Critical Reaction by Todd M. Johnson

About the book: 

After turning out plutonium for the Cold War, the shuttered Hanford Nuclear Facility's poisoned buildings still pose a risk to the surrounding community. The men who guard the facility are told the dangers are under control, but then the worst happens--a thunderous explosion in the dead of night.

Kieran Mullaney survives the blast, but his attempts to discover what really happened are met with silence and threats. Convinced that Hanford is hiding something, Kieran reconnects with his old friend, lawyer Emily Hart, and enlists her help in finding out the truth. But the deeper the two of them dig, the stranger--and more dangerous--this case gets.

My review: 

This was an interesting story and I liked learning more about plutonium and the nuclear industry, but I had a hard time sticking with it.  I'm not as interested in the legal aspects, so that might be why I had a harder time with this story.  It was told more from the perspective of Emily's father than Kieran or Emily and I couldn't identify with him very much.  I wished for more suspense, more of an emotional connection to the characters, and more development to the romance.  There also wasn't much to the spiritual aspect other than the mention of praying.  It was well-written; I just wished for more in the plot.  I am interested in checking out his first book, which got good reviews.  

I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Todd M. Johnson has practiced as an attorney for over 30 years, specializing as a trial lawyer. A graduate of Princeton University and the University of Minnesota Law School, he also taught for two years as adjunct professor of International Law and served as a US diplomat in Hong Kong. He lives outside Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his wife and daughter. Visit his website at www.authortoddjohnson.com.