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Broken River
Broken River: Book 2 of The 7.9 Scenario by Sam Penny
For a good read, get a copy of Broken River, Book 2 of the 7.9 Scenario. RVer Sam Penny’s second novel states on the cover: What happens to the river WHEN, not IF, a great earthquake strikes on the New Madrid Fault beneath the Mississippi River? The first novel, Memphis, 7.9, told the story of the destruction of this city which lies right along the river. This novel follows Captains Barney Ruggs of the Bella Queen and Buddy Joe Simpson of the towboat, Lady Bird Jamison as they experience the quake, its aftershocks and aftermath and attempt to travel down the river as they rescue quake victims.
Using the novel as a vehicle, Sam conveys what would happen when such a powerful quake rocks the New Madrid Fault. In 1811 and 1812, great quakes shook the fault but relatively few people lived in the area. Today, 55,000,000 people live in the nine states that shook the hardest nearly 200 years ago. The river itself has been reconstructed by man, with locks, dikes and huge dams, all of which could, and probably would, be destroyed by a major quake.
A disaster brings out both the best and worst in people. A collection of characters aid or prey on quake victims while the captains work their way down the river, now reformed by the quake.
We think of California as having the most devastating quakes, but a great quake along the Madrid Fault would have devastating effects on millions of people and the nation’s economy. And, according to Sam, there has been little preparation for a quake of this magnitude that the U.S. Geological Survey says the chance of its happening in the lifetime of the majority of the people in the U.S. is one in ten. Not only should you read Broken River—if you missed Memphis, 7.9, read that too!
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