Genre: Thriller
Length: 398 Pages
Publisher: Wyatt-MacKenzie
Release date: May 15, 2018
Synopsis:
The Pace of The Bourne Identity, the technical depth of Michael Crichton, and the universal magnitude of Dan Brown. A timely thriller illuminating facts regarding the state of the world’s energy crisis, climate change, and the quandary of nuclear energy–inspired by events in Fukushima, unexpected earthquakes across the planet, and the deterioration of nuclear power plants worldwide.
Bear Mountain Nuclear Energy Center sits one mile outside the active Ramapo fault line, thirty-five miles from the center of New York City. The fault line rocks causing a massive earthquake in the town of Peekskill; power is clipped and control of one of the reactors at Bear Mountain is abruptly lost.
Plant supervisor Trace Crane fights to save the reactor while his wife Avi searches for their daughter in the destroyed Northeast. As the condition of the reactor plummets and radiation is released into the environment, Trace is left to choose between saving the nuclear plant, the East Coast, and the twenty million residents of the NYC metro area or finding his family and saving himself.
Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review
I’ve been on a thriller kick lately and Meltdown was a good one. I enjoyed the story while Trace was front and center as he struggled to maintain his cool as the man in charge at Bear Mountain Nuclear Energy Center. Meltdown was filled with some great tension surrounding the nuclear reactor situation while Trace and his team race against time. Trace was a character with character. He knew his duty to the public outweighed his personal life, no matter how much that tore him apart. He did what it took in the face of extreme danger to the public, and his personal health.
But, I felt the tension was really missing while Avi searched for her daughter, Brooklyn. I found Avi annoying while she flipped back and forth on her feelings towards Trace. There was an abundance of comments from her that everyone she talked to had ‘no compassion’ and ‘no one cared’ while she looked for her daughter. She came across as more important than everyone else. I had no sympathy for her, found her extremely annoying, self-righteous, and very unlikable.
The debate about the safety of nuclear energy, and public perception was a big focus in the story. How to deal with nuclear facilities versus not using this form of energy is certainly an ongoing concern. But, the conversations about it were too repetitive and the political and media perception was overdone. Meltdown was a good read but could have used a good trimming, around 50 pages, to keep the story moving while avoiding the repetitive topics in several areas.
GP James, biography
GP James is a multi-faceted creator living in Los Angeles, CA crafting works that explore social awareness and the human psyche – delving into the nature of reality, consciousness, and existential questions faced by many. He has written four screenplays, two novels, and several volumes of poetry. Both of his novels have been edited by Richard Marek, the brilliant publisher and editor behind Silence of the Lambs and the Bourne Identity.
Greg’s passions transcend beyond writing. For more than a decade he has worked as a music producer, sound mixer, and recording engineer for Snoop Dogg, Amy Winehouse, Patti LaBelle, and many other award-winning artists, television shows, and feature films.
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