Before The Ground Shakes

Before the Ground Shakes
A near-future thriller by Sid
The Earth always gives a warning. Almost nobody is listening.
In 2045, climate scientist Sue Navarro and data scientist John Hale work at the Global Earth Research Institute. They discover that natural disasters leave hidden signals long before they strike: a restless ocean, a warming underground rock, a river that forgets how fast it runs. Together they build ARGUS, a system that reads those signals and predicts earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, floods and landslides in time to save lives.
Their first success in a quiet mountain town makes them famous. It also makes them targets. Governments doubt their predictions. A powerful company called Halcyon Group wants to lock the warnings behind a price tag. Someone inside the institute is leaking its secrets. Then ARGUS reveals the worst thing yet: a chain of signals across the Indian Ocean points to a tsunami and cyclone that will hit eleven coastal cities in nine days.
With the clock running and enemies closing in, Sue and John must decide who they can trust, and whether the world will listen before it’s too late.
Fast-paced and hopeful, this short novel combines science, suspense and heart. It is about preparation, courage and the idea that warnings belong to everyone.
A quick, gripping read for fans of disaster thrillers, near-future science fiction and stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.