Book Readers Heaven: 4th in John Betcher Series My Favorite!

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

4th in John Betcher Series My Favorite!

The Exiled Element
Book 4: James Becker Series

By John L. Betcher

I've been a fan from the start of this series--loved every one of them...but...

His latest is exceptionally exciting and is my favorite so far!

Why? Simply because Beth had, what you might call, a starring role...

Oh sure, Beck is activity involved as well and, particularly, at the end when it's important. But Beth has been called back into active CIA service as a consultant and must travel to Egypt in order to complete this assignment.

Beth had been stationed in Egypt many years ago, but because of the woman that she was, one young Egyptian girl had remembered her. Now she had discovered important information and would talk to nobody but Beth, whose name for the CIA was Elizabeth Weston

Back home, James has gotten involved with the upcoming visit of a government official, who has not yet been identified. The banter between Gunner, Bull and Beck is characteristically, short, blunt, sarcastic...and funny...

And, although there was an excellent plan drawn up for security by Gunner, the Chief Deputy Sheriff, with their help, when the Senator actually arrived, spoke and then in leaving, decided to break the plan--well, he was dead soon thereafter. Killed by a professional hit.

Too late to help, the message that the young girl, Rasha, was delivering to Elizabeth was that there were plans to kill a congressional member. But since it had already happened, a decision was made to not only try to capture the assassin, but to determine who was behind hiring him.

One of the things I enjoy most from John Betcher is his character development, especially of those in the government. So it wasn't surprising that it was Elizabeth's bosses that had changed plans for her project in the middle and she had been captured! Because everything that had happened evolved from a theft of plans for an airplane like no other--but nobody wanted to admit that the theft had actually occurred!

Let me just say that when Beck did not receive his normal check-in from Beth, there was nothing that would stop him from finding her...Whew! It was great to watch the action!

Beck was too involved with righting wrongs this time to deliver too many of his zingers, but I do enjoy the byplay between he and Gunner or Bull... What do I mean? Well, check out my reviews of the first three books and you'll learn more, but especially that Betcher uses a Robert B. Parker approach to much of his dialogue. Kudos to him for keeping that style of dialogue writing alive, but for also developing a set of characters who are so naturally prone to say the things they do, that we love them more each time we meet them...

And, just a personal note to the author...anybody who makes Bull smile like he did "once" in this novel should be considered as a prime character to move to Red Wing in the future...Here's one reader who'd like to see Bull smiling more often!

Much more action and thrills in this latest, spotlighting issues that occur often in the governmental offices around the world, but it's the characters that keep me coming back wanting more. Beck is something else! I tip my "bonnet" to him! Highly recommended for great humorous dialogue, political intrigue and so much more...

GABixlerReviews

John L. Betcher is a Minnesota author of fiction. His suspense/thrillers bring international intrigue to a unique setting in the Midwest. With more than 100,000 copies in print, his books have been welcomed with stellar reviews across the Web and in print media, and have held best seller slots in multiple categories on Amazon.

Check out my Reviews for Series!
Plus 1...
http://gabixlerreviews-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com/2010/05/review-james-becker-mystery-might-be.html
http://gabixlerreviews-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com/2010/07/review-19th-element-sets-james-becker.html
http://gabixlerreviews-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com/2011/02/review-one-mans-searchcould-also-be.html
(Not a James Becker Series book)
http://gabixlerreviews-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com/2011/07/james-becker-series-includes-funny.html

1 comment:

John BetcherJune 20, 2012 at 3:10 PM
Thanks for the review, Glenda.

BTW...you're not the only one who saw a possible Rasha/Bull connection. It didn't happen in this book. But you can't rule anything out with Bull!

Cheers!

John
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Book Readers Heaven - Have You Noticed?

Some of you may have noticed that I've started writing about books again. But I am not now accepting nor will I return to reviewing books on request. You will perhaps see that has allowed me to write more opinionated thoughts about read books... For instance, I might compare the writing of another author...or just allude to the type of book and how I respond to the topic. If I do post as a review, I will not be posting the entire blog article on sales sites. I hope you like hearing my personal thoughts more often and hope you will let me know what you think of the change, the expansion beyond a basic review... Insofar as possible, I try to bring together relevant news coverage from reputable agencies, together with music that speaks to the issue, or which I've been led to use... In all things, now, I am about my Father's Business. I Speak Jesus--of His Love for all and of His Truth... Comments are always welcomed and will be treated with respect...

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JAFV I am stunned...

Wow, this is the most awesome blog post I've ever seen. Thank you for writing it! grin emoticon

Words fail me.

Hi Glenda, I visited your review website today and was thrilled to see your marvelous features relating to Ms. Cramer's book. I passed them along to the author, and she is very excited and deeply grateful for your attention.

..my truly heartfelt thank you for your very generous and kind review! I appreciate very much the time and effort you put into this review for me, and your so graciously posting it in multiple locations.

Your blogsite is extremely professional and well-done! What you posted for me there has completely blown me away!

Thank you again very much for such a comprehensive and thoroughly entertaining review. It's one of the best reviews I have received and I'm very proud to have it. Most Gratefully,

You review blew my mind. When I listened to the songs you inserted, they brought tears to my eyes. You added a dimension to my work that was missing. In the attachment I have attempted to answer your question about anger. Thank you so much for your raving review. There are no words in the English language to express the gratitude I feel for you. I wish you a wonderful and blessed day. James Womack

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