Worst Case Scenario by T.J. Newman Genres: Adult, Mystery/Thriller
on August 13, 2024
Also by this author: Drowning, Falling
Format: Hardcover (336 pages) • Source: Purchased
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"Worst Case Scenario is the best thriller I’ve read so far this year. It’s a chilling idea with great characters and near-perfect execution." -James Patterson
When a pilot suffers a heart attack at 35,000 feet, a commercial airliner filled with passengers crashes into a nuclear power plant in the small town of Waketa, Minnesota, which becomes ground zero for a catastrophic national crisis with global implications.
#1 internationally bestselling author T.J. Newman is back with Worst Case Scenario, following her explosive debut thriller Falling and its harrowing follow-up Drowning.
“Worst Case Scenario is the best thriller I’ve read so far this year. A jetliner crashes in the worst possible location – and I mean the worst – the site of a nuclear plant. It’s a chilling idea with great characters and near-perfect execution. T. J. Newman is the kind of gifted storyteller that comes along every 5 to 10 years. Don’t miss Worst Case Scenario.” -James Patterson
The International Nuclear Event Scale tracks nuclear disasters. It has seven levels. Level 7 is a Major Accident, with only two on record: Fukushima and Chernobyl. There has never been a Level 8. Until now.
In this heart-stopping thriller, ordinary people—power plant employees, firefighters, teachers, families, neighbors, and friends— are thrust into an extraordinary situation as they face the ultimate test of their lives. It will take the combined courage, ingenuity, and determination of a brave few to save not only their community and loved ones, but the fate of humanity at large.
I’ve been absolutely loving TJ Newman’s books lately – I know I haven’t looked that hard, but I don’t think a lot of authors are writing thrillers like these! (If you have recs, let me know!) They’re basically disaster thrillers where an airplane causes some kind of havoc – her first book was about a hijacked plane crashing, the second book had a plane sinking underwater and needing rescue, and this one is about a plane crashing into a freakin nuclear power plant.
The setup, as a result, was a bit different – the plane has already crashed and the team at the power plant / in the small town have to rally together to figure out how to save everyone. There were definitely similar elements to her first two books, like going back and forth between different people involved, but not really a past/present situation. Everything is happening real time in this one.
I didn’t expect to finish this book as quickly as I did and ended up kind of sobbing at the end of it! I think each of Newman’s books have gotten stronger (especially with characters and emotional punch) as they’ve come out.
I feel like the ending was a little abrupt but otherwise this was super addicting. I cannot fathom the amount of research that must go in to all of her books… She has all of this stuff about nuclear power plants and underwater welding and crazy things that go beyond her normal flight attendant experience that inspired her first book.
Overall, these suspenseful disaster thrillers are definitely a new genre I hope to keep exploring with her books.
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore Genres: Adult, Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller
Published by Penguin on July 2, 2024
Format: Audio/Physical (496 pages) • Source: Book of the Month, Spotify Audiobooks
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A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
JIMMY FALLON SUMMER READS WINNER
ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE READS OF SUMMER 2024
“The God of the Woods should be your next summer mystery.” —The Washington Post
“Extraordinary . . . Reminds me of Donna Tartt’s 1992 debut, The Secret History . . . I was so thoroughly submerged in a rich fictional world, that for hours I barely came up for air.” —Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air, NPR
“Riveting from page one to the last breathless word.” —Rebecca Makkai, New York Times bestselling author of I Have Some Questions For You
When a teenager vanishes from her Adirondack summer camp, two worlds collide
Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.
As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.
I can probably count on a finger or two the number of literary mysteries I’ve actually read after adding them to my TBR. Add in the fact that this is a historical literary mystery and it really had no shot of me ever actually reading it. Enter: the mystery/thriller book club I joined! We decided to pick this as October’s read and I’m glad that I finally had a reason to push myself to read it. Like many things you put off and/or are a little afraid of, this book was SO worth it.
THE GOD OF THE WOODS follows two summers, featuring two siblings who go missing in each. I loved following both and wondering the whole time if they were connected. This was the kind of slow-burn mystery that probably would drive my mom nuts, which is why I won’t be bringing it over for her to read lol. I don’t usually think mysteries should be anywhere near 500 pages but I’m willing to make an exception here. To me, it never felt like it dragged. Every chapter and, yes, even POV, felt necessary. And this book had a LOT of POVs.
I really loved the slow buildup of what was happening and the fact that I was never able to figure out what happened with either mystery. There’s so much commentary on class and status, all of which was relevant to the mystery itself. I loved the Adirondack summer camp setting – I’ve spent some time up there and it’s only a couple of hours from where I live.
Despite its length, I managed to read about 80% of it in one sitting this past weekend. I couldn’t put it down – it doesn’t have the traditional “thrilling” elements of a mystery but there was something about how it all unfolded and Moore’s writing style that had me hooked in a deeper way.
I would highly recommend picking this up if you’re curious – don’t expect anything fast-paced but do expect a mystery with many, many layers, and enjoy the long ride.
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