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 better men win.
This is the exciting premise of John L. Betcher’s new suspense thiller, The 19th Element: A James Becker Thriller. We had a chance to interview John about his book. Enjoy!
Q: Thank you for this interview, John. Can you tell us what your latest book, The 19th Element, is all about?
John: I’d love to.
The 19th Element is the story of international terror in the American Heartland.
With U.S. security measures concentrated on high value targets in New York and Los Angeles, al Qaeda plans a back door entry – setting its sights on Minnesota’s remote Prairie River Nuclear Power Plant.
Opposing the terror cell is James “Beck” Becker, a former elite U.S. government intelligence operative who has retired to his childhood hometown of Red Wing – just six miles down the Mississippi from the Prairie River facility.
In traditional thriller style, the point of view alternates between the terrorist machinations, and Beck and Co’s efforts to decipher the plot in time to avoid nuclear disaster.
Q: Did you plot out the book before you wrote it or did you let the characters take the book where they wanted it to go?
John: I plotted everything out before I began writing. I had to. In order to assemble realistic scientific, strategic and technical aspects of the book, I needed to interview a number of experts.
For instance — A local pilot schooled me on small plane avionics at the Red Wing Airport, and gave me a ride in his plane as a bonus. A nuclear chemist agreed to share a couple beers with me as he explained the ins and outs of nuclear power generation. And a local cop took me out trap-shooting in advance of our visit concerning the details of inter-agency cooperation in nuclear plant security.
I will admit to adding extra layers of action after completing early drafts of the book. But the original plot remained essentially intact. And the core characters were cooperative in performing their actions according to the script. Whew!
Q: Which character is the meat and bones of the whole novel? Would you like to tell us more about him or her?
John: If I must choose one of the several main characters as Mr. Meat and Bones, it would have to be Beck — retired military intelligence operative turned small town lawyer. It is his experience and his instincts that give first indications that an attack on the nuke plant is in progress. It is he who tries to rally law enforcement to join his cause. And it is he who bears the final responsibility for defeating the attack on the nuclear plant . . . or not!
Q: Open the book to the very middle of your novel. What is happening?
John: Beck and his wife, Beth, are enjoying a Fourth of July fireworks display from their front porch when an explosion rocks the small town to its core. Minutes later, Beck and Chief Deputy Gunderson are standing beside a huge hole in the street in front of City Hall. Water and fire spew simultaneously from the site of the bomb. Once the fire is out and the water turned off, an initial inspection reveals that the fire erupted from inside the storm sewer line, and not from a leak in the gas line, as had been assumed.
Q: Can you give us an excerpt from that page?
John: Shortly after the fireworks started, an earth-shaking vibration rolled through our neighborhood. At first I thought it was a new type of pyrotechnic. I was impressed by the sub-sonic rumble I felt coming up through my feet, and the dramatic rattling of our windows. But when the fireworks display suddenly came to a halt, and the sound of police sirens echoed from downtown, I knew in my gut that what I had heard was not part of the show.
Something else had happened.
* * *
With a significant portion of the Red Wing police force on vacation for the holiday, and most who remained on duty working traffic control at the fireworks display, local law enforcement was caught short-handed and unprepared when the explosion rocked City Hall. By the time police arrived at the scene, there was little for them to do but cordon off the area in an effort to protect bystanders from injury.
As crowds gathered at the police lines, they marveled at a watery inferno emanating from a huge hole in the street just outside City Hall’s main doors. Shooting nearly fifty feet into the air, the eery juxtaposition of multi-colored flame mixed with spraying water held the gawkers transfixed.
Some viewers maintained that the explosion had resulted from a large firework shell gone astray. Others even said they had seen a shell hit the street. Still others claimed to have seen firework-like sparks jetting from the turbulent crater after the initial detonation.
As imaginations ran rampant, rumors of an errant cruise missile began to circulate.
The fire department scrambled its men and equipment, fogging the fire from all sides to contain the heat from the flames. The local utility raced to cut off the source of natural gas feeding the inferno. And Red Wing Public Works located the appropriate water valve to seal off the ruptured main.
In less than twenty minutes, the water and gas were turned off and the show was over. The Mayor had arrived. Holding a bull horn, he announced that the explosion was most likely caused by a gas leak under the street. In any case, he said, everything was now under control. No one had been injured. Everyone should disperse and go home.
* * *
Technicians worked through the night to re-route water, sewer and gas lines, restoring utility services to surrounding homes and businesses. Most were re-connected and operating by sunrise.
The crisis appeared to have passed . . . for now. But exactly what had happened was far from clear.
Q: What began your interest in writing books about nuclear weapons plants and warfare?
John: Since 1973, my hometown has played host to a nuclear power plant. Two, actually, since there dual reactors and dual turbines.
When you grow up that close to an installation as awe-inspiring as a two thousand Megawatt nuclear plant, you tend to pay attention. So the nuke plant has long held my interest. I have even been inside the razor-wire-topped gates that no longer open for private visitors. If you’ve been inside a nuclear power plant, you know the intrigue of which I speak. If you haven’t, you’ll appreciate the descriptive details in my book.
As for the terror aspect of the book . . . you can credit al Qaeda for keeping that threat alive. The 19th Element is simply an example of literature reflecting life. If we aren’t mindful of the threat from international terror on a regular basis, we should be. Although written primarily for reader enjoyment, this book carries that message as its subtext.
Q: In your opinion, what is the key ingredient for writing suspense thrillers that will keep readers turning page after page and not want to put it down?
John: The threat needs to be palpable, ever-present and constantly in motion.
The bad guys plan. The good guys discover the plot. The bad guys revise their strategy. The good guys counter. The interplay continues until the day of the climax. Every change in strategy leaves the reader wondering how the other side will deal with it. In my opinion, it’s the give and take that keeps readers invested.
Q: Finally, what is your passion? What is it that you’re more passionate about than anything else?
John: Coaching youth sports.
Since my eldest daughter turned the age of five, more than fifteen years ago, I’ve coached everything from tee-ball, to soccer, to softball, to volleyball at age levels from 5 to 18. In my opinion, there is no greater opportunity for a non-parent to have an impact on the life of a child than to properly coach youth sports. That’s one reason I wrote a book on the subject — The Little Black Book of Volleyball Coaching, Insights from the Trenches.
Q: Thanks for the interview, John. Do you have any final words?
John: I just want to say thanks for having me. And thanks to your readers for tuning in. I hope to stop by again on a future tour.
You can visit John’s website atwww.johnbetcher.com .
