Brief

Anti-immigrant and white supremacist groups on the rise in the United States face infiltration by undercover agents bent on protecting national security.

What We Liked

- With immigration such a flashpoint in our social fabric, the subject matter is perfectly timed. It is thought provoking in terms of views and ideologies about human nature as a whole and specifically immigration. The extremely topical social commentary serves as a cautionary tale for all of us. Themes of tolerance and justice are juxtaposed against the tropes of hate and ignorance.
- A feature adaptation of the story would be compelling. It is extremely cinematic in nature. It ultimately has a positive message, provides engaging characters, relevant plot points with edge of your seat suspense and high stakes. It has franchise potential as well.
- Adapting this book into a limited television series would require high production value, but would be extremely engaging. Many different plotlines involving undercover agents could explore social issues facing the world today using stories ripped from the headlines.
- Key points: Relevant; Thought provoking; Franchise potential; Based on real events; Engaging characters and plot.

Synopsis

Along the Texas/Mexico border, many would be immigrants try to make their way into the United States in hopes of a better life. As Americans struggle with the immigrant crisis at their points of entry, it has a become a political flashpoint in the country. Conflicting viewpoints abound, leaving room for the emergence of extremist groups who hate immigrants which include, white-supremacist groups. Many immigrants act as drug mules to get across the border. They are sometimes met by these extremist groups who kill them and steal the drugs. The hatemongers sell the drugs in exchange for weapons they are stockpiling to use in their war on immigrants and what they believe is a coming revolution. The most powerful of these hate groups is called The Nation and was founded by Royce Lundgren. Jacob Meade is a member of The Nation and he feels a strong connection with their ideology. Wanting to get in Lundgren’s good graces, Meade gets involved in a drugs for weapons scheme. It turns out that Meade’s source, Ralph “Rogue Beast” Baker is actually an undercover ATF agent called Joe Slater. When Slater has Meade dead to rights he offers him immunity if he will cooperate with the government and be a witness against colleagues from The Nation, Troy Pierce and Willard Simmons. Meade doesn’t have much of a choice so he agrees to be a witness. However, he knows that his life will be in grave danger as The Nation will want retribution. To keep him safe, Meade is put into the Witness Protection Program. Agent Pete Willis is assigned as Meade’s handler and he helps to prepare him for the program. Meade is given the new name of Carl Ramsey and is relocated to a small town in Iowa. He is provided with a job, an apartment, a car and a chance to attend college. At first his racist views threaten to cause him trouble at work; however, he soon begins to rethink his viewpoints as he gains more tolerance from history classes and his involvement with Erin Larson, a lovely woman of Mexican heritage. After Meade testifies in the trial, he decides to share his true identity with Erin. She is furious at having been lied to and she breaks up with him. In an effort to redeem himself and show Erin that he has changed his ways, Meade breaks Witness Protection rules and contacts Joe Collins, someone from his past who he believes he can convince to join a conquest against The Nation. A meeting with Collins is arranged, but he realizes too late that the meeting is a set up and he soon finds himself kidnapped by Jim Byrd and other members of The Nation. They relish the chance to torture and ultimately murder Meade as payback for his testimony that left their two colleagues with long prison sentences. Meade’s death is drawn out, gruesome and extremely painful. His badly mutilated body is left on the steps of the courthouse as a warning to others who may consider turning against The Nation.

Meanwhile, Special Agent David Ward, is learning about his new assignment. Ward is a highly valuable undercover agent for the ATF. He takes his job quite seriously and though he is sickened by the ideologies of the groups he infiltrates, he is committed to bringing them to justice despite the personal sacrifices he is forced to make. Ward’s new assignment takes him to small town Texas. His undercover name is Ed Maddox and he poses as a veteran of the Army Special Forces. It is a dangerous assignment and he keeps in close contact with Agents Jason Richter and Bill Lehman who are always close by should he require their assistance. Ward dives into his undercover life with both feet and starts to frequent a bar patronized by several of The Nation’s members, including Ben Sullivan. With little effort, he finds himself befriending Sullivan and some of the others. Thinking that Ward shares their hateful views, he is soon welcomed in as a member of The Nation. He impresses many of the members with his skills from the military and soon comes to the attention of Lundgren. He trusts Ward and wants to bring him deep into the fold where he will learn the group’s secret plans. However, Jim Byrd, The Nation’s head of security, is highly suspicious of him. Byrd hires a private detective called Ron Flagg who exhausts his resources trying to find a hole in his story. Flagg digs deeper and deeper without finding anything, but Byrd encourages him to try harder.

Concerned about regaining control of the borders and taking a hard line on immigration, the United States’ President, Samuel Buckley, decides to give his immigration speech from an extremely hard to secure location in El Paso, Texas just feet from the dangerous Mexican border town of Juarez. This development presents a perfect opportunity for The Nation to begin their revolution. They plan to assassinate the president and frame a Mexican group opposed to Buckley’s robust immigration policies. The hope is that anger and chaos caused by Buckley’s murder at the hand of a Mexican group will cause the American leadership as well as the American people to expel and ban new Mexicans from coming into the country once and for all. A sharp shooter called Thad Kolb is sent to El Paso to carry out the plan. Ward learns that something big is about to go down. He hopes to discover, stop it, and put an end to The Nation. Things seem to be working out the way he wants when he is invited to a meeting with The Nation’s top leadership by Lundgren’s cousin and second in command, Harold Doyle. Though Lundgren is happy to see him, Byrd is not. Flagg has managed to find some cracks in his cover story and Ward’s cover is blown. Knowing that he is going down, Lundgren kills himself before he can be arrested. Ward has to act fast to save President Buckley. He quickly gets Richter to alert the Secret Service of the impending assassination attempt. Just as shots ring out, agents jump in front of Buckley, taking bullets for him and saving his life. The remaining members of The Nation and other hate groups that have joined together with them are arrested and the organizations are dismantled. Ward takes some much needed vacation time as the story concludes.

About The Author

Joel Barrows is an Iowa district court judge who regularly oversees both criminal and civil trials. Prior to his appointment to the bench he was a practicing attorney for nearly twenty-three years; the last eighteen of those spent as a state, and then federal, prosecutor. As an attorney, Joel regularly argued before the United States Court of Appeals. His cases have been as diverse as white collar crime, environmental crime, cyber-crime, child exploitation, narcotics and firearms offenses, immigration crimes, bank robbery, health care fraud, public corruption, civil rights offenses and threats against the President, and have included many high profile prosecutions. He holds a Bachelors and Masters degree in History, a Law degree from Drake University Law School, and a Master of Laws in International and Comparative Law with distinction from Georgetown University Law Center. He has traveled extensively in Central America. He lives with his family in eastern Iowa along the banks of the Mississippi.