Secondworld

Relentless pacing and numerous plot twists drive this compelling stand-alone from Robinson (Threshold), though readers should be prepared for a far-fetched premise involving Nazis, a grand-scale conspiracy, and massive iron clouds in the atmosphere. When NCIS agent Lincoln Miller, who’s temporarily stationed at an underwater research station off the coast of Key Largo, Fla., notices an abundance of reddish flakes in the water, he initially believes that it’s illegally dumped waste. But he quickly realizes that it’s much worse—the ocean is littered with dead fish. Once on land, Miller finds a world without oxygen covered in red ash and fresh corpses. Using an oxygen tank to stay alive, he discovers that while the disaster wasn’t global, it may just be the beginning of the end. Thriller fans and apocalyptic fiction aficionados alike will find this audaciously plotted novel enormously satisfying. Author tour. Agent: Scott Miller, Trident Media. (May)