End-of-the-world scenarios make for frightening movie plotlines. What makes for interesting cinema is all too real for the U.S. government. A chilling portrait of how the government planned to continue to function during and after a nuclear holocaust is brilliantly told in this new valuable addition to Cold War literature that goes beyond policy and delves into logistical plans. Journalist Graff (The Threat Matrix: The FBI at War in the Age of Global Terror) diligently mines classified and unclassified material to create this highly informative work. The most intriguing aspect of this book is how the plans actually unfolded during the real crisis of 9/11. Valuable lessons learned continue to have ramifications. The only minor drawback is that readers can get swamped with the amount of acronyms. Readers who enjoyed Len Scott's The Cuban Missile Crisis and the Threat of Nuclear War and Neil Sheehan's A Fiery Peace in the Cold War will be fascinated. VERDICT Highly recommended for readers interested in the Cold War and secret government operations. [See Prepub Alert, 11/14/16.]—Jacob Sherman, John Peace Lib., Univ. of Texas at San Antonio