First published 2016
A mysterious atomic attack devastates the United States in just forty minutes. One third of the nation lies in ruins, but no one can identify the enemy or locate the source of the assault. Sam Burton finds himself trapped in Burrow 89, an underground shelter where he and his companions face constant threat of annihilation. The bombs could fall again at any moment, turning their refuge into a tomb. Burton must solve an impossible puzzle: who murdered America? Working against time and the ever-present danger of being vaporized, he searches for clues that will unmask the perpetrator. The investigation becomes a race between detection and destruction. Burton knows that finding the killer means more than solving a crime. It means ending the holocaust that threatens to finish what the first wave of bombs started. Will F. Jenkins combines the tension of atomic warfare with detective story mechanics, creating a mystery where an entire nation serves as the victim.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, mystery, thriller, action, alternate-history
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: race-against-time, whodunit
Setting: United States
Period: 20th-century
176 pages · Paperback · Wildside Press
Content warnings: violence