Debut author Don Helin brings a wealth of personal experience to his debut novel, THY KINGDOM COME. Helin spent a career in the military, serving in the U.S., Vietnam and Germany, which he then followed up as a Washington, DC lobbyist. In THY KINGDOM COME, Colonel Sam Thorpe is a member of the Pentagon's elite anti-terrorist task force investigating a white supremacist militia in central Pennsylvania calling itself The Patriots.Helin says, "Thorpe uncovers a plot to steal nuclear material to make dirty bombs. Sam also discovers a surprising link to the French Separatist Movement in Quebec."
Undercover with The Patriots, Thorpe's task is to smuggle a chemistry professor from Montreal with the know-how to steal nuclear material and build bombs into the United States. His sole contact with the authorities is FBI undercover agent Alex Prescot, "a kick-ass woman with spiked blond hair and a personality to match."
Helin notes that during his tours in the Pentagon he read reports indicating white supremacists had infiltrated the military. "My later research showed that most Americans believe the threat from white supremacists disappeared with the death of Timothy McVeigh, however the Southern Poverty Law Center has documented a 48% increase in hate crimes since the year 2000."Combine that with newspaper stories about medical, educational and industrial facilities in Pennsylvania that store nuclear waste onsite with limited security and you have a storyline ripe for the picking. Helin says, "People are rightly concerned about the white supremacist threat as well as the vulnerability of nuclear attacks to facilities."
This makes for a fairly easy lift for promotional purposes, where he makes presentations to community groups, the military, libraries, and on talk radio on the topic. He's also active on Facebook and blogs regularly.
When not writing, Helin lives in central Pennsylvania with his wife and enjoys jogging and biking and travel.
Contributing editor Mark Terry
is the author of the Derek Stillwater thriller series. His newest
thriller, THE SERPENT'S KISS, is available in stores and online.
