Terrorists plot to attack a Midwestern US nuclear power plant.
Al Qaeda plans to attack Minnesota's Prairie River Nuclear Power Plant as a means to return the down-trodden terrorist organization to international prominence.
In addition to their own devoted forces, the terrorists enlist some homegrown anarchists, and a Three Mile Island survivor with a pathological vendetta against the nuclear establishment, to assist in the assault.
James "Beck" Becker is a former elite U.S. government intelligence operative who has retired to his childhood hometown of Red Wing, Minnesota – just six miles down the Mississippi from the Prairie River nuclear facility.
Possessing wisdom born of experience, Beck suspects the terrorists' intentions as soon as the body of a university professor turns up on the Mississippi shore – the clear victim of foul play.
He recognizes connections between seemingly unrelated incidents – the murdered agronomy professor, a missing lab assistant, an international cell call, a stolen fertilizer truck – but can't piece it together in enough detail to convince government authorities that a larger threat exists. Only his American Indian friend, "Bull," will help Beck defuse the threat.
So it's Beck and Bull versus international terror.
May the best men win!
Excerpt
PROLOGUE
Western perceptions notwithstanding, the Afghan War did not put Al Qaeda out of business. And despite American bragging to the contrary, Al Qaeda has even conducted successful operations inside the U.S. after 9/11.
It is true that western forces have succeeded in thwarting a number of attempted attacks. But from Al Qaeda's perspective, even worse than failed operations are the West's unbelievably effective cover-ups. Westerners blame nearly all of Al Qaeda's successful offensives on internal malcontents. Gang wars. Freedom Fighters. Drug cartels. Anarchists. Radical extremists. These are the "criminals" who receive the credit for attacks that, in reality, are Al Qaeda's victories.
Although the premier international terrorist organization is very much alive - and deadly - the name of Al Qaeda no longer strikes fear into the hearts of the western world. Of what efficacy is a terrorist group lacking the ability to terrorize? Al Qaeda faces a serious public relations problem. World fear of Al Qaeda is at an all-time low.
There is only one solution. To regain global prominence, Al Qaeda needs an operation so high-profile, and so public, that the world cannot be duped by cover-ups.
It needs something nuclear.
Professional Reviews
19th Element even better than his first effort... and that was damn good
FIVE STARS
The first thing that struck me as I read The 19th Element, the next James Becker thriller, was that my chemistry knowledge had not completely been lost, and I knew what element he was referring to in the title. And that element is very much the center to this tale of terrorism and sloughy bureaucracy.
The novel makes a very interesting point as we near the 10th anniversary of 9/11. It speculates that because there have not been any major attacks by al Queda, we are not as well protected as we are led to believe. Combined with changing technology of warfare, that has made us vulnerable once more.
The character Beck is clearly a worried man, then again that is what he does for a living. He discovers a plot to blow up a nuclear power station and create a Chernobyl-style disaster on an enlarged scale. Not only does he have to find out what a sleeper cell is up to, he also has to battle lazy and incompetent bureaucrats who think he is paranoid.
As with Betcher's previous book the prose does not dally about. It moves quickly and I was able to read the novel in one afternoon. His minimalist approach to writing might not be for all, but it does make for a pacey read.
It can be seen as absolute antithesis to those weighty tomes that clog up the airport bookstores. This would make a perfect book to read on the plane, especially as airplanes feature in the novel.
Even more so than the last one this book screams to be made into a movie. A script would be easy to pluck from this novel.
I recommend both this release and the previous one. It is a fine summer read for your next few days off.
Reviewed by Marty dodge for Blogcritics
A MUST READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,
FIVE STARS
Al Qaeda plans to attack Minnesota's Prairie River Nuclear Power Plant to remind everyone they are still very active and to get back in the international headlines. They have recruited some homegrown anarchists to add to their terrorist forces, one of which is a Three Mile Island survivor with a huge grudge against the power plant, and two more with questionable education and background.
James "Beck" Becker is a former elite U.S. government intelligence operative who has retired to his childhood hometown of Red Wing, Minnesota just a few miles from the Prairie River Nuclear Power Plant. After a university professor's body is found along the shore of the Mississippi River, clearly murdered, "Beck" gets in on the investigation and all his instincts tell him, this dead body is just the start of something much bigger. He is very concerned when he learns the professor's assistant is missing along with what could be a very dangerous piece of lab equipment. Later clues like a missing fertilizer truck and an international phone call only confirm to "Beck" that terrorists are involved and that something major is going to happen, but he can't convince any government officials that a huge threat exists. So with the help of his American Indian friend "Bull", he tries to foil the plan on his own.
I LOVE IT!!!!!
I am so glad John Betcher sent me the extraordinary thriller. It is scary good!! I say this because this fiction could easily become reality. This could definitely be a "ripped from the headlines" story. When I think of terrorist targets in the United States, I think of major cities, Washington D.C., New York, maybe Los Angeles, but this story takes place in my "backyard", the Upper Midwest. Also we know from history there are terrorists and their supporters here in the states, and this story brings them out front and center. Yes, this story is fiction but it has all the details that make you realize this could really happen. While this book entertains it also raises the readers awareness that there are people that want to hurt Americans.
I had the pleasure of reading, reviewing and interviewing the author after her sent me his first book, The Missing Element, and while I truly loved that book, I enjoyed this book even more. This book is now tied with Harlan Coben's CAUGHT as the best book I have read this year. If you like a riveting, page turner this is definitely a book that should be in you hot little hands today. Don't wait, click the link and order this book today! You will not be able to put it down until you finish the last page and you will be thinking about the reality of it for a long time after you put this book on your keeper shelf.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author.. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Reviewed by Lori Caswell for Dollycas's Blogspot
I Love James Becker...Series Must Continue Says This Fan!
FIVE STARS
It was just luck that I happened to read The Missing Element first, because it quickly pulled me in as a fan of this series. One of the reasons why I wanted to read the book is that he advertised it as somewhat like the writing of Robert B. Parker, who was one of my favorite authors
And I was pleased to see similar dialogue and a wonderful threesome fighting crime as was displayed in the Spenser series...John L. Betcher had my attention!
But it was The 19th Element that won John L. Betcher his own place on my list of favorite authors. This novel firmly sets the character, Beck, in a solid role of hero in my book! Not willing to give away anything, I can only say that the climactic plane scene is really amazing!
James L. Becker is an attorney-at-law who went back to his childhood hometown of Red Wing, Minnesota, to begin his retirement after 20+ years of hush-hush military intelligence operations. His wife, Elizabeth, also has quite a background, but she's a minor character in The 19th Element and I did mention to the author that I missed their lively, fun dialogue this time! To which I got an "Understood." (Well, if you don't ask...LOL)
Beck could keep busy with his law practice, but whenever something happens in or around Red Wing, he tends to look at it from all angles...and if it doesn't "feel" right to him, he'll start to asking questions. So of course when a dead body is found on the Mississippi River shoreline north of his town, he immediately wanted to know more--who was he, first of all.
Gunner (Doug Gunderson) is Ottawa County's Chief Deputy Sheriff. Normally, he wouldn't be interested in having a "civilian" involved in his business, but he has already discovered that Beck always seems to make sense and usually is of help, even if he's somewhat pushy about knowing everything! Actually, they are old school friends and Gunner is one of the few individuals who was persistent enough to be told a little of Beck's background. Besides, while Gunner operates strictly by the book, he knows that Beck...has his own rules. I love the dialogue between the two men...
After the usual press by Beck to be told all, he learned that the dead man had been a professor of Agriculture at the university. He had been stabbed. And his lab assistant, Farris Ahmed, was also missing. Beck was already profiling and wanting to know the international activities, etc. Of course, Gunner's response was strictly stated: "No racial profiling..."
But Beck was already thinking! Were there any ties to Al Qaeda? What was in the area that might be of interest to terrorists? And to be more specific--what had the professor been working on in his lab? Was there anything missing?
When you ask the right questions as Beck did, you start getting a handle on the possibilities! The professor had been involved with studying the use of potassium and had invented a "potassium electrolysis separator." With the device, it was possible to extract pure potassium from potassium chloride, transforming it from a solid to a gas, which would then convert to solid potassium metal... What readers will learn is that it can be a very dangerous explosive!
And the potential interest in the area? Oh, that would be the...nuclear plant, specifically, the Minnesota's Prairie River Nuclear Power Plant--See front cover!
The thrilling suspense comes in as Beck uses one clue after another to arrive at what the plans will be. His knowledge and experience, plus his inborn wisdom allows an empathy that reflects not only the overall plan but the details that must be considered and countered.
Especially, when nobody supports his announced theory of a major threat and only his friend Bull will work with him... that is, until it is almost too late!
Wow! I loved it! John L. Betcher has written a thriller that will keep you turning pages and reading until you finish, especially once you arrive on the scheduled day! The choice of potassium as the explosive is very risky; events leading to its use, in themselves, are dangerous. The characters created to support the incident lead to the terror in many ways...only in America...right? Don't know what I mean, well, you're just going to have to read the book! You won't be sorry...
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G. A. Bixler of Book Reader's Heaven
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Reviews for "THE 19TH ELEMENT, A James Becker Thriller"
Told from the point-of-view of a former elite U.S. military intelligence operative, and the perspective of an Al Qaeda-backed terrorist cell, The 19th Element by John L. Betcher is a first rate psychological thriller that will hook your interest early and keep you reading non-stop until the final page.
Although this is the second release in the series, The 19th Element takes place a few months prior to the author's debut, The Missing Element. James "Beck" Becker has settled into retirement and is attempting to live a normal life, putting his law degree to use with a legal practice in his hometown of Red Wing, Minnesota. Not much happens in the small town so when a scientist-professor of agriculture is found murdered and the only suspect, a lab assistant, is missing, Beck takes notice. Beck may be officially retired from government intelligence work, but he cannot ignore his training, experience, or gut reactions. When he discovers that the assistant is Arab he brings his theories to the local police.
Ottawa County's Chief Deputy Sheriff, Doug Gunderson, is somewhat aware of Beck’s background and the pair has a friendship that goes back to school days. However, Gunderson is leery about starting a "terrorists in Red Wing panic" based on Beck's gut feelings and little hard evidence. When not one but two fertilizer trucks are hijacked, Beck begins to put the pieces together. He envisions an Oklahoma City-type bombing and the only target worth hitting would be the nearby Prairie River Nuclear Power Plant. Fearing a Chernobyl style meltdown, Beck continues his investigation despite the lack of support from any government agency or Gunderson. Beck has no faith in the FBI, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), state police, or power plant security to ward off a terrorist attack and calls in his ex-military friend, Terry "Bull" Red Feather, for help.
We meet perhaps the strangest sleeper cell imaginable. An Arab lab rat (desperate to show his worth to Al Qaeda) who is capable of turning a truck load of pot ash into a powerful bomb, and a pair of brainless, redneck anarchists led by a bitter and dying survivor of the 1979 Three Mile Island incident.
The author brings all the players together for a tour de force final few dozen pages that make The 19th Element one of the most entertaining, exciting thrillers I've read in a long time. Becker is a character that you can cheer for. The banter between Beck and his wife, and Beck and Gunderson shows the author’s substantial talent for writing dialogue. A relentless pace, quirky yet realistic dialogue, and fascinating, believable characters keep the pages turning. Considerable research, attention to detail, and a well-plotted story make this a memorable read. Highly recommended.
By William Potter for Reader’s Choice Book Reviews
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