The Critical Element by John L. Betcher

Once again, James Becker, a retired agent of some type is a small town attorney with an international reach. James Becker has retired from a terrorism fight to live a sedentary life with his wife and girls safe in a small, insular community. In his first book, The 19^th Element detailed the story of a Islamic terrorists’ attack on a nearby nuclear plant.  In the Covert Element Becker gets entwined with a drug cartel.  In this book Becker and Beth, his wife and former CIA employee, get involved in terrorism, both international and domestic.   
Once again, Becker displays a cynical attitude about bureaucracy and it’s inherent shortfalls.   He does not seem quite as cynical in this book as he did in the last.  I will repeat that a smidgen of back-story on Becker for those who have not read the previous books would benefit the reader.  This book reads very well as a stand alone but I think that most first time readers would enjoy it a bit more with a better understanding of Becker’s background. 
Betcher does an excellent job incorporating current fears and events as part of his plot.  His premise on domestic terrorism was altogether too plausible.  Equally I found his concerns about rogue states as depressing. 
Betcher does a good job on his social awareness as well.  The side story of Benny was a nice touch.   I enjoyed interviewing John Betcher and I feel that each book he writes shows his increased experience.   In redundant trepidation over being redundant, keep up the good work Betcher!
I highly recommend this book.

Body of work of John L. Betcher

Web site: http://www.johnbetcher.com

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Foreign Influence by Brad Thor

Scot Harvath is back and in action. An Al-Quaida group is planning world wide attacks on Americans and a finale in the United States. This former Seal uses his considerable talent for violence in addressing this threat to his country.

I continue to enjoy the Scot Harvath character. He does not revel in being a hardcase but he does what he feels is necessary. His antipathy toward violonce and kids is laudable. If you are not able to stomach rather graphic violence you may want to plan on skipping parts of the book.

I mentioned in my review of “The Last Patriot” that once I find an author that is impossible to put down, I want to read him until one of us drops. As the first Thor book I read, this was a sobering look at the changed world we live in. I can’t say that I enjoyed the glimpse of a possible future. As a story this book was captivating and intense, one can only hope it is not predictive.

I highly recommend the book.

Body of work of Brad Thor

Site: http://www.bradthor.com/

Executive Intent by Dale Brown

I’ve missed a couple of Dale Brown’s thrillers. This takes place a few years after Tin Man. An insipid president is faced with multiple international incidents and reacts with timidity. An assertive vice-president deals with the crisis with the help of retired General Patrick McLanahan.

Dale Brown keeps one foot in the present and his head and the other foot in the near future. He projects current events into the near future with often painful clarity. His stories are always loaded with action and techno-wizardry. My only criticism of this book is that recent history is referred to but not explained. If you have missed a couple of books (which I have done) you are not quite sure why some things are happening. The same thing is true with his characterizations. If you weren’t familiar with the major players you would feel left out. I think a little back story work would have improved the readability. With that said, I still enjoyed the book. It moves fast and leaves you hanging, wanting more.

I recommend the book .

Body of work of Dale Brown

Web Site