Ear to the Ground: A Novel - Softcover

One of The Millions' Most Anticipated Books of 2016"A fast, high-spirited sendup." Kirkus ReviewsOne of the Chicago Review of Books Best Books from Independent Presses in April"Earthquake paranoia and blockbuster fever combine to animate this wry evocation of '90s era Los Angeles. Ear to the Ground rumbles and shakes at the intersection of science, commerce, and art. Ulin and Kolsby's collaboration manages to be equal parts antic, bleak and, finally, strangely optimistic." Seth Greenland, author of I Regret Everything

Seismologist Charlie Richter, grandson of the inventor of the Richter scale, knows earthquakes, and has a method for predicting them. Arriving in Los Angeles to begin work at the Center for Earthquake Studies, a mysterious agency that seems more Hollywood than science, Charlie settles into his new life. His only distraction from work is Grace, an assistant to a powerful producer, and her deadbeat scriptwriter boyfriend Ian.It's only a matter of time before Charlie sees the "Big One" looming on the horizon. When Charlie alerts his boss at the Center, he is the one that's in for a shock: this is exactly what the Center was hoping for.With the news leaked, everyone's suddenly looking to produce the next disaster blockbuster. One of the few scripts Ian actually wrote, Ear to the Ground, happens to be about an earthquake disaster, and soon it's plucked from obscurity and given the fast track. But with a little bit of luck, Charlie may just foil everybody's plans. He just needs explosives, a helicopter, a little more time.By award-winning writer and Los Angeles Times book critic David Ulin, Ear to the Ground is a rollicking visit back to the 1990s.