A natural disaster reveals an unnatural conspiracy—"Steele keeps the action moving at a breathless pace right up to the nail-biting climax" (Publishers Weekly).

It takes only minutes for the earthquake to demolish St. Louis. The city's oldest structures crumble, its finest bridge collapses into the Mississippi, and the observation deck of the famous arch falls to earth, killing five. Seven months later, all those who can afford to leave have gone, abandoning the poor, sick, and desperate to scrap for survival. Gerry Rosen, a reporter for the Big Muddy Inquirer, isn't going anywhere. Whether thriving or ruined, this is his town.
After months of reporting on the earthquake's aftermath, with electricity, security, and food in short supply, Rosen stumbles on something that takes his breath away. Beneath the rubble of old St. Louis lurks a stunning government conspiracy, the details of which are almost too dangerous to print. Rosen goes underground, running from the army in a desperate attempt to save his city—and his life.