"Epic."Simply epic in scope, characters, story, plot and imagery. One of the best disaster stories I have ever read. Highly recommend." Jay Ward, October 21, 2018 (Goodreads) In the basement of the new USGS Data Center Laboratory in Pasadena, California, Dr. Greg Foreman notes some unusual results of minor earthquakes that occurred overnight. Unable to immediately discuss the abnormalities with his mentor, he puts his misgivings aside and begins his Tuesday morning.Miner Carl "Bear" Barinovich discovers a fabulous gold mine high in the Sierras and can't believe his luck while likewise, in Newport Beach, movie producer Ken Whitlock anticipates a visit by Magda Fabin, a Hungarian movie starlet. Ken has his housekeeper prepare hors d'oeuvres and chill champagne, knowing what it means if Magda arrives without her agent.Pete Madison and his daughter Darcy survive a killer wave on Lake Mead while Hoover Dam's manager, Harry Forbes, experiences an unprecedented earthquake that causes considerable damage to the canyon walls and the dam's approach roads. Minutes later and more than two-hundred miles south of the dam, a group of Mexican nationals loses one of its members while crossing the Rio Colorado due to another strong earthquake centered near Yuma, Arizona.Jeremy Woods, the editor of the Los Angeles Tribune, reads reports of the two major quakes: Yuma is devastated with thousands of fatalities and one ridiculous report states that the Colorado River is flowing upstream. He scoffs at that but nevertheless realizes it's going to be a long day.Atop his mine, "Bear" experiences his first strong quake, one that seemingly wants to knock him off his mountaintop perch. He laughs as he rides it out and then finds a nugget large enough to retire on.This is still early Tuesday; eight more days are required to complete the California Archipelago.
In the tradition of Michael Crichton, Ron McGraw presents WALKER'S ISLAND. Owned and designed by multi-billionaire Lloyd Walker to advance research at an accelerated pace, San Sebastian Island is a near Utopia for Genetic Engineering scientists employed at Walker's Medical Foundation. Isolated and independent of the California mainland, Walker's island caters to each and every resident's whim while providing the perfect environment for scientific research. Tremendous strides are taking place in the quest to end mankind's maladies, but someone on the island is selling the Foundation's discoveries to rival firms and Walker wants it to stop. Enter Craig Fleming, an ex-CIA agent with extraordinary ability to ferret moles out of any organization-for a price. Within months he's ready to name the conspirators when he uncovers the dark secrets behind the Foundation's successes, secrets that Walker and the Foundation will do anything to conceal.
Greg and Arlene foreman are easily lured away from an idyllic life in France by the USGS because they mutually miss their challenging lifestyles. Carl "Bear" Barinovich becomes aware that returning to California and his gold mine is his only solution to an unexpected tragedy while Marge Stimson sees an opportunity to form her own movie studio and gathers the old Whitlock team, including Perry Martin and his impatient wife Darcy who longs to be in front of cameras again. Enter an unstable and jealous Neil Fleming, an attractive young geologist and a pair of small-time murderers out for an easy haul, then include surprises and violent events that are beyond everyone's control and you have Return to The Archipelago.
After five years of geologic inactivity, California once again becomes an irresistible lure for many, both in and out of the government. The USGS recalls Dr. Greg Foreman to provide his expertise, "Bear" Barinovich recruits a team to return to his mine in the Sierras and Marge Stimson gathers Ken Whitlock's old movie crew to form her own studio in Simi Valley. Several others are drawn to the state for various reasons, both good and nefarious in this final, fascinating continuation of the archipelago series.
