I could have read this a few weeks ago but I had a backlog on my nightstand and paused electronic delivery from the library. It finally came back in during our trip and I tore through it in a few hours. Annie Jacobsen has done her research on military nuclear policy and this gripping on-point “scenario” plays out the Apocalypse on a minute-by-minute basis. From four seconds after the first North Korean missile launch to the final salvos, this very fast-paced unpacking of the world’s end pauses periodically to insert the author’s research – much of it interviews with the people who should know how it will all play out. She’s very light on reflection and pontificating, presumably a deliberate choice to reinforce the extremely inhuman timeframes in which people will have to make decisions on destroying all human life. Every “plot” point is credible, and the scenario is so rooted in today’s headlines that those anxious about such things may wish to give this one a skip. 5/5