garcia leads the criminal gang La Fuerza, building an army to devastate the countryside. Above all these personal struggles, a provisional government seeks to seize control of America and eliminate its founding freedoms. Laine faces impossible odds as he crosses a continent torn apart by violence and chaos, driven by his determination to reach the woman he loves.
Genres: fiction, adventure, action, apocalyptic
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Afghanistan, Bloomfield, New Mexico, Arizona
Period: The Crunch
382 pages · Hardcover · Atria Books
Content warnings: violence