Worst Case Scenario

“Worst Case Scenario is the best thriller I’ve read so far this year. It’s a chilling idea with great characters and near-perfect execution.” -James Patterson

When a pilot suffers a heart attack at 35,000 feet, a commercial airliner filled with passengers crashes into a nuclear power plant in the small town of Waketa, Minnesota, which becomes ground zero for a catastrophic national crisis with global implications.

#1 internationally bestselling author T.J. Newman is back with Worst Case Scenario, following her explosive debut thriller Falling and its harrowing follow-up Drowning.
 

“Worst Case Scenario is the best thriller I’ve read so far this year.  A jetliner crashes in the worst possible location – and I mean the worst – the site of a nuclear plant.  It’s a chilling idea with great characters and near-perfect execution.  T. J. Newman is the kind of gifted storyteller that comes along every 5 to 10 years. Don’t miss Worst Case Scenario.” -James Patterson   

The International Nuclear Event Scale tracks nuclear disasters. It has seven levels. Level 7 is a Major Accident, with only two on record: Fukushima and Chernobyl. There has never been a Level 8. Until now.
 
In this heart-stopping thriller, ordinary people—power plant employees, firefighters, teachers, families, neighbors, and friends— are thrust into an extraordinary situation as they face the ultimate test of their lives. It will take the combined courage, ingenuity, and determination of a brave few to save not only their community and loved ones, but the fate of humanity at large.

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  Amazon Best Book of the Month
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  A People magazine Best Book of the Week
• "Worst Case Scenario is the best thriller I’ve read so far this year.  A jetliner crashes in the worst possible location – and I mean theworst – the site of a nuclear plant.  It’s a chilling idea with great characters and near-perfect execution.  T. J. Newman is the kind of gifted storyteller that comes along every 5 to 10 years.  Don’t miss Worst Case Scenario."
  James Patterson
• "An extraordinary book. T.J. Newman has written the kind of novel where you can't wait to see what happens next and that you don't want to end. It's a stunning page-turner that you will read fast and tell family and friends about for a long time. It feels like you're inside this book and with these amazing characters as they face one impossible challenge after another. I loved this book and I know you will love it. And it's going to make for an incredible movie."
   
  Don Winslow
• “Newman's newest thriller is a must-read, and continues her reign as the best in the genre.”
  USA Today
• "A chilling tale of disaster, bravery, and sacrifice."
  Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
• "A heartpounder and one of the year's best thrillers."
  People
• “[Newman] sets herself apart by giving notable weight and color to the human-scale dramas. She doesn’t skimp when it comes to action, either, resulting in a rip-roaring adventure that’s anchored in palpable emotion. This should satisfy the author’s fans and win her new ones.”
  Publishers Weekly
• Praise for Falling
• “Falling is the best kind of thriller (for me as a reader anyway). Characters you care deeply about. Nonstop, totally authentic suspense.”
  James Patterson, #1 New York Times bestselling author
• “T. J. Newman has taken a brilliant idea, a decade of real-life experience, and crafted the perfect summer thriller. Relentlessly paced and unforgettable.”
  Janet Evanovich, #1 New York Times bestselling author
• “Attention, please: T. J. Newman has written the perfect thriller! Such a cool, high-concept idea: commercial airline pilot forced to make the ultimate life-or-death choice. Newman’s background in the air grounds the story in reality, while her writing amps up the suspense to unbearable levels. Terrific and terrifying, a true page-turner. A must-read for summer vacation—but my advice is, don't start this book until you’ve gotten off the plane.”
  Gillian Flynn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Gone Girl
• “Heart pounding. Heart wringing. Heart STOPPING! A great book! One of those where you’re afraid to turn the next page, but you can’t stop.”
  Diana Gabaldon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Outlander series
• “Amazing . . . Intense suspense, shocks and scares plus chilling insider authenticity make this one very special.”
  Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author
• “Think Speed on a passenger jet—with the cockpit dials turned up to supersonic.”
  Ian Rankin, #1 internationally bestselling author
• Praise for Drowning
• “Drowning is the first terrific thriller of 2023. Honest. It has at least a dozen legit cliffhangers and a dozen huggable characters you can’t stop rooting for. T.J. Newman has the goods. Make that the greats!”
  James Patterson, #1 New York Times bestselling author
• “A stunningly vivid tour de force! Gripping. Shocking. Heartbreaking. You will not be able to come up for air until the very last page!”
  Brad Thor, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dead Fall
• “Stunning, emotional, and unforgettable. Drowning reads like Apollo 13 underwater.”
  Don Winslow, New York Times bestselling author of City on Fire and The Border
• “Masterful.”
  Patricia Cornwell, #1 New York Times bestselling author
• “Drowning is The Poseidon Adventure meets The Martian. It is another can’t-put-down, edge-of-your-seat thriller from T. J. Newman, one of our most exciting new authors.”
  Adrian McKinty, New York Times bestselling author of The Chain and The Island
• “Drowning is pure adrenaline and all heart. Gripping, relentless, effortlessly assured, T. J. Newman’s thriller is tense and moving. You’ll be grabbed from page one as the crew and passengers of a downed airliner fight for survival and rescuers race to reach them. Drowning is an incredible ride—strap in, brace, and remember to breathe.”
  Meg Gardiner, #1 New York Times bestselling author