The 19th Element: A James Becker Nuclear Thriller [Paperback]

John L. Betcher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 23, 2010

GOLD MEDALIST 2011 READERS FAVORITE BOOK AWARDS. 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, an explosion in the street in front of City Hall -- 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 better men win. ___________ "Betcher writes with intelligence and humor. The 19th Element is an intriguing blend of Robert Parker wit and Vince Flynn action. A fun, exciting read for anyone who enjoys a well-written thriller." Lois Greiman, award-winning author of the Chrissy McMullen mysteries.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The author 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. He 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 and at amazon.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; First Edition edition (June 23, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1451521014
• ISBN-13: 978-1451521016
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (102 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,859,912 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Amazon Bestselling Author, John L. Betcher, holds a Bachelor's Degree, cum laude, in English from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Minnesota Law School in Minneapolis. He has practiced law for more than twenty-five years in the Mississippi River community of Red Wing, Minnesota. Mr. Betcher has published an award-winning series of "Becker" suspense/thriller novels. The first four are THE 19TH ELEMENT, THE MISSING ELEMENT, THE COVERT ELEMENT, and THE EXILED ELEMENT. He has also authored the award-winning spiritual phenomenon, A HIGHER COURT.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great plot ... Fun Characters ... July 2, 2010

By Roberta Karchner TOP 50 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

In the 19th Element, we find James Becker, "Beck" to his friends, his close friend "Bull," and his wife Beth back to solving another mystery. Beck was formerly with special operations, and has now retired and brought his family to this small, safe town where he can finally live under his own name.

This particular story begins with a dead professor found in the small community of Red Wing where Beck and Beth now live. Beck, who "plays at" being a lawyer begins to check out the details and it seems like everything is shouting terrorism. But small towns and bureaucracies aren't willing to consider this as a possibility, so Beck begins to explore the situation on his own.

In this book, Betcher answers many questions concerning the characters in The Missing Element: A James Becker Mystery, and adds a new level of believability to his characters. And, while two of the antagonists could have seemed corny by their very stupidity, the response of those around them to the acts is equal to our own puzzlement, making them actually believable.

John Betcher offered me a complimentary early copy of this book for review since I enjoyed his first one, however I was unable to read it until last night. I thought I'd read a couple of chapters then drop off to sleep. I didn't - I was intrigued enough to read it to the end in a single setting, and I was up well past midnight.

I do tend to be a bit "tougher" on authors who offer me their books, so I must admit that early on I found myself locating a periodic table to find the 19th element, as well as checking out what it could do.... I double checked the online information on storage pools for spent nuclear rods, and current risk issues concerning them. And finally, I checked, and sure enough the takeoff checklist for the B24 can be found online. As far as I can tell, not a single detail was incorrect!

If anything, this book made me more aware of the issues related to nuclear power and the problems with long-term storage of nuclear waste.

I also want to comment that while Betcher keeps up the intensity of the story, Beth and Beck continue to show one another respect and love. And Betcher tells the story without resorting to a bunch of four letter words to shock his audience, or graphic intimate details of the romance between Beth and Beck. Five stars, for a wonderful story, and even more a story I am willing to strongly recommend to my friends. Read more ›

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A plausible thriller that makes it all the more engaging December 1, 2011

By Jerry Hanel

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Being a writer myself, I found this book a good read. It had all of the points of a great thriller. Terrorists. Facts that are so real you can touch them. Details about how we have become so complacent in our day-to day lives that we forget how clever people who might want to harm us could be. The characters were believable and well designed.

In his novel, John shows us his main character nicknamed James (aka Beck), and his wife Beth living in the small town of Red Wing, Minnesota. James and Beth were former agents for the US government, now retired and trying to live out a peaceful life with their daughters. That is, until a terrorist group decides to blow up a nearby nuclear plant, sending poisonous gasses across half of the continent. Beck puts a series of seemingly random incidents around town together and the big picture starts to emerge. He enlists the help of several friends in the area.

The scary part is that John has done his homework. The threat of such an event happening is laid out in such stark detail that you could see how easily it could be done if we let our guard down. That's probably the most engaging part of the whole story. It really could happen.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. The ending was action-packed and filled with the kinds of details that kept me wanting more. But to get to this fabulous ending, I found the first half of the book to be a series of very dry, heavy loads of technical overview. The writing in the first half seemed to be written in a different point of Mr. Betcher's writing journey in comparison to the last half of the book. In the beginning, the characters were formed very well, but the fact presentation was weak, making it more dry than enjoyable.... I know that many readers who are looking for a "quick read before bed" or a treat to take on the train or commute to work will easily find themselves overwhelmed with the enormity of it all.

The second problem I have with the story is probably a matter of style. That is to say, I wouldn't have handled some of the wording or dialogue that way. There were some stylistic choices that Mr. Betcher employed that only compounded the enormity of the first-half-info-dump. While strictly speaking, there was nothing wrong with the writing itself, these odd choices didn't help the reader get through the dry areas. The dialogue tags should never take you out of the story. In fact, they should be nearly invisible as you read. But occasionally -- I assume to increase the speed through an action or to keep the speakers straight in a room full of people -- Mr. Betcher employed a more script-style format for dialogue that seemed to pull me out of the story and remind me that I was merely the reader, still in my bedroom reading a book.

A final pet-peeve (and now I really am just nit-picking) his main antagonist was named John. The author's name is John. The protagonist's name is James. .. Alot of very similar names throughout the book. Had they been just bit parts, I probably would have never noticed. But because we were switching from James to John (or was that John to James?) .... I frequently had to stop and re-read sections to reorient myself as to whose head I was in. Again, another simple choice that made plodding through until you get used to who-is-who more difficult.

If you are in the mood for a thriller that will leave you really thinking and watching the world around you with a fresh set of eyes, this book holds great potential. By the time I got to the end, I found that I REALLY enjoyed the story presented. Just be prepared to put in the time to see the whole story unfold, and look past some of the author's stylistic quirks.

Pros: Great story. Realistic set-up. As scary and thought provoking as any story I've read in recent years.
Cons: A bit dry at times that makes plodding through difficult, and odd stylistic choices for dialogue that compounds the issue. Read more ›

17 of 23 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Just horribly boring March 24, 2012

By RussS

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I firmly believe that amazingly perfect protagonists yield amazingly boring stories. Their perfection offers no opportunity for drama: how can the perfect rise to a seemingly overwhelming challenge before them? Unfortunately, author Betcher and protagonist Becker don't agree with me. They evidently feel that Becker can never be too perfect. Becker is a former agent turned lawyer, inventor of a sniper bullet, and married to an attractive stay-home wife who just happens to be a former top-notch CIA cryptologist. Gee, is it getting just a little too perfect in here for anyone else? I will acknowledge that it must be tough for Becker to contend with being right all the time and with the constant doubt and disbelief he encounters when telling mere mortals what he knows and they do not. While the premise was believable, the delivery was just a too perfect and unbelievable for me.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't always judge a book by its synopsis. June 8, 2012

By Ken Balneaves

Format:Paperback

A really good read but when I first picked it up I very quickly began to wish I hadn't; the Al-Qaeda slant didn't initially appeal. However, I persevered and was pleased I did so as before long I couldn't put it down. The psychology behind the reasons for radicalisation of non-Muslims was very insightful. Also, John's in depth and very detailed descriptions of how the science worked was just brilliant. The ending, perhaps could have run faster for me, perhaps by shortening the sentences, thus giving the perception of an increased pace, but a great story from a new author to me. I'll read another of his books soon.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great story with more than a bit of a technical touch May 15, 2012

By Ava J. Easterby

Format:Kindle Edition

This was a great plot: Al Quaida is planning on flying an extra explosive plane into a nuclear power plant. I enjoyed the characters interactions and dialogue. My only complaint is that the book moved a little slowly and dryly. There was an abundance of technical jargon dealing with nuclear chemistry and physics. I was a science major in college and my eyes still tended to glaze over during these parts. The last 25% of the novel moved along just fine, however. Therefore this is most likely a problem unique to this novel because of the plot and I will definitely read and recommend other works by John L Betcher.