Nuclear Option

by Dorothy Van Soest

In 1984 SYLVIA JENSEN was a heavy drinker having an affair with Norton, an atomic veteran and fellow activist in the nuclear disarmament movement. In 2019, at seventy-seven and with her activist days behind her, Sylvia is protecting her hard-won recovery and simple lifestyle until Norton's troubled son Corey draws her back into the fight. To save his life and those of countless others, she and her old friend investigative reporter J.B. Harrell must unravel a decades old mystery and face the truth of the nuclear age before it is too late.

292 pages, Hardcover

Published December 1, 2020

About the author

Dorothy Van Soest is a writer, social worker, political and community activist, and educator who holds an undergraduate degree in English literature and a Masters and Ph.D. in Social Work. She is currently Professor Emerita at the University of Washington with a publication record of eleven books and over fifty journal articles, essays, and book chapters that tackle complex and controversial issues related to violence, oppression, and injustice.

Her novel, Just Mercy (Fall 2014, Apprentice House) was informed by her widely acclaimed investigation of the lives of thirty-seven men who were executed by Texas in 1997 and inspired by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Victim Offender Mediation/Dialogue program. Just Mercy personalizes the topic of the death penalty through a heart-wrenching and ultimately redemptive family drama of forgiveness, destiny, and the true nature of justice.

Dorothy's second novel, At the Center, is a Sylvia Jensen mystery that grew out of her experiences with the child welfare system. The stories of two boys are intertwined with the secrets and personal demons of the families and the social workers that shape their lives. From the stark poverty of American Indian reservations to the hidden dangers of affluent suburbia, a foster care supervisor and an investigative reporter must unlock the mysteries of their own pasts in order to bring a killer to justice.

Death, Unchartered (2018), the second Sylvia Jensen mystery, grew out of Dorothy's teaching experiences in the Bronx. When a child's skeleton is discovered during the excavation of the site for a new charter school being built in the Bronx, former teacher Sylvia Jensen is sure the remains are those of a former third grade student of hers and that his death was no accident. Driven to find the child's killer, she delves into the teachers' strikes and political protests of the late 1960s and corporate greed of the present.

The second Sylvia Jensen mystery, Nuclear Option, released December 1, 2020, was inspired by her experiences in the nuclear disarmament movement in the 1980s. In 1984 SYLVIA JENSEN was in love with Norton, an atomic veteran and fellow activist in the nuclear disarmament movement. In 2019 Sylvia is seventy-seven and thinking her activist days are behind her when Norton’s troubled son Corey shows up unexpectedly and draws her back into the fight. To save his life and those of countless others, she and her old friend investigative reporter J.B. Harrell must unravel a decades old mystery and face the truth of the nuclear age before it is too late.

Dorothy Van Soest lives in Seattle, Washington. Her website is http://dorothyvansoest.com/

Reviews

[Mary Kabrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fast-paced novel with characters that grab your heart and an issue relevant that demands attention. Well written (as are all of her books) with a dramatic plot that takes you on twists and turns and holds suspense up to the very end. I appreciate the current social and historical aspects of the story. I highly recommend this book.

[B. Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

At 77, Sylvia Jensen believes her activist days are over. She is still involved with community groups and delivers Meals on Wheels, doing what she chooses to do rather than what she feels she ought to do. Then, at a funeral for a woman who had been an inspiring leader during Sylvia’s years protesting domestic and military nuclear proliferation, she is astounded to meet a ghost from the past.

In her 40s, at a meeting planning protests against Nectaral, the biggest military contractor in the state, Sylvia had met Norton, a kindred spirit with green eyes and a crooked smile. Since he was married and had a young son, they tried desperately to keep to friendship. What Sylvia didn’t know was that Norton had a time bomb inside, that he was an atomic veteran.

Now, all these years later, Norton’s son Corey, full of rage and anguished loss, crosses her path, ready to take his protests to another level. How can Sylvia not try to save him from himself?

The mystery unfolds on two levels: the past, where Sylvia and Norton and their friends are on trial for their part in the protest, and the present, where Sylvia has to draw on all her skills as a former foster care supervisor, her courage, and her friendship with investigative reporter J. B. Harrell to untangle the webs being woven around her beloved Norton’s son.

What Van Soest has accomplished in this, her fourth novel, is quite remarkable. She has given us a gripping mystery, with characters who will haunt us long after the last page is turned, placing them within a real-world context that alerts us to dangers we may not have considered. The story never falters, as we are swept into Sylvia’s quest for justice and safety for us all.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book free from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own

[Terry Korth · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Nuclear Option, we meet the nuclear disarmament movement head on. Spanning thirty-five years, we alternate between Sylvia’s activism in 1984 and her current-day chance meeting with Corey, a past lover’s son. Moving back and forth seamlessly, we learn about social activism, atomic veterans, and government cover-up. The story is a beautifully laced narrative between what was and how little has changed. I found the characters depicted with insight, their innocence, duplicity, and anger relatable. Sylvia is a spry septuagenarian, complete with faded bell-bottoms and ponytail. Who wouldn’t want a socially conscious grandmother? I can’t wait to read the first two books in the Sylvia Jensen series.

[Dorothy Garza · Rating 5 out of 5]

The right mix of mystery, social justice and good story telling!