ATONEMENT is the third installment of Sletten's mystery thriller. The first book in the trilogy was DECEIT and it was followed by the second part, CHAOS. The former FBI agent continues his hot pursuit to find the truth concerning the mysterious death of his wife. In so doing he travels in the underground world of the Government's black ops delving into TOP SECRETS such as confirmed knowledge about aliens and alien nations. ATONEMENT begins where CHAOS left off. The former undercover agent finds himself at the Victorian Hotel in Cape May, New Jersey, wondering how he got there. Lying on an adjacent bed in his room over-looking the sea is his suitcase, how did it get there? He finds a set of car keys, a paid up insurance policy, and fifty thousand dollars in cash. There is a picture of 13 people sitting at a bar, apparently peering at him. They are all donned with long beige trench coats and Fedora hats. A label stamped on the picture in bold italics reads: The Posse. The agent begins a quest for a better life because his life is such a mess as his regrets keep piling up. Confused but itching to check out his new wheels, he drives up the coast. In Sea Isle City he sees a bar on the right side of the road, "Bob Blank's Pub." While inside he meets a vivacious bartender who without provocation calls him Jack. She identifies herself as Jill. She has a sardonic grin - a fierce look of evil. The lights dim as she splays her arms upward panning the room. When the lights go off, red perpendicular images appear everywhere. Time passes from 1986 to 2012 whereas the agent recounts and experiences more bizarre occurrences and happenings of an Alien nation and the strange workings of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. During this quarter of a century the now on-again off-again federal agent solves case after case while running into unbalanced greed at every turn. Although the Bureau gives him space to take care of his personal life, he cannot get away from the criminal ele
About the Author: JOHN AUSTIN SLETTEN grew up in a small town, Montevideo, in southwestern Minnesota. He graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, in 1966. After careers in banking, justice, and public accounting he enjoys baseball, mathematics, music and writing. The writer had his first works published with the Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine. It was a feature story entitled Confessions of A Little League Father. This piece of writing led to an appearance with Oprah Winfrey. He has been a sports writer for the Princeton Packet and published many magazine articles. His first published book is The Johnny Callison Story, a biography of the great Philadelphia Phillies baseball player whose career traversed three decades. Callison was a Phillies player during the entire decade of the obstreperous 60's. Sletten's second book published is DECEIT, the first book in a mystery thriller trilogy. His book, CHAOS, is the second book in this trilogy, with ATONEMENT the final installment. He has written three other novels waiting publication: Along the James, a Historical Civil War Novel; The Keeper; and Uncommon Knowledge. Sletten resided in the Philadelphia area with his wife, Kathy.