Title: The 19th Element
Author: John L. Betcher
Publisher: CreateSpace
Publication Date: June 23, 2010
Paperback: 326 pages
ISBN: 978-1451521016
Genre: Fiction, Suspense/Thriller

Book Synopsis:

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.

My Review:

John L. Betcher chose a fascinating title for his second novel, The 19th Element, considering all humans carry it inside their body and in extremely high concentrations can prove quite deadly as will later be shown in this action packed suspense thriller. I did not read Betcher’s premier novel, The Missing Element, which I think was released after The 19th Element, however The 19th Element is a stand-alone novel. The story takes place in the sleepy town of Red Wing, Minnesota where people are accustomed to going about their own business, or they were until the first body washes ashore from the Mississippi River. The protagonist, Beck, is a retired government operative who has returned with his wife Beth, to his hometown to practise law. Betcher creates an excellent cast of characters, an extremely likeable protagonist and the motley team that forms to solve a series of unrelated crimes pointing towards the Prairie River nuclear facility. It is up to Beck, Bull, and Gunderson (now that is a Minnesotan name) to connect the dots and solve the crime before the terrorists succeed in their plans. The 19th Element will keep the readers on their toes as they follow the same clues as Beck and with some intriguing plot twists and turns, Betcher keeps the reader fully engaged in his novel until the very end. While this is a suspense thriller it often reads as a whodunit. The 19th Element makes for an intriguing and thought provoking read.

About the Author:

John L. Betcher is a University of Minnesota Law School graduate and has practiced law for more than twenty-five years in the Mississippi River community of Red Wing, Minnesota. He possesses substantial first-hand knowledge of the Prairie River Nuclear Plant’s real world counterpart, as well as Red Wing’s airport and the flight rules around the nuke plant.

In addition to The 19th Element, he has published a second book in the “Beck” series entitled, The Missing Element, A James Becker Mystery. The second book is available everywhere.

The author has also been a long-time supporter and coach of youth volleyball in and around Red Wing and has authored three feature articles for Coaching Volleyball, the journal of the American Volleyball Coaches Association. His most recent article was the cover story for the April/May, 2009 Issue.

His book on volleyball coaching philosophies entitled The Little Black Book of Volleyball Coaching is available at www.johnbetcher.com.

John L. Betcher’s THE 19TH ELEMENT VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ‘10 officially began on November 1 and end on December 17, ‘10. You can visit John’s blog stops here during the months of November and December to find out more about this great book and talented author!

I received a complimentary copy of The 19th Element by John L. Betcher from Pump Up Your Book Promotion as part of the tour. Receiving a copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.