PRO CONNECT
L. D. Bergsgaard begin his writing career as a Special Agent which spanned three decades. As an undercover agent, a SWAT operator, and criminal investigator, I wrote thousands of pages dealing with murder, sex, terrorists, and love gone wrong ... all the elements of a good story. Since retiring, seven years ago, I have continued writing although I am no longer bound by the facts and free use the creativity which served me so well as an undercover agent.
I have written four novels featuring the irascible special agent, Doc Martini. Three of those novels are in print and a fourth sleeping in the desk of my literary agent.
I took a break from the crime novels to write Where the Best Began, a series of humorous short stories of a boy coming of age during the 1950s.
My literary agent is also marketing First Stone, a charming and humorous story of three members of the clergy who conspire to help one another with a problematic parishioner.
I am currently working a two sequels, one for First Stone and the other a fifth Doc Martini story.
When I'm not writing, I spend time marketing, attending book signings, giving speeches, and tending to social networking.
My wife and I spend summers at our 100 year old lake estate and winters in the Arizona desert where I fulfill my life dream of being a working cowboy on a cattle ranch.
“A fast-paced, informed action/adventure story that holds the reader’s attention from cover to cover.”
– Kirkus Reviews
Preying on the fears of Americans, militant Islamic factions plot the downfall and overthrow of America from within.
In Bergsgaard’s thriller, U.S. mercenaries kidnap a Taliban informant believed to have information vital to national security. Alex Stone, hired by multinational company Blackstone, delivers the kidnapped man, Ali Shah Masood—a member of the Islamic Council—to CIA agents in Afghanistan. Ali has information about plans the Islamic Council has to unleash the biblical plagues of Egypt (acts of terrorism on the U.S.) to force all U.S. troops to withdraw from the Middle East, then Israel can be destroyed with no U.S. interference. In seemingly unrelated incidents, four border patrolmen in Texas are murdered, red algae overtakes the Potomac River and flies and frogs engulf Arlington National Cemetery while railroad bridges are blown up and forest fires rage. Doc Martini, special agent with the Anti-Terrorism Force, is called on to investigate. With the help of Agent Susan Rivard, Martini finds connections among the events and unravels the secret plans of the Islamic Council before U.S. citizens panic and Israel is destroyed. The author uses his experience and knowledge as a special agent to create a storyline that feels fresh, honest and diabolical. Regulations and procedures stymie federal agents while perpetrators of crime slip through U.S. society seemingly unhindered. Written in a tight, matter-of-fact tone, the story unfolds at a deliberate pace that keeps the reader engaged and in anticipation of the continued action. Events unfold on a day-by-day basis over a period of about two months. Some days have as many as six different entries in a dizzying array of locations including Pakistan, Spain, France, Italy and the White House, with multiple locations listed for Afghanistan and Minnesota. This approach leaves the reader feeling unsettled and confused at times, as well as looking at past chapters to reconnect plot lines. In places, the storyline depends too much on the surface tension of Islamic countries wanting the destruction of Israel, and could stand some bolstering with more in-depth character development of several of the Islamic Council members. A fast-paced, informed action/adventure story that holds the reader’s attention from cover to cover.
Pub Date: Aug. 10, 2011
ISBN: 978-1457505171
Page count: 380pp
Publisher: Dog Ear
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2012
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