Reviews

 TCM Review by Kate Greenwood

A tsunami, a threat sure to quicken pulses and heighten blood pressure, is headed for the coast of Southern California. Unfortunately, interested parties are divided on the probability of such a disaster and the early warnings are ignored by the five million people living within two miles of the coast. Enter Dr. Leilani Sanches- the tsunami predicting scientist and main character of Gordon Gumpertz’s new novel, Tsunami.

When Lani’s computer model predictions are discredited she is quickly thrust into a chaotic struggle for her career, her survival and her future. Gumpertz takes us on this thrilling journey of seismography and volcanology and of parallel lives that unexpectedly intersect. From sabotage to smuggling as well as a little romance, it’s all included in this contemporary page turner. Given its interesting reality based topic, Tsunami will be filed in my library with the books of Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston.

Kate Greenwood

Armchair Inteviews - Stephanie Boyd

Seismologist Dr. Leilani (Lani) Sanches thinks an undersea volcano is acting in such an unusual manner that the normal science theories don’t fit–and if her theories are right and the volcano blows, it will cause a tsunami that would wipe out a large portion of California’s densely populated coast.

Sanches’ immediate boss refuses to consider it a possibility because of professional jealousy and possibly greed. Lani has to go to extreme measures to get someone to see her hypothesis that puts her job at risk. Coast Guard Commander Dave Steel and his boss believe Lani’s theories and are working to help her get the attention needed to save potentially millions of lives. Unfortunately someone will go to any lengths to ensure her message isn’t heard so it won’t affect their bottom line!

This is an outstanding natural disaster verses the greed-of-man story! Some very greedy businessmen don’t care if millions of people die in a potential tsunami as long as their bottom line isn’t affected by a real effort to warn people of the danger of the tsunami.

Lani and Dave are very strong characters and must put everything on the line to support Lani’s theory, which only says there is a chance of a tsunami. Lani and Dave also must face their own personal demons to discover if it is worth the potential pain to become involved with one another.

Nature cannot be second-guessed, and no one knows if the volcano will erupt or not. But should millions of people have to die because greedy people don’t want to make a contingency plan in case nature prevails? Lani and Dave feel compelled to do everything in their power to find a way to save as many people as possible if nature prevails, even if it cost their lives.

I loved this book. If you want to be entertained, intrigued, and enthralled by the dual plot of nature verses man and greed verses the good of man then you will love it too!

 

Bloggers News Network - Book Reviews by Simon Barrett 

Could a tsunami hit Southern California? The answer to that question is a resounding yes. The whole area is geologically very active, so it is certainly a possibility.  This is the premise behind Gordon Gumpertz’s new book Tsunami.

I enjoyed this novel a great deal, Gordon has done a very good job of building his characters and also developing the plot. The hero’s are knights in shining armor, and the bad guys are straight from the loins of Satan, this is what a true adventure/thriller/action novel should be.

Our hero’s are Dr. Leilani (Lani) Sanches a seismologist who is convinced by her computer model that a huge seismic event is going to occur offshore, and cause a colossal loss of life. Unfortunately Lani finds herself at odds with other leading researchers and her University, who for a variety of reasons, not least of which is monetary, would prefer to down play the issue.  Our other hero is Coast guard Commander Dave Steel, who also believes Southern California is in imminent danger.

Our bad guys are a motley assortment of thugs and criminals. most notably George Hacker international shipping magnet and gun smuggler, his main hit man Ho Kai Fat who seems to have been loosely based on the James Bond villain Oddjob, and Harley Wamp, a greedy land developer.

Gordon Gumpertz has done a great job of intertwining what are really three separate stories into one. We have the ‘disaster’ aspect of a predicted tsunami, we have David Steel trying to solve how huge amounts of cheap illegal weapons of Asian origin are finding their way to the west coast of the US, and we have Harley Wamp who stands to make or lose billions of dollars on a land development in Camp Pendleton. For those of you not familiar with Southern California, Camp Pendleton is a huge marine base that lies between Oceanside and San Clemente, should the marines ever move out, this would indeed be 26 miles of very prime beach front real estate!

Tsunami is a tsunami from page one. Gordon Gumpertz wastes no time, the story starts with a bang, and the reader is off on a 300 page wild adventure. Will a caldera form offshore,  will the source of the gun smuggling be found, and what will happen with the land speculation?

I will not give the plot away, but I will say this. Using a very subjective guide, the Simon system of book rating, you can determine how good a book is by the total elapsed time that it takes me to read it. Most books I read 50 pages, and go do something else, read another 50 pages, go do something else, so the normal book takes a couple of days. With Tsunami I sat on the porch, and read it cover to cover in about 4 hours! I could not put it down. I know this is a cliché, but I have to say it anyway, Tsunami is a page turner.

You can pick up your copy of Tsunami from Amazon.

Simon Barrett

 



Review by www.bookshipper.blogspot.com

Tsunami, written by Gordon Gumpertz is one of my favorite genres and one that, unfortunately, seems to be on the decline - catastrophic novels!

I can well imagine how much of a challenge it must be for an author to write a book about these type of events - somehow, these things seem to translate better on film than on the written page. No matter, Gumpertz does a fantastic job and made me feel as though I was right in the thick of things - right from the beginning where most of the scientific community is convinced that a Tsunami could not possibly result from that dormant volcano up until the actual event in inevitable (you know it HAD to happen).

Dr. Sanches, who has been predicting this event works feverishly to get her colleagues on board and then to try to figure out a why to prevent it from happening.

The writing is top notch - as I mentioned, it takes a special writing skill to be able to bring these types of events to life on the written page and author Gumpertz does an excellent job of making me feel as though I am RIGHT there!  also enjoy the feeling of dread that I had from the beginning of this book - you just know there is a veryyyyy bad thing about to happen and you find yourself cheering those who are trying to find a way to fight it - yet, at the same time, you want it to happen so you can read it through and experience it!

I really enjoyed this book - it was a tad technical in some areas, but it was worth it - this book is fantastic.

www.bookshipper.blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reader Reviews

“I read Tsunami in one day, on the plane and between flights. It’s terrific! Lots of interesting sub plots, good villains, suspense, and a love story too. The main characters are well developed and what a payoff when we finally get to the tsunami! Very well researched. Tsunami cries out to be a thriller disaster movie.”
Kathryn Jordan
Author, Hot Water

“Frighteningly real, well researched and thought provoking. Which set of scientific facts do you believe and how much preparation for disaster is enough? Don’t miss this captivating read.”
Audrey Schumacher Moe
Author and Illustrator, Beach Walk

“Tsunami is a rip-roaring adventure story packed with fascinating science – undersea volcanoes, ocean motion, tectonic plates, and a killer tsunami. Can the beautiful and brainy scientist and her Coast Guard Commander ally overcome powerful and treacherous enemies to save the millions living in the tsunami’s path? There’s a swell sub plot about gun smuggling, a romance, and an array of well-rounded and believable characters both major and minor. Pure enjoyment. A memorable read.”
Caroline Church
Cambria, CA

“In his breakout novel, Gordon Gumpertz has crafted a tightly-plotted thriller that flies off the pages.”
Richard Sand
Award-winning author
Lucas Rock mystery series

“Tsunami is a pulse-thumping page turner rich in duplicity, diabolical maneuvering, and intrigue.”
John Hamilton Lewis
Author, Cry Havoc,
Basha, Sansara

“Gordon Gumpertz’s Tsunami is a fast-paced thriller – as fine a read as I’ve had in years, current best sellers included. Don’t start this one near bedtime or you won’t be sleeping tonight!”
Steve Roche
Retired Wall Street V.P.

 

 

 

 

Stephanie Boyd