Critical Reaction

The Christian Fiction Blog Alliance Critical Reaction Bethany House Publishers (November 19, 2013) by Todd M. Johnson

Todd M. Johnson has practiced as an attorney for over 30 years, specializing as a trial lawyer. Todd's career experience blends with his passion for writing in his novels published through Bethany House. 

A graduate of Princeton University and the University of Minnesota Law School, he also taught for two years as an adjunct professor of International Law, and served as a US diplomat in Hong Kong. 

The Deposit Slip, Mr. Johnson's first novel, debuted in 2012. Todd's second novel, Critical Reaction, will be released in November 2013. 

Todd lives outside Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his wife Cathy and children Ian and Libby. 
Todd can be reached through the Contact link on his Website.

  After decades of turning out plutonium for the arms race, the Hanford Nuclear Facility has long been shuttered, though its deadly legacy cannot be fully contained. The men who guard the facility from sabotage or monitor its buildings for radiation leaks are told the risks are under control. They believe it, until the worst happens: a thunderous explosion in the dead of night. 

Two workers, lifer Poppy Martin and new hire Kieran Mullaney, believe themselves lucky to survive the blast. But as the debris is cleared, they discover their safety is not assured. Dead ends and closed doors halt their efforts to discover what really happened--and what radiation may have poisoned them. When stalling and threats force them into the hands of experienced trial lawyer Ryan Hart, they learn that theirs is no ordinary lawsuit. There is something still hidden in the desert of eastern Washington, and someone is willing to go to extreme lengths to make sure it never sees the light of day. 

If you would like to read the first chapter of Critical Reaction, go HERE. 
My Thoughts: I absolutely loved Todd's debut novel Deposit Slip and knew that he was going to be a legal thriller author to keep my eyes on...I was right!  Critical Reaction was far from disappointing.  Johnson's plot development and characterization  is superb.  He opens the novel with heart pounding drama that does not slow down until the last page.  Grisham, Singer and the like are going to have to move over a little and make room for Todd Johnson.  His legal knowledge and experience shine brightly in an engaging and heart stopping legal thriller.  He has gained a spot on my "keeper shelf".
Happy Reading, Jennifer