Book info

• Title The 19th Element
• Author John L. Betcher
• Year 2010
• Genre Thriller

Terrorists plan to attack Minnesota's Prairie River Nuclear Power Plant, but they’re not your typical band of Islamic extremists. True, there’s an al Qaeda connection. But the heart of the ‘terror cell’ is homegrown, right here in the United States. 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 Power Station. He recognizes connections between seemingly unrelated incidents – a 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 the story 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 the best terror cell west of the Mississippi. May the better men win.

Thoughts

I really enjoyed this - the story of a rogue ex-military man, somewhat like Jack Reacher, taking on terrorists in the midst of rural America. It took me a while to get used to the tone, very cold and clinical, and also to the switching between first and third person, but once I settled in, it was gripping.

Some moments were a bit close to the bone, the glimpse inside the terrorist meeting and the conversations about racial profiling, but these are important things to talk and think about, not to be brushed under the carpet.

As an action/adventure thriller it stands up very well, keeping you guessing, with the hero having to save the day when no one else quite believes the story. I also enjoyed the fall of the plant manager, which felt like a more satisfying wrap up than the actual ending itself! Great start to the series, look forward to more.

Rating: 4 / 5