Aftershock

Starred review from November 5, 2012
Sorenson (The Edge of Night) fuels this fast-paced romantic thriller with nonstop adrenaline. Paramedic Lauren Boyer is headed to an emergency call when an 8.5-magnitude earthquake hits San Diego, killing her partner and trapping her and others underneath a collapsed freeway. As Lauren hunts for survivors, she meets up with Iraq war veteran Garrett Wright. The two rescue a pregnant teenager from a burning car before finding an unscathed older man and his young granddaughter. As Lauren desperately tries to save the wounded, she learns that three escaped felons are among those trapped beneath the freeway. The situation quickly becomes dire as the criminals demand the lion's share of food, water, and morphine. In the midst of chaos, Lauren falls hard for Garrettâbut he's hiding a huge secret that could not only destroy their happiness but cost them their lives. This twisty roller-coaster ride keeps the pages turning. Agent: Laurie McLean, Larsen/Pomada Literary Agents.

December 1, 2012
After EMT Lauren Boyer's partner is killed in their ambulance when a freeway falls during an 8.5 earthquake in San Diego, she, hulky former U.S. Marine Garrett, a pregnant woman, a grandfather, his granddaughter, and two severely injured people set up base in the area around the severed ambulance and the cab of a semi. Through aftershocks, they hunker down in their little caved-in area, fighting off a gang of three prison inmates while trying to come up with an escape or rescue plan. Like a season of Survivor, they must battle problems both large and small: the convicts squander their liquids, then attack to get more, wounding the grandfather; the pregnant girl goes into labor; one of the injured dies, while the other wakes with no memory. As Lauren and Garrett work to keep everyone healthy and calm, even as setbacks develop, they bond. But will what feels like love now last after they are rescued? As the survivors fight for their lives, Sorenson describes everything in stunning detail to create a riveting romantic adventure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)