What do you think?
Rate this book
Jackie Harlan #0.5
Seattle Quake 9.2
They knew it could happen - scientists had been warning them for years. Yet, nearly two million people living in the greater Seattle area went about their daily lives as usual. A Detective Agency thought they had found a missing woman, an upstart radio station was on the air, and an eccentric banker had just started a round of golf. Thousands were driving on freeways, shopping in malls, awaiting flights, working in downtown high-rises, and on buses in the bus tunnel.
They knew -- they just didn't believe it could happen to them.
(This book is dedicated to Ham Radio Operators all over the world who open the lines of communication after a disaster. Although the technology may be a little out of date, this book still honors their hard, behind the scenes work.)
They knew -- they just didn't believe it could happen to them.
(This book is dedicated to Ham Radio Operators all over the world who open the lines of communication after a disaster. Although the technology may be a little out of date, this book still honors their hard, behind the scenes work.)
329 pages, ebook
First published May 1, 2001
296 people are currently reading
575 people want to read
About the author
Marti Talbott
87 books140 followersMarti Talbott (www.martitalbott.com) is the author of over 45 full length novels, all of which are written without profanity and sex scenes. She lives in Seattle, is retired and has two children, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. The MacGreagor family saga begins with The Viking Series and continues in Marti Talbott’s Highlander’s Series, Marblestone Mansion, the Scandalous Duchess series, and ends with The Lost MacGreagor books. Her mystery books include Seattle Quake 9.2, Missing Heiress, Greed and a Mistress, The Locked Room, and The Dead Letters. Other books include The Promise and Broken Pledge.
Watch for her new trilogy - THE FOX, THE LION, and THE BEAR (A Triplet Trilogy)
Watch for her new trilogy - THE FOX, THE LION, and THE BEAR (A Triplet Trilogy)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews
January 18, 2016
“We’re going away. Pack your shit, folks. We’re going away. And we won’t leave much of a trace, either. Maybe a little Styrofoam … The planet’ll be here and we’ll be long gone. Just another failed mutation. Just another closed-end biological mistake. An evolutionary cul-de-sac. The planet’ll shake us off like a bad case of fleas.” – George Carlin
It seems so innocuous at first. A tremble here. A bump there. Maybe a book falls off a shelf, or you notice the water in your glass rippling. So innocuous.
And then the world explodes. The earth falls and rises, buildings fall. Car alarms. House alarms. And the screams. Screams of terror, screams of pain. And the earth continues to fall and rise. Louder. Harder. Violence and noise and horror, as buildings crash to the earth, fires burst out the ground as gas mains shatters. And the water begins to pull away from the shore, faster and faster . . . and then, for a moment, silence falls . . . the earth stills . . . and then, the water comes. And death has only just begun.
Again and again, the earth roars out in pain, death roars rampant over the earth. And the horror has only just begun.
9.2 on the Richter Scale. The size of the 1964 Alaska quake, give or take a percentage point. But you see, the Alaska quake was centered in an area with a tiny population along Prince William Sound and Kodiak Island. 115 people in Alaska died, as well as 16 people in Oregon and California. Wooden structures were all that stood in the way of the quake and the following tsunami, and most were away for the holidays.
Now, take that 9.2 quake and plop it right in the middle of Seattle. It sits, you see, on top of one of the largest faults in the world. Concrete and glass skyscrapers. The Sound. Lakes and rivers. And a population of approximately 662,000 people in an area of 83 square miles. Add a beautiful Saturday afternoon, a rare sunshiny Saturday afternoon at that, with everyone out and about, playing along the waterfront. And the devastation? Well, ‘incalculable’ doesn’t begin to touch the outcome.
Marti Talbott takes us into the middle of the destruction, basing her story upon a small group of people caught in the quake and doing their best to survive and find their loved ones. And upon the actions of a group of heroes I honestly didn’t know truly existed any longer. Ham radio operators. As we listen to their conversations, as they work to gather information, to get help where it is most needed, and to be the heart that listens to the agony, I was absolutely blown away by the strength and courage of people who, with no government support and no funding work themselves to exhaustion to save lives. Yes, I sat here and didn’t move, turning pages on my reader obsessively until the end. Yes, I should be working, but I just couldn’t put it down!
This is the first of Talbott’s “Jackie Harlan Mysteries” and I completely enjoyed it. There are others, though I don’t know if I would be interested in reading them or not. They are based on a detective agency that searches for missing persons. In this case the missing person in question was a big part of the storyline as she and her two companions fight to survive, both during and in the aftermath of the quake. The others seem to be more, well, ‘missing heiress’ and ‘greedy mistress’ stuff, which doesn’t ring my bells. The blurbs describe people I don’t think I would enjoy reading about. Stick “Billionaire” in the description and it turns me off, honestly. I mean, really? How many people’s lives did said ‘billionaire’ destroy to gain more money than he could ever spend in a lifetime? Don’t really care if he is trying to find the kid of the maid he knocked up.
But this one? This one is awesome! And FREE, at that, so grab it while you can!
It seems so innocuous at first. A tremble here. A bump there. Maybe a book falls off a shelf, or you notice the water in your glass rippling. So innocuous.
And then the world explodes. The earth falls and rises, buildings fall. Car alarms. House alarms. And the screams. Screams of terror, screams of pain. And the earth continues to fall and rise. Louder. Harder. Violence and noise and horror, as buildings crash to the earth, fires burst out the ground as gas mains shatters. And the water begins to pull away from the shore, faster and faster . . . and then, for a moment, silence falls . . . the earth stills . . . and then, the water comes. And death has only just begun.
Again and again, the earth roars out in pain, death roars rampant over the earth. And the horror has only just begun.
9.2 on the Richter Scale. The size of the 1964 Alaska quake, give or take a percentage point. But you see, the Alaska quake was centered in an area with a tiny population along Prince William Sound and Kodiak Island. 115 people in Alaska died, as well as 16 people in Oregon and California. Wooden structures were all that stood in the way of the quake and the following tsunami, and most were away for the holidays.
Now, take that 9.2 quake and plop it right in the middle of Seattle. It sits, you see, on top of one of the largest faults in the world. Concrete and glass skyscrapers. The Sound. Lakes and rivers. And a population of approximately 662,000 people in an area of 83 square miles. Add a beautiful Saturday afternoon, a rare sunshiny Saturday afternoon at that, with everyone out and about, playing along the waterfront. And the devastation? Well, ‘incalculable’ doesn’t begin to touch the outcome.
Marti Talbott takes us into the middle of the destruction, basing her story upon a small group of people caught in the quake and doing their best to survive and find their loved ones. And upon the actions of a group of heroes I honestly didn’t know truly existed any longer. Ham radio operators. As we listen to their conversations, as they work to gather information, to get help where it is most needed, and to be the heart that listens to the agony, I was absolutely blown away by the strength and courage of people who, with no government support and no funding work themselves to exhaustion to save lives. Yes, I sat here and didn’t move, turning pages on my reader obsessively until the end. Yes, I should be working, but I just couldn’t put it down!
This is the first of Talbott’s “Jackie Harlan Mysteries” and I completely enjoyed it. There are others, though I don’t know if I would be interested in reading them or not. They are based on a detective agency that searches for missing persons. In this case the missing person in question was a big part of the storyline as she and her two companions fight to survive, both during and in the aftermath of the quake. The others seem to be more, well, ‘missing heiress’ and ‘greedy mistress’ stuff, which doesn’t ring my bells. The blurbs describe people I don’t think I would enjoy reading about. Stick “Billionaire” in the description and it turns me off, honestly. I mean, really? How many people’s lives did said ‘billionaire’ destroy to gain more money than he could ever spend in a lifetime? Don’t really care if he is trying to find the kid of the maid he knocked up.
But this one? This one is awesome! And FREE, at that, so grab it while you can!
December 25, 2014
I kept thinking I had missed some pages or something. What was the point of the whole "Missing persons company"? Who was the monitored woman on the bed? Characters, descriptions and plot pieces seemed to be thrown in for no good reason. The "mystery" revealed at the end was a thud of anticlimax and added nothing whatsoever. The Ham radio operators importance was a nice touch, and could have been the whole of the book, really, but the rest was total nonsense.
I wonder about the other reviewers who wax eloquent and gush and give it five stars. Do they read much, or just People magazine?
I wonder about the other reviewers who wax eloquent and gush and give it five stars. Do they read much, or just People magazine?
April 6, 2019
I was living/working in Seattle, in 2001, when the 6.8 Nisqually earthquake hit. The largest earthquake noted, in Washington history, the Cascadia quake (estimated: 8.7 - 9.2) took place in 1700. Given that the entire West Coast of the United States is part of the infamous (volcanic) Ring of Fire, the big one might well be a-comin'!! On the positive side, this book served as a reminder to update my disaster preparedness kit (yup, I have one!). The book was a freebie; I found it to be underwhelming . . my opinion. 2*
December 26, 2014
Okay, where to begin? The story itself, the premise was good, but NO ONE noticed that the title is Seattle Quake 9.2, but the quake itself was 9.1. Up until halfway through the book it was an incredible adventure story, but then it got bogged down. The whole exchange with the ham radios was cool, but there were a lot of subplots that kind of weighed it down. I think a quarter of the book could have been chopped and it would have been a much, much, better read.
December 25, 2014
Readable, but too many subplots and what might have been the main plot wasn't developed enough to bring the rest of the story together. Interesting storylines in the subplots, some excellent disaster scenes but a lot more character development would have given it more 'storyline'.
December 24, 2014
Fast-paced; likable, but under-developed characters; good plot; a touch a faith; and a happy ending.
May 8, 2020
SLoppy editing, worse writing
This book felt scattered, as if the author just jotted thoughts as they came. The characters weren’t fleshed out very well and it took about 2/3 of the book to figure out who everyone was. There was way too much disaster reporting; those words should have been spent on character development. The bad guy at the end was wrapped up too quickly. More back story on that should have been done, and maybe even have that character show up in the narration to liven things up. The editor missed several typos and didn’t even try at continuity as far as the magnitude of the earthquake. At one point the book mentioned, from the earth’s POV, that an aftershock was building that was stronger than the original trembler, but it never happened. Skip this one.
This book felt scattered, as if the author just jotted thoughts as they came. The characters weren’t fleshed out very well and it took about 2/3 of the book to figure out who everyone was. There was way too much disaster reporting; those words should have been spent on character development. The bad guy at the end was wrapped up too quickly. More back story on that should have been done, and maybe even have that character show up in the narration to liven things up. The editor missed several typos and didn’t even try at continuity as far as the magnitude of the earthquake. At one point the book mentioned, from the earth’s POV, that an aftershock was building that was stronger than the original trembler, but it never happened. Skip this one.
June 7, 2018
I found this book to be quite unbelievable having lived near the epicenter of the Loma Prieta 7.2 quake in 1989. This is supposed to be a “mystery,” but there wasn't much of a mystery to this book at all. The supposed “mystery” was written about in the beginning and tied up in a nice bow in the last chapter, but other than that, it was just a bunch of ham radio conversations and what a handful of people experienced during this 9.1 quake. And, yes, I noticed the title says it was a 9.2 quake when the book says it was a 9.1. Get the details straight! There were quite a few typos in the book which drives me nuts and it was almost a waste of my time to read. The result of the "mystery" was a surprise, but gratuitous for the crimes were committed by someone who was hardly ever mentioned in the book. I thought I was reading an epic disaster story made for TV instead of a mystery. I kept going on in hopes it would get better. It didn't.
December 12, 2014
Earth science has fascinated me ever since I learned about it and the operation of tectonic plates. This novel really brought home the fact that every family needs an emergency "go to" kit prepared regardless of which part of the country they live in. The personal stories made the this even more imperative. Here is hoping that the 9+ quakes don't take place, but when they do we as a nation need to be prepared!
March 9, 2018
Moves too Slowly
A little trite and not nearly exciting as it should have been for a 9.2 earthquake . A little more action as opposed to running n
Bank and forth looking for helicopter.
A little trite and not nearly exciting as it should have been for a 9.2 earthquake . A little more action as opposed to running n
Bank and forth looking for helicopter.
February 7, 2016
I enjoyed it more because I love Seattle and knew so many of the sites mentioned. However, it got old hearing every time there was a shift in a building or the lady's heart ached.
September 22, 2019
Just too depressing!
November 30, 2019
This one is about a disaster in Seattle and the surrounding area along with the mystery of a run-away wife and her husband who really wants her back. As in other books of this nature there is a variety of people who are involved during the quake but the most interesting part of this is the use of ham radio operators.
Regular communications are out due to the destruction caused by the quake and it's up to the ham radio people, plus one small radio station, to try to bring at least some order out of the massive chaos that has been set in motion. There are brave people and there are the usual thugs who decide looting is the answer to their problems.
The descriptions of the people are well done and the descriptions of just what is going on during the earthquake is very well done. The book says interesting throughout. It's one of those rare books that falls into the category of 'so good you just can't put it down.'
Regular communications are out due to the destruction caused by the quake and it's up to the ham radio people, plus one small radio station, to try to bring at least some order out of the massive chaos that has been set in motion. There are brave people and there are the usual thugs who decide looting is the answer to their problems.
The descriptions of the people are well done and the descriptions of just what is going on during the earthquake is very well done. The book says interesting throughout. It's one of those rare books that falls into the category of 'so good you just can't put it down.'
June 5, 2018
What a book. I have not been thru an earthquake, but I sure felt like I was while reading this book. This story gets better as you go along. I enjoyed reading about the Ham Radios. I remember them from the seventies. They were very popular. It took a little bit to get use to the writing style in this story. You will be reading about one character and the next paragraph will be about someone else in a different location. The book is about private investigator Jackie and her team.They arrive in Seattle just before the earthquake hits. They are looking for a woman that was to of died quite a few years ago. Jackie and her team help with rescues after the earthquake.
May 21, 2020
Realistic
Living in this area this book got my attention. It was mind-boggling because everything they were talking about town city streets I knew. I couldn't stop reading it. My husband was starting to get jealous of the book as it got more attention and he did anything better. We are earthquake prepared here at the home. But when it ever hits you never know where we'll be at so it may be useless to us. My only question is are there real ham operators that are doing this like in the book. I would absolutely recommend reading this book. It will make you think it will make you wonder and it might open your eyes
Living in this area this book got my attention. It was mind-boggling because everything they were talking about town city streets I knew. I couldn't stop reading it. My husband was starting to get jealous of the book as it got more attention and he did anything better. We are earthquake prepared here at the home. But when it ever hits you never know where we'll be at so it may be useless to us. My only question is are there real ham operators that are doing this like in the book. I would absolutely recommend reading this book. It will make you think it will make you wonder and it might open your eyes
November 9, 2019
Fast paced action
The actual body of the story is great. Going from disaster to mystery of who is she is well woven into the whole story. The earthquake scenes are riviting fast pace action. The use of the ham operators is very realistic.
The downfall of the story is right at the end. It very bland. It felt like the author decided enough words written, I will just end here. The missing are found and the mystery is solved..The end. This could have been setup up for book 2 opening instead.
The actual body of the story is great. Going from disaster to mystery of who is she is well woven into the whole story. The earthquake scenes are riviting fast pace action. The use of the ham operators is very realistic.
The downfall of the story is right at the end. It very bland. It felt like the author decided enough words written, I will just end here. The missing are found and the mystery is solved..The end. This could have been setup up for book 2 opening instead.
July 29, 2020
I enjoy watching disaster movies and so when I came across this book I thought I’d give it ago. There are some good things about the book, the building of the characters makes you feel for them and their stories and the description of the quake and the devastation was detailed.
The downside was it read in places like a scene setting page from a script, just a bit too much detail. In trying to give you scope of the disaster it lost something in translation.
Added to that a few issues with formatting took a 4 star to a 3 star.
The downside was it read in places like a scene setting page from a script, just a bit too much detail. In trying to give you scope of the disaster it lost something in translation.
Added to that a few issues with formatting took a 4 star to a 3 star.
May 26, 2022
Seattle Quake is the literary equivalent of those terrible disaster movies that you can watch for free by the dozens on youtube, complete with vaguely plausible disaster scenario, poorly drawn characters with absurdly dramatic life histories, and a lot of close-ups of buildings falling, burning, or exploding.
To be fair, sometimes bad disaster movies (or books) hit the spot. So if that's what you're looking for, Seattle Quake is at least not excruciatingly badly-written and does keep the plot moving along at a reasonable pace. But that's all I can say for it.
To be fair, sometimes bad disaster movies (or books) hit the spot. So if that's what you're looking for, Seattle Quake is at least not excruciatingly badly-written and does keep the plot moving along at a reasonable pace. But that's all I can say for it.
January 25, 2023
The book is advertised as a Jackie Harlan mystery but to me that story was secondary to the earthquake plot. I have had this book in my TBR pile for years. I am so glad I finally read it: started and finished in one day around a full day of work. It had me hooked. I desperately needed to find out what happened. It is a fascinating imagining of a monster earthquake and what it is to survive one. The only complaint I have is that the editing could have been better. Some of the errors were glaring and momentarily took me out of the story.
August 20, 2024
The book was meh, I found myself skimming a TON of it. The 'missing person' plot, fitting into the book seemed nearly unnecessary. The climax was - well - anticlimactic.
The ham radio exchanges were a believable touch as to how an emergency of this sort might be navigated. The narrative description of such a catastrophic event was well done - but over done.
The book could have been half the length and still have gotten the point across. It came across as overlong for no real reason. The characters had no depth or substance.
The ham radio exchanges were a believable touch as to how an emergency of this sort might be navigated. The narrative description of such a catastrophic event was well done - but over done.
The book could have been half the length and still have gotten the point across. It came across as overlong for no real reason. The characters had no depth or substance.
April 30, 2018
I obtained this free e-book from Amazon and I am voluntarily writing a review. Like in the days of Noah when he preached about a Flood and begged people to heed the warning so goes Seattle with Earthquakes. Leading up to ,during and after a major 9.2 Earthquake this book follows several citizens through a horrific disaster. I read this in one sitting and I could not put it down. Very descriptive read makes you feel like you are right in the midst of the story and drama.
July 31, 2019
This was a good read. The Ham radio operators were a nice twist. There were a lot of characters in this story and at times it was hard to keep track of who was who. The desertification the earthquake was very accurate as was the telling of the aftershocks and the devastation that was wreaked upon Seattle.
September 4, 2019
A Book Worth Reading
Earthquakes are dangerous yet fascinating. The author does a great job of describing the devastation a major earthquake would bring to Seattle. As they say in disaster movies, this story is true, it just hasn't happened yet. Wrap in a mystery as a detective team seeks a missing woman and you have an entertaining as well as an informative read.
Earthquakes are dangerous yet fascinating. The author does a great job of describing the devastation a major earthquake would bring to Seattle. As they say in disaster movies, this story is true, it just hasn't happened yet. Wrap in a mystery as a detective team seeks a missing woman and you have an entertaining as well as an informative read.
June 4, 2020
A decent catastrophic fictional adventure.
The author did well with building tension in this action packed novel. The characters deal with conflicts amongst themselves, as they try to stay alive.
I gave the book four stars because of the lack of character building and unrealistic scenarios.
The author did well with building tension in this action packed novel. The characters deal with conflicts amongst themselves, as they try to stay alive.
I gave the book four stars because of the lack of character building and unrealistic scenarios.
May 9, 2018
New author
Marti Talbot one of my new best reads this book is as wonderful as it is sad and scary.I would recommend this book to all my fellow readers can't wait to start the next one.
Marti Talbot one of my new best reads this book is as wonderful as it is sad and scary.I would recommend this book to all my fellow readers can't wait to start the next one.
July 23, 2017
Made me think
Written like an adventure story.. Lots of good info to think about. Realistic, interesting. Liked that blanks were filled in at the end.
Written like an adventure story.. Lots of good info to think about. Realistic, interesting. Liked that blanks were filled in at the end.
January 26, 2020
Loved it!!
Very interesting way to tell the story explicitly by using the HAM radios. I also enjoyed the mystery intertwined throughout the main idea.
Very interesting way to tell the story explicitly by using the HAM radios. I also enjoyed the mystery intertwined throughout the main idea.
May 13, 2020
Not a new release by any means but still just as relevant. I have lived through several earthquakes from very small to over 4 in magnitude. This tale, while highly entertaining, also rings very true with some great heroic characters.
May 15, 2020
Good disaster story
Several mini stories being told at the same time, can get a little confusing. Otherwise, a very good disaster book. Thoroughly enjoyable
Several mini stories being told at the same time, can get a little confusing. Otherwise, a very good disaster book. Thoroughly enjoyable
May 15, 2020
Excellent read!
Great plot! Characters that you really get to care about. The way this was written, makes it like you are there too. Glad about the summary at the end.
Great plot! Characters that you really get to care about. The way this was written, makes it like you are there too. Glad about the summary at the end.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews