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The international tension after a nuclear explosion is the backdrop for the apropos technothriller “On The Brink”, the latest novel by retired Tri-Valley scientist and pastor Sidney Niemeyer.
Considered a founding father in the nuclear forensics field, Niemeyer leverages both career backgrounds in the second installment of his trilogy following protagonist Steven Carter, who this time finds himself leading an investigation into an unexplained blast as a member of the National Security Council.
“We’ve never done such an investigation in real life, so I drew upon my experience in the nuclear test program, my efforts to establish a nuclear forensics capability, my experience working in the policy world of Washington D.C., and my imagination,” Niemeyer told the Pleasanton Weekly.
“I also drew upon my decades of experience working at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to create realistic and varied scientific characters, and my younger colleagues say my portrayals of scientists ring true,” he added. “I believe my second career as a pastor at Valley Community Church helped me to portray a richness and variety in human relationships.”
A Pleasanton resident for 45 years, Niemeyer held several scientific leadership roles during his nearly three decades at LLNL, including key work around the turn of the century to help incorporate nuclear forensics into the nuclear deterrence and counterterrorism research programs in the United States.
He then transitioned to part-time at the lab to explore another calling with Valley Community Church in his hometown, pulling double duty for nearly seven years before devoting another dozen full-time as pastor. He retired from the church in 2019, although he remains active as a spiritual director to this day.
It was around the time of his second-career retirement that Niemeyer began working on his debut novel, “Atomic Peril”, which published in 2023 and also centered on fictional scientist-hero Steven Carter.
He wrote “On The Brink” in about half the time; the second book in “The Nuclear Forensics Thrilogy” released in November.
“In nuclear forensics, we consider three basic scenarios, i.e. interdicted nuclear materials, an interdicted nuclear device and after a nuclear detonation,” the author explained. “Each book in my ‘thrilogy’ will include one of these scenarios. ‘On The Brink’ features the most dramatic and difficult scenario.”
“Since Steven Carter is now on the National Security Council, he is drawn into the White House drama as they grapple with the mounting panic. Thus, the story has more of a geopolitical slant to it than ‘Atomic Peril’,’ Niemeyer said. “The technical clues provide leads for the various characters to pursue as they travel around the world to uncover who was responsible and whether they had assistance from a nuclear state.”
In addition to Steven Carter being thrust into a new career path and a new priority case, “On The Brink” introduces Steven’s son Josh Carter as a new major character and the parent-child relationship as the latter enters early-adulthood as a new central motif.
“I’ve often been asked if any of my characters are based on real people. None of them are based on a single person,” said Niemeyer, a married father with six children and 10 grandchildren.
“The nature of Steven Carter’s role as a leader in nuclear forensics means a lot of his character is based on me, although I deliberately gave him some characteristics that differed from mine,” he added, then quipping. “Originally, I said maybe a little more than half of Steven was like me, but then my stepson pointed out that ‘Atomic Peril’ had a lot of doughnuts and coffee, so now I say he’s about 70% me.”
Niemeyer has been busy promoting the book since last fall – talks at colleges in Oklahoma and Michigan, spotlights on Steven Glavan’s podcast “Coffee Brakes with Steve” and the Manhattan Book Club, and author appearances around California, including in front of about 30 people at Towne Center Books in downtown Pleasanton last month.
He is also working on the third installment of his “thrilogy”, spending most of his Mondays through Thursdays at the computer in his home office with the goal of publishing in 2027.
“I take a break from writing on Friday through Sunday, because, after all, I am retired. Though my wife says it doesn’t seem like I’m retired — I’ve just moved on to a third career,” Niemeyer said.
