Equilibrium

by Thomas Burns

From the author of the newly released novel Inertia, Equilibrium begins the saga of Nick Kremer, an up-and-coming engineer, who seems to have it all. Recently named a partner in his firm, Nick is eyeing a golden future until a project he has designed fails, with catastrophic results. This loss of equlife oilibrium is the last thing he expects as government bureaucrats make him the scapegoat, leading to the disintegration of Nick’s firm, career, and more. As his entire life unravels, Nick finds that bad choices lead to even darker consequences.Through the urging of an old friend, Nick agrees to try a new profession. As he settles into his new lifestyle, his world is rocked again when another failure occurs and many more lives are lost. Knowing from experience that government reports can be less than accurate, Nick feels obligated to find the real reasons for that failure. Launching his own investigation, Nick uncovers mysterious evidence and unwittingly involves a young professor in his search for the truth. Little does he know that his investigation will cause him to cross paths with those from his past and embroil him in a race against time to foil a crippling terror attack.

350 pages, Paperback

Published June 9, 2017

About the author

Thomas Burns has spent over three decades practicing and teaching in the field of structural engineering. Fascinated with technological advancements, he is particularly interested in lessons we can learn from both catastrophic failures as well as engineering triumphs. When looking at buildings and bridges, he finds great inspiration knowing that there are untold stories embedded in the vast amount of effort spent by a multitude of individuals in order to make those structures “work.”
A licensed engineer, he has undergraduate and graduate degrees in civil engineering from the University of Cincinnati, and a doctorate in construction management from Indiana State University. Though new to the world of fiction, he is not new to the world of writing, having written multiple books and articles in his field over the last thirty years.

Reviews

[Mike Drummond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly quite surprised at how good this was! For a book written by a former professor of mine, I wasn’t expecting much, but was impressed with the well-developed storyline and intense plot. The writing style was a bit rough in different parts, but that didn’t detract too much from readability. As a structural engineering student myself, I was already familiar with the 2 famous collapses used as the basis for the events in the story, but this brought an interesting new perspective and really drove home the responsibility riding on the shoulders of engineers to protect the public.

When Equilibrium was described to me as a “structural engineering thriller”, I was skeptical at best, but the book really delivered. After a good bit of build-up and background - as well as some major jumps in time where no details were given - the last 1/3 of the story made the book hard to put down. Burns keeps the reader engaged through the use of short chapters that switch between different characters’ perspectives and end on cliffhangers. With equal parts engineering, romance, terrorism, and mystery, Equilibrium really is the first in its genre!

On the whole, this is a book anyone can read quickly, regardless of prior engineering knowledge. It hits close to home for anyone living in the Kentucky-Ohio area, and gives an exciting fictional storyline to well-known structural failures, while telling the story through the eyes of a few ordinary, average engineers. I would recommend the novel for anyone looking for a well-researched thriller or an interest in physics, engineering, technology, or global politics. And a major plot twist in the final pages has me looking forward to reading the sequel, Inertia, soon!

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom Burns has written a very convincing thriller with Equilibrium. It starts out with Misty, a young pregnant woman going to a ballroom in a downtown hotel to meet her husband for a last night out before the birth of their second child; Nick, an engineer who's just become a partner in a Lexington firm owned by his mentor/friend/father figure; and Nassir, an Egyptian engineer working in the National Engineering Laboratory reflecting on how his life is so much better than the one he left behind. All three lives are changed irrevocably when the hotel walkways (design approved by Nick) collapse, killing many, and bringing Nassir to Cincinnati as part of the government's response team. Burns does an excellent job of building the suspense toward the inevitable failure, and an equally good job dealing with the human response as the government team moves towards the easy solution rather than the right one. The novel spans twenty years, with echoes of the past in a new disaster in the present. Engineering, and Middle eastern politics both play a part, and Burns manages to give adequate detail without bogging down into esoterica. He kept me up way past bedtime.

[Doug Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this novel, a hotel walkway collapse in Cincinnati in 1986 kills 114 people and affects many others, sending ripples that extend halfway around the world and back over 21 years before a new "equilibrium" is reached.

The thriller genre has a number of distinct subgenres---legal thrillers, medical thrillers, financial thrillers, technothrillers. This is the first engineering thriller that I have run across, and it works well in the hands of an experienced engineer and writer.

[Kimberly Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for first time author. Even though there were references to structural engineering design and process, the author made it easy to follow. The story is suspenseful with interesting characters. Looking forward to future works!

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read and hard to put down. Kept me in constant suspense with multiple twist and turns. A great first book by Professor Burns and hopefully more to come by this talented and new writer.

[Jenna Verst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Equilibrium by Thomas Burns is a great read. Couldn't put this book down and can't wait to read the sequel.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing novel from first time author- characters were well-developed and story incorporated technical elements in an easy to understand manner. Loved the ending and it makes me excited for this author’s next book!