Winner of the New Jersey Notable Book Award!
It's a beautiful day on the New Jersey shore. The residents of Long Beach Island—a narrow strip of land connected to the mainland by a single bridge—are going about their daily routines, enjoying the lovely weather.
They have no idea that far out to sea, a plane carrying a nuclear device has crashed. The resultant explosion triggers a massive underwater landslide . . . and a massive tsunami forms, heading straight for Long Beach Island.
By the time anyone realizes the water is coming, it's almost too late. The National Guard is deployed—on the mainland, since the fast-approaching thirty-foot-high wall of water will flatten everything on the island. Terrified residents stream toward the slender lifeline of the bridge, causing the island's first—and last—major traffic jam.
In the frantic struggle to reach safety, strangers offer help to people they've never seen before and neighbors turn against neighbors. Some cannot decide which precious possessions must be saved, and so take nothing—or refuse to leave. Others attempt to profit from the panic, looting abandoned homes and businesses.
Time is running out. The first wave will hit in less than three hours.
