Betrayal (Dismas Hardy) | John Lescroart | "The basic rules of civilization did not apply."

Betrayal (Dismas Hardy) | John Lescroart | fascinating timely thriller

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Betrayal (Dismas H...

	Betrayal (Dismas Hardy) John Lescroart Dutton Adult, 2008 - 432 pages average customer review:based on 33 reviews view larger image
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"The basic rules of civilization did not apply."

John Lescroart's "Betrayal" is the story of two men who meet in Iraq in 2003 and later become bitter enemies. Because of a bureaucratic snafu, Second Lieutenant Evan Scholler and his eight men find themselves on convoy duty for a military contractor named Jack Allstrong. Scholler and those under his command are forced to risk their lives to protect the interests of the amoral and aggressive Allstrong. He is an opportunist who arrived in Baghdad nearly penniless and, months later, became a multi-millionaire by cheating and lying. To people like him, "basically the entire country's for sale." Scholler soon meets Ron Nolan, Allstrong's senior official and chief troubleshooter, who is making twenty thousand dollars a month, tax free. The persuasive and charismatic Nolan involves Evan in some nasty activities that are both illegal and dangerous. In addition, Nolan learns that Evan is desperately trying to reconnect with his ex-girlfriend, Tara Wheatley. On a visit to the states, Nolan falls in love with the beautiful Tara and decides to do whatever he can to win her for himself. Ron and Evan are on a collision course that is bound to end in disaster.

Lescroart constructs his book with great skill, telling a complex but seamless tale that begins in 2003 and concludes in 2008. This is a powerful and creative work that has elements of a political thriller, courtroom drama, murder mystery, and romance. The scenes that take place in Iraq provide a harrowing look at the chaos, corruption, and rampant violence that makes this one of the most dangerous places on earth. In addition, the author brings home the terror that our soldiers feel every time they go on patrol, and the misery that afflicts the unfortunate men and women who return from their tours of duty with brain injuries and/or post traumatic stress disorder.

The protagonist, twenty-seven year old Lieutenant Scholler, lacks good judgment, especially while under the influence of alcohol. Ron Nolan is a self-centered and vicious sociopath who takes full advantage of Scholler's naiveté. Dismas Hardy and Abe Glitsky, the central characters in a number of Lescroart's previous novels, make brief appearances. It is Hardy's role to untangle a complex web of deceit that may allow the guilty to go free and the innocent to suffer unjustly. As Dismas eloquently states, "The moral rot that festered in Iraq and in the halls of power both here and abroad had poisoned the communal well." It is unjust but realistic that such villains as Allstrong and Nolan can break the law with impunity and profit from their misdeeds. A minor flaw is Lescroart's penchant for heavy-handed editorializing. It is clear in certain passages that the author is expressing his personal opinion in a none-too-subtle manner. This quibble aside, "Betrayal" powerfully demonstrates the terrible toll that war invariably takes on the men and women who serve in combat as well as on their loved ones who wait in fear for bad news that they pray will never come. All in all, this is a compulsively readable novel with an intense, shocking, and thought-provoking conclusion.

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fascinating timely thriller

When lawyer Charlie Bowen suddenly vanishes Attorney Dismas Hardy agrees to complete his missing peer's cases. He assumes this will prove easy until he realizes that Charlie was about to file an appeal of an obvious murder conviction. In 2005, Evan Scholler was convicted of killing former SEAL Ron Nolan in spite of being defended by top lawyer Aaron Washburn.

Hardy learns from Police Detective Abe Glitsky that the two men met in Iraq where Scholler was serving as a lieutenant in a National Guard unit and Nolan was a contract guard working Allstrong Security. Back in America Nolan seduced Scholler's ex-girlfriend and caused an incident that left Scholler brain damaged and much of his team dead. Scholler publicly vowed to kill his former friend. The appeal looks hopeless until they begin to uncover proof that Nolan was involved in killing other Americans.

BETRAYAL is a fascinating timely thriller that is incredible when it looks into the legal accountability of contract guards in a war zone and into the post traumatic stress including survivor guilt of returning veterans especially those suffering physical injuries. While a legal thriller, interestingly the court room drama though well written takes a back seat on the docket to the Iraq War legal and medical issues. John Lescroart is in top form with the return of Dismas Hardy, who is terrific in this tale as he enhances the best segues, which occur ironically when he is off page.

Harriet Klausner

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Where's Dismas?

I'm a faithful Lescroart fan -- even to the point of racing to the store to buy the book on the day it came out. The good news -- Lescroart has selected another riveting topical issue and has developed it fully and suspensfully. Bad news -- he drops his central character for over 200 pages before bringing him in to save the day. Bad writing! He could have revealed his character's background through frequent and lengthy flashbacks without having to leave his Dismas hanging for so long. I'm disappointed.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, page 7

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