The Hammer of Eden (Hardcover, Bound for Schools & Libraries ed.)

Jess Granger is a desperate man. The land on which his commune has squatted for 25 years is scheduled to be inundated by a new Federal dam, and he faces losing his power over a "family" that has attempted to keep the old hippie ideal alive, while in fact slipping into dangerous cult tendencies under Jess' leadership. When he meets Melanie Quercus, the recently divorced wife of seismologist Michael Quercus, he hits on a mad plan to save the commune: create an earthquake and hole the state of California hostrage until they abandon the dam project. The threat begins with a phone call to a popular radio talk show, but the only authority who believes it is FBI agent Judy Maddox. Researching the possibility that this could in fact be accomplished, she tracks down Michael Quercus who tells her it can be done by using a seismic vibrator designed to detect oil deposits on a seismically volatile fault. Only after a practice earthquake is detonated near Monterrey do the authorities listen to Judy as she and Michael form a team, now hunting Jess and Melanie before they strike again.