Following Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton started another masterpiece. James Patterson just finished it. You're about to hear a special preview of Eruption, a new thriller by Michael Crichton and James Patterson. To purchase this audiobook, go to bookpass. Com.

Eruption. Chapter One. Honolii Beach Park, Hilo, Hawaii. Thursday, April 24th, 2025. Time to Eruption. 116 hours, 12 minutes, 13 seconds. Dennis. Standing on the beach, John McGregor had to yell so the surfer would hear him over the sound of the waves. How about you don't go all kukae on me if that would be all right with you? The kids that John McGregor was coaching had heard the expression from him before, and they knew full well that it wasn't a compliment. Kukae was a native Hawaiian word for kuk. And when John McGregor said it, it meant that someone in the water was acting as if he'd never been on a board before or was about to end up underneath one. Mac was 36 years old and an accomplished surfer, or at least he had been when he was younger, before his knees started sounding like a marching band every time he got into a couch on his board. Now his passion for the sport was channeled into these tough 14, 15 and 16-year-old kids from Hilo, half of whom had already dropped out of school. They came to this beach just two miles from downtown Hilo four afternoons a week, and for a few hours, they were part of what islanders called the Post Guard, Hawaii, the one from the TV shows and the movies and the chamber of commerce brochures.

What did I do wrong, Macman, 14-year-old Dennis said as he came out of the water. Well, to start with, That wasn't even your wave. It was Mele's, Max said. The two of them stood at the end of the exposed reef beach. Honolii was known as a good beach for local surfers, mostly because the strong currents kept swimmers away and the kids had the beach to themselves. The last one on the water was Lono. Lono Akani, who had grown up without a father and whose mother was a housekeeper at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, was 16 and Max favorite. He possessed a natural talent for this sport that Mac only wished he'd had at his age. He watched Lono into his couch now on one of the Thurso surf lancers Mac had purchased for each of them. Even from here, Mac could see him smiling. Surely someday this boy would find fear in the ocean, or fear would find him. Just not today, as he flawlessly rode the inside curve of the wave. Lono paddled filled in, put his board under his arm, and walked to where Mac waited on the beach. Thank you, he said. For what?

For reminding me to always see the sets coming, the boy said. It's why I was patient, yeah? Like you tell me to be and waited for the wave I wanted. Mac pattered him on the shoulder. Kiki mekai, good boy. They heard the rumble from the sky then, heard it and felt the beach shaking underneath them, making them both stagger. The boy didn't know whether to look up or down, but John McGregor understood what had happened. He knew a volcanic tremor, often associated with degassing when he felt one. He looked up at the sky around the big island. All the kids were doing the same. It made Mac remember something one of his college professors had said about volcanoes and the beauty of danger. When the Earth quieted, he felt the phone in his pocket it buzzing. He answered, and Jenny Kimura said, Mac, thank God you picked up. Jenny knew that when he was coaching his surfers, he didn't like to be disturbed with minor details from work. The press conference wasn't starting for another hour, so So if Jenny was calling him, it wasn't about something minor. Jenny, what's wrong? We've got degassing, she said.

No, not a minor detail at all. Ha, he said, cursing like one of his surfer boys. Chapter 2. Mac's eyes were drawn to the Twin Peaks again and again. They were like a magnet for people who lived here. Where, he asked Jenny, feeling his chest tighten. At the summit. On my way, he said. He hung up and called out to the surfers. Sorry, boys. Got to bounce. Dennis whooped. Bounce, he said. Never say that again, Mac man. Well, Mac said, I need to haul ass and get back to work. How's that? Roger that, Dennis yelled back at Mac, grinning. You go grind, bra. All the boys occasionally slipped into pigeon. It was part of the teenage pose. Mac walked toward his green truck and Lono caught up to him, bored still under his arm, wet hair slicked back. His eyes were serious, troubled. That wasn't Kilaueya, was it? Lono said, referring to the smallest volcano on the island, keeping his voice low. No, McGregor said. How do you know that, Lono? Kilaueya quakes. They're all shivery and quick, yeah? Like a set of waves, one after another, then dying off. That was the big one, wasn't it?

Mcgregor nodded. Yeah, kid, Mac said. What we just heard came from the big one. Lono leaned in and spoke in a low voice, even though no one was close enough to hear him. Is there going to be an eruption, Mac? Mcgregor reached for the door of his truck. On it was a white circle with the letters HVO in the center and the words Hawaiian volcano observatory on the outside. But then he stopped. Lono looked up at him, eyes more troubled than before, a kid trying hard not to act scared, but unable to carry it off. Lono said, You can tell me if there is. Mac didn't want to say anything that would scare him even more, but he didn't want to lie to him either. Come with me to my press conference, he said, forcing a smile. You might learn something. Learning all the time from you, Macman, the boy said. Of all the kids, Lono was the one Mac had most aggressively encouraged to become an intern at the observatory, recognizing from the start how fiercely bright this boy was despite average grades in school. He was always in search of approval from Mac that he'd never gotten from his father, who'd deserted him and his mother.

It was why he'd done as much reading about volcanoes as he had and knew as much as he did. But Lono glanced back at the other boys and shook his head. Now, you can call and tell me about it later. You going to be here tomorrow? Not sure right now. This is bad, isn't it? Lono asked. I can see you're worried even if you're not saying it. You live here. You always worry about the big one, Max said, whether it's your job or not. Mcgregor got in the truck, started the engine, and drove off toward the mountain, thinking about all the things he hadn't said to Lono Akani, primarily how worried he actually was. And for good reason, Mona Loa was just days away from its most violent eruption in a century. And John McGregor, the geologist who headed the Hawaiian volcano observatory, knew that and was about to announce it to the press. He'd always known this day would come, probably sooner rather than later. Now, here it was. Mack drove fast.

Thanks for listening. To purchase this audiobook, to bookpass. Com.