For those of you expecting another great Dismas Hardy/Abe Glitsky novel, don't be fooled by the book jacket. Hardy/Glitzky appear in the first ten pages and then not for another 250-300 pages, reappearing only for the last 110. This book should not really be advertised as featuring these characters. I'm glad I got it from the library or I really would have been unhappy.

This one had a little Dismas in the end and the story in the beginning with no Dismas. Still, I always enjoy the characters and have watched their lives change and progress. I read this one on tape and the audio presenter did a good job.

Dismas Hardy has to take over the Evan Scholler case, because Scholler's lawyer has disappeared. Scholler has been accused of killing ex-Navy Seal Ron Nolan. Nolan and Evan became friends in Iraq and Evan told Nolan about his girlfriend Tara back home and once back in the States Nolan courts Tara, even while he's spinning lies and deception to break up the couple.

Nolan is not a nice guy. In Iraq he's shot at and probably killed civilians and he's killed gangbangers in the States and that's not all, he's probably killed a rich Iraqi and his wife. Anyway once he's found dead the police zero in on Evan, who suffered a head injury in Iraq, which causes him partial memory loss. So did he kill Evan? Even he doesn't know, so Dismas Hardy really has his case cut out for him this time.

John Lescroat writes great thrillers and he doesn't disappoint this time. His characters are well drawn and believable and as usual he ends the book with a twist in the tale that you won't see coming.

This is John Lescroart's best mystery and I've read them all. The native Texan and now permanent San Francisco fixture reprises many of his favorite continuing characters, headed by attorney Dismas Hardy and San Francisco P.D. chief of detectives Abe Glitsky, and works them into an intriguing and sometimes shocking four-year tale of murder, intrigue, and money gone berserk tied to a U.S. contractor given free rein over private security operatives in Iraq.
Lt. Evan Scholler, a young San Franciscan whose National Guard squad is haphazardly assigned to Ron Nolan, the contractor's chief field man, almost loses his life due to the mad-dog attitude of the operative's assassin-like reactions. Evan later finds that Nolan turned Scholler's fiancee against him and moved in on her while he was near death in Walter Reed Hospital.
A series of stateside incidents tied to the situation in Iraq triggers a confrontation between Evan and Nolan, and possibly others, winding up with Nolan dying and Scholler tried for his murder. He is found guilty and is sentenced to life.
When three years later an attourney working on Evan's appeal is found missing and his wife suspiciously dies, Dismas and Abe re-enter the story. When the appeal file is turned over to Hardy, the Iraqi connection and the private contractor return to the tale.
The only blemish comes for about thirty pages when Lescroart fails to engage totally believable actions and reactions that he had crafted. But the best-selling author/country-rock composer/singer returns to his solid style of the first 300 pages. Then his tale plays out to a white-knuckled, brainy climax. Excellent reading.

As is the norm for a Lescroart book, it is highly entertaining and quite gripping. I was a tad let down that the plot didn't center more around Abe and Dismas, but hey, how much can he write about the two of them? REALLY thought provoking twist at the end! I'm still not sure about the black-outs, were they just alcohol induced?

It seems that lescroart has a "hard" time dealing with Hardy, his hero. After three years plus one book without Hardy I was expecting a true Dismas Hardy novel. Instead, after a short intro, Hardy reappears again at page 294 for less than 150 pages.
Ok, the story paces faster than, but I found Lescroart to be tired through his hero. Hardy seems a bit distanced and I sense that's what Lescroart believes about writing a Hardy novel again.
Last, but not least. Lescroart is beginning to make errors: when the FBI is involved in this case and believes that Evan has planted evidence (some pictures) to his rival's computer. The agents are accusing Evan just because Ron shows them the computer's log files which prove that Evan accessed his computer and those pictures while Ron was away travelling.
The FBI agents are too thorough not to have checked the log files for the day that these pictures were created. Those log files tell a whole different story and no FBI agent AND prosecutor could have made that mistake.
Otherwise, it's a good book but far away from his best "Hardy" moments

Even a good joke can be diminished if it takes too long to get to the punchline. This book has the same defect.

Like all of Lescroart's other books I've read, Betrayal features some pretty good police work and legal drama, but you have to wait a fairly long time -- well over a hundred pages -- before the good stuff begins, and that lengthy set-up has nothing at all to do with Dismas Hardy or Abe Glitzky. I was a bit disappointed by that.

Nevertheless, Betrayal was still a pretty enjoyable story, with interesting characters, clever dialogue, fast-paced action, and some surprising plot twists and turns.

Anyone who is considering buying this novel because they sorely miss Abe and Dismas, will be bitterly disappointed, as I was. Please do not believe the positive reviews for this book, as they surely must be have been written by those with ulterior motives, such as employees of the publishing company, etc.

It appears that the author had an extremely mediocre story that did not include Glitsky or Hardy, and, for whatever reason, stuck it in the middle of this particular novel, and added a short beginning which included the duo, and a longer ending with the same. The book is so contrived, and so pasted together, that it leaves the reader with only bitter disappointment. The bulk of the story, about the war in Iraq and the subsequent trial was so boring, I found myself skipping many, many pages just to get through it. The characters are as dull as the trial.

As a whole, I would have given this book 2 stars. However, the blatant betrayal by the publisher to cash in on the popularity of Dismas and Abe, and the author's allowing it to happen, turns my stomach. Please do not waste your money. If you are a die hard Lescroart fan, as I used to be, either borrow it or go to the library if you must read it. Just remember you have been warned.

BETRAYAL, John Lescroart's new novel, is being marketed as featuring the return (after three years) of San Francisco police detective Abe Glitsky and defense attorney Dismas Hardy. This is true but not quite accurate. Hardy and Glitsky do indeed make an appearance, and both men --- particularly Hardy --- play an important part. It's just that the book reads more like a Hardy and Glitsky story wrapped around a military thriller. And how does that read? Extremely well, actually.

I'm totally serious about the military thriller part. Lescroart isn't exactly known for treading into these waters, and I'm delighted to report that the move out of crime fiction leaves him with no flies on at all. Part of it is because of what he does here. BETRAYAL starts off as a straight Hardy and Glitsky novel. Hardy is at loose ends; his wife is successfully working, his children are grown and moved, and he's feeling the stressors of what is known as "empty nest syndrome." So when a local judge calls him with the offer of work, he jumps at the chance. It seems that a San Francisco attorney named Charlie Bowen has disappeared, leaving behind a very busy practice with boxes and boxes of files containing the names of clients in need of representation. Hardy readily agrees to assist in the court-appointed filling of the void. One of those clients is a National Guard reservist named Evan Scholler, whose murder conviction is on appeal.

A great deal of BETRAYAL is given over to Scholler's backstory, recounting how a war hero and police officer came to be convicted of murder. Scholler is an Iraqi war veteran who found himself in a serious firefight that could have been avoided but for the reckless actions of Ron Nolan, an ex-Navy SEAL employed by a private contractor tasked with rebuilding the war zone. Scholler sustains heavy physical injuries in the firefight, but the emotional damage is even worse when he learns that Nolan has been courting Scholler's girlfriend.

Following a lengthy recovery, Scholler returns to his hometown and his job, where he discovers that Nolan had been manipulating his relationship with his sweetheart from both ends. After a night of heavy drinking, Scholler makes the decision to confront Nolan --- and by night's end, Nolan is brutally murdered, with Scholler having no memory of what happened. A conviction was obtained, and Scholler's liberty is left hanging in the balance when Bowen, his attorney on appeal, suddenly disappears.

Enter Dismas Hardy, who finds a factual thread in Scholler's file that he pulls just enough to start the entire case unraveling. There are too many deaths and disappearances surrounding Nolan for everything to be as neat and tidy as Scholler's conviction seems to be, and when Hardy begins kicking over rocks --- with Glitsky knocking over some of his own --- it begins to appear that a miscarriage of justice has occurred. Someone though wants everything to stay the same, and Hardy comes to realize that he has put himself and his loved ones --- not to mention his new client --- in danger. Hardy, however, is well-steeped in resources, intellectual and otherwise, and with Glitsky's assistance pulls off a surprising and satisfying climax.

Despite the absence of Hardy and Glitsky from significant portions of BETRAYAL, their return, and Hardy's ability to twist things so neatly (if inadvertently) at the conclusion, should leave Lescroart's fans more than satisfied. If anything, this book should enlarge his fan base, as readers of military fiction will find plenty to feast on in this unforgettable and difficult-to-put-down novel.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

I like to read about Dismas Hardy and his friend in SFPD,Lt. Glitsky. I do not like political commentary on thus use of contractors to fight in a war in a novel I am reading for enjoyment. It was a very disappointing and disjointed presentation.

If you have looked at reviews of this author's books before, you will know that I am a huge, however not uncritical, fan of this author. Dismas Hardy and Abe Glitsky have been the central characters of the Lescroart novel for many years, although in the last few years he has tried to wean us off a solid diet of them with some success.

This novel is following that track, although the later part of the book returns us to the "good old days" as Hardy and Glitsky return to the fore.

For much of the book Lescroart draws out a story that starts in Iraq with the chance meeting between National Guard Lt. Evan Scholler and Ex- Navy SEAL, Ron Nolan. Scholler and his men have become separated from their original unit as they come into an area at the Bagdhad International Airport that is being controlled by Allstrong Security an American Contracting Company. One thing leads to another and Jack Allstrong manages to get the guardsman attached to his area and used as convoy guards.

During this duty Nolan (sort of an executive officer for Allstrong) and Scholler get to be friendly and during a discussion Scholler confides to Nolan that he is still writing to a former girlfriend back in the states, but she has not answered him. They broke up over his deployment to Iraq which she (Tara Wheatley) didn't approve of. He has written ten times to her without reponse. Nolan indicates that he is flying to California on Allstrong business the next day and will be happy to personally deliver the latest letter and ask if she has read the others.

It is an offer that was made with the best of intentions and it was this simple errand that started what eventually led to the betrayal that prompted the title of the book.

To tell more than that is to tell too much.

Lescroart weaves this story like the master story teller that he is and in doing so has delievered a novel that will resonante with you long after you have read the last page. Strongly drawn characters bounce off one another in a book that is put together like a three act play with all of the acts blending into one oustanding addition to this author's compendium of accomplishment.

With "Betrayal," Lescroart spins another compelling tale. As a long-time Lescroart fan who ordered the book in advance based on the summary, I expected more of the familiar characters, Dismas Hardy and Abe Glisky. Although there was a bit of bait and switch here, in the end I can honestly say that I still enjoyed the story. While the familiar characters were less prominent, Lescroart's writing style still felt familiar. He does a great job of bringing out raw human emotion in the characters in such a way that adds a dimension of complexity and depth to the story without getting bogged down as he pulls the reader through twists and turns in the plot. Long-time fans of Lescroart may ultimately be disappointed with Betrayal. At the same time, however, it gives new readers a chance to get a taste of the Hardy, Glisky (and even a bit of Hunt) and provide reason for them to go back and experience Lescroart's body of work.

John Lescroart never fails to be a great read. This book is somewhat different but still a good book. Maybe not one of my favorites, but no one can be perfect all the time. Waiting for the next book.

This is the first book I read by John Lescroart and I enjoyed it immensely. Great writing + superb editing = a flawless book. The whole thing flowed from beginning to end. This isn't exactly a small book but I read it in two days because it was that good!

The book opens slowly, in Iraq. The book's central character, Lt. Evan Scholler is a National Guardsman, called to active duty and sent to Iraq. In an all too believable situation, he arrives in-country to find that the Army doesn't know about him, or the company that he leads. They find themselves attached to a civilian contractor company, Allstrong Security providing convoy security. This is not quite what Evan thought he'd signed up for... but the Army bureaucracy can be ponderous at best.

Things fly pretty loose with Allstrong; there is cash flowing like a river, and it is apparently endless. It seems like an easy, tax-free way to get rich, and that's what Jack Allstrong and one of his employees, Ron Nolan, are working at doing.

The story builds slowly here; there's a love triangle between Evan, Ron, and Evan's girlfriend Tara, who wasn't seeing eye-to-eye with Evan when he shipped out. Ron offers to take Evan's 10th letter to her in person, and discovers that Evan's (former?) girlfriend is drop-dead-stop-a-blind-man gorgeous. You can guess what happens.

Eventually Evan is badly wounded when one of the locals gets too close to his convoy and Nolan, who shouldn't have been on a gun anyway, gets trigger fingeritis. The convoy is then attacked, and Evan suffers a severe head injury courtesy of an RPG. This shifts the scene back to the US.

It takes awhile to get back to Dismas and Abe, and it's after Ron Nolan turns up dead of a severe beating and a gunshot to the head. Since Evan was found at the scene, bloodied and beaten himself, he's the prime suspect, and he ends up being charged with Nolan's murder. There's a couple of new characters, Everett Washburn and MP Whelan-Miille as legal combatants in Evan's murder trial. Evan gets sent up for life.

Make no mistake, part of this book's mesage is about the War in Iraq and part is about Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD). The Evan is afflicted with PTSD, and it pretty much rules his life, whether he likes it or not.

Finally, JL closes the loop he started at the beginning of the book and brings back Diz and Abe to take over the case. As hinted in the cover notes, there is a conspiracy within the gummint, presumably in high places. We don't get to see much of that; pretty much have to accept that it exists, yet it's a pivotal part of the story. Part of the conspiracy is why Diz got the appeals case. But wait... there's more and more and more.

By the end, you'll have figured out most of the various plot points... but don't get complacent because there's a surprise or two waiting to blast you out of your chair. By the end (that is, the last printed page), it's pretty much tied up.

Bottom line here: I enjoyed it. It helped pass a few days where the creeping crud had taken over my body. I read it fairly compulsively.
Satisfied, I was. Enjoyed it, I did. You will too.

N.B. If JL rewrote Fun with Dick and Jane, I'd probably feel compelled to read it, just because he had his name on it. It's just my bias showing.

I have enjoyed John Lescroart novels since I picked up a copy of The 13th Juror at the library several years ago. Betrayal is a welcome addition to the Dismas Hardy series. At first I wondered why Mr. Lescroart was telling the story in the way he was telling it, and I wondered when Dismas and Abe would become part of the story. As I read waiting for them to appear, I became interested in the developing story and characters. When Dismas and Abe became involved, I thought the story was further enhanced. I could see why some people may have been disappointed as it took so long for Diz and friends to be featured, but it didn't bother me and I still enjoyed the story. I look forward to his next installment.

I've read most of what this author has written. I enjoyed his writing very much. However, this one doesn't measure up. It's melodramatic, trite, very hateful toward the US operations in Iraq and is marketed incorrectly as a Dismas Hardy/Abe Glitsky book when they are very minor players who are not even involved thru most of the book. This might be a 3 star for some authors, but compared with what this author has done in the past, I give it 2 stars.

Dismas Hardy and his buddy Abe Glitsky are back, together with the rest of the colourful cast from the legal world of San Francisco. And the restaurant business. Lou The Greek's and Moses at The Little Shamrock are serving the hungry/curious (today's Special at Lou's is not for the fainthearted) and thirsty as faithfully as ever. Secretary commander Phyllis in charge at the office and wives Franny and Treya at home, complete the daily order of things for the two friends.

The story is up to date, starting out in Iraq. Actually, about two thirds of the book does not include Dismas & Co. at all, who only show up for the wrapping up of the mess and ensuring a happy ending.

Evan Scholler and Ron Nolan meet on different missions in Iraq. Their paths cross in connection with a serious incident which kills almost all lieutenant Scholler's men and leaves Evan seriously wounded. He is flown back to The States for brain surgery and further treatment. Having lost lots of his faculties both mentally and physically, the prognosis is for a long time somewhat shaky. But against all odds, Evan improves and becomes the miracle guy getting to be - almost - as good as new.

But Evan and Ron end up in a deadly conflict, both over what happened in Iraq and about Evan's beautiful girlfriend Tara. A conflict which ends with Ron's death and Evan ending up in prison for life. Attorney Charlie Bowen disappears while preparing Evan's appeal. His wife commits suicide, or does she?

The courtroom scenes at Evan's trial are simply brilliant. Even though I had to peep at the end in order to find out..., they kept me awake all night. Almost unbelievable that Lescroart is not a trial lawyer. These scenes kept me completely hooked and on edge until the predictable result. Didn't matter if it was predictable, the characterization and badgering between prosecution and defense is as good as it gets and far the best part of the book.

After Bowen's death Hardy takes over the appeal, and althogh it's neatly wrapped up, I felt a tiny bit disappointed with the last chapters. Hardy takes chances, setting not only his own life but that of his wife, in peril. Seemingly, he knows what he does, and of course, James Bond never dies... But still. There is a fairytale flavour in the air here, saved, however, by the three last pages of the epilogue.

All is good which ends well. "The Betrayal" is another fine work by John Lescroart. If not quite five, a solid four.

Took a while for Glitsky and Hardy to appear but did not interfere with my enjoyment of John Lescroart's newest 'Betrayal' which I found to
'Be tense
'Be tenacious
'Be termolic and lastly,
'Be terrific

I think this book is well named. It's how I felt after spending $27 to get a book that is NOT about Dismas Hardy and Abe Glitsky. I read the beginning and the end. I couldn't finish the middle because it is all too real about Iraq and I read all about that in the media. I like Lescroart so much I even bought his music CD (which was great). But I will be cautious from now on.

Other reviewers have said it, and I will chime in: if you're looking for a book about Dismas Hardy and Abe Glitsky, you will be disappointed. They are hardly in the story at all. I much prefer the books that feature these characters more prominently.

John Lescroart is my favorite author, I've read all his books. Now having said that: I too bought this book after waiting three years for the return of Dismas and Abe, as the prepublication hype stated. What a ripoff...they appear is cameo roles only.

I truly feel betrayed!

As for Ron, Evan and Tara...unbelievable!

i am also a huge john lescroart fan. i was so looking forward to reading another dismas hardy book. i must admit that the book never got my attention and after painfully reading the first 50 pages, i couldn't even pick the book up again. a real disappointment.

First - I'm a big Lescroart fan. I've read all his books, but this one disappointed me. After reading a preview of Betrayal I was happy to learn that Hardy and Glitsky were coming back!!! As Betrayal's book jacket says "...millions of fans have been waiting three years for the return of San Fransisco defense attorney Dismas Hardy and his buddy...". Well, keep waiting as this isn't it. Hardy and Glitsky are involved in pages 1-12. Hardy...well, he finally reappears on Page 301 (422 total pages in the book). Glitsky fares only slightly better - making a brief 3 page appearance between pages 12 and 301. In between is the story of a done wrong Iraq war veteran, his girlfriend, and a man in the middle - a mercenary working for a corrupt government contractor. That story - I frankly didn't find to be very exciting...None of the characters were very likeable, there was little suspense, and I found it predictable.... I feel a little misled by the previewed information released. It's my opinoin Lescroart had a mediocre story focusing of government contractor corruption and found a way to weave in his popular characters. Maybe my disappointment with the lack of a Hardy/Glitsky focused story line biased my opinion. Based on the other reviews so far, looks like I'm in the minority.

I've read all of Lescroart's works, and enjoyed them as primarily courtroom whodunnits, part of the legal thriller genre.

In "Betrayal", Lescroart has reached a new level of accomplishment. His signature Diz Hardy character doesn't become central to this story until about 300 pages into the story. Until that point, what we have is a novel of war, love, and criminal justice that revolves around the Iraq war and the issue of the role of civilian contractors in that theater.

The scenes placed in Iraq are a compelling war novella in and of themselves; "The Naked and the Dead" for the modern era. From there we transition to its aftermath here in the US, a love triangle complicated by the tentacles of the war that results in multiple murders and the trial of a wounded veteran for those crimes. In a gutsy move, Lescroart's Diz Hardy character isn't a player in any of this part of the story, only getting involved after the situation is initially adjudicated in a courtroom setting worthy of "Anatomy of a Murder".

From that point, Hardy gets involved as he tries to determine whether or not justice has, in fact, been served. This "third act" of the book is also extraordinarily well done: razor sharp, concise, and without the usual distractions of Hardy's personal life issues that have become somewhat tedious over the last couple of books. This is a novel that doesn't waste any time on extraneous issues, at all.

Throughout this fine work, the characters are believable, three dimensional, and vividly drawn. It is a very complex and satisfying story, right up to and including its surprise ending on the very last pages.

This book goes beyond "popular fiction" status into the realm of literature. A very solid five star performance by Lescroart; his best work ever.

I am a loyal Lescroart reader and have read all his books. But to be frank the last few years have produced humdrum story lines. During this time period the main protagonists attorney Dismas Hardy and his best friend detective Abe Glitsky have aged, and the author's razor sharp "street-fighting" edgy story telling has dulled along with them. The readers adrenaline used to be jump started as we read about tense scenes where Dismas would take matters into his own hands in his battle for truth and justice, and more times than not the following morning would be faced through a fog of alcohol over indulgence. The reader was now left with Dismas talking about his "BLACK CAST-IRON FRYING PAN" that hung on a marlin fishhook over the stove along with intricate descriptions of all the ingredients he mixed into his meals. And how many times do the readers need to be told that his angel of a wife Frannie has red hair?

With the release of "BETRAYAL" Lescroart has once again bared his rapier sharp writing "chops". The guts of the story takes place in Iraq during the current war. Twenty-six-year-old Second Lieutenant Evan Scholler a National Guardsman from Northern California and his men are activated and deployed to Iraq. When they get there, no one in the American command even knew they were coming. They come into contact with Allstrong Security, an American contracting company. Two members of Allstrong, Jack Allstrong, the owner and Ron Nolan, a senior official, will change Evan Scholler's and his loved ones lives forever! The scenes in Iraq are described as if they were ripped from the headlines all of America has been reading about for the last five years: Shady contactors, death all around you, and young lovers separated by continents and the distance of war. You'll read about contractors similar to Halliburton making insane amounts of money, and millions of dollars of cash being handed out and carried around in backpacks as if it were an everyday occurrence. Jack and Ron would drink scotch and play catch with a plastic-wrapped bundle of five hundred - hundred dollar bills - FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS! Payoffs and kickbacks are as prevalent as sand in the desert. Then of course there is the battle for life and death on every street where every person and every car is a potential suicide bomber. Split second decisions have to be made that decide whether entire platoons will live or will die. And only the Americans have that life-determining decision burdened with the extra weight of "THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT." When Evan is critically wounded in just such a battle, Ron Nolan of Allstrong is the one who makes the decision that will become one of the most crucial events in this captivating story. One of the many serious wounds that Evan endured was a massive brain injury. As I am a brain tumor survivor, I must complement the author's description of what it is like to survive and endure the harrowing fight to recover the most basic memory capabilities that most people take for granted. I could not remember what a lamp or a dresser was, and Evan during Christmas couldn't remember what those animals were called that flew and pulled Santa's sled. The author was "SPOT-ON"!

The story makes its way back from Iraq to Northern California and the reader is expertly led down a path surrounded by murder, lies, love, legalities, investigations, cover-ups, prison... and yes "BETRAYAL"! Lescroart is back, better than ever. I recommend this book highly!

I've been a John Lescroart fan ever since stumbling across "The 13th Juror" many years ago. Since then, I've read everything he's written, I think, and have enjoyed them all. However, with "Betrayal" I think he's excelled himself. In my opinion, this is the best novel he has written.
The story, about a soldier and a civilian who met in Iraq and whose lives become entangled when the civilian travels back to the states and seduces the soldier's girlfriend, and about the subsequent violence and murder trial, is riveting, filled with details of the way contractors work with the military in Iraq. I'm sure that Lescroart is right on the money about the way contractors walk around shooting up the towns, with shrink-wrapped bundles of one hundred dollar bills stuffed in their knapsacks, and the way money just gets thrown around over there. I've read in other, non-fiction sources, that that's what's happening over there, even if I didn't need the evidence of the 8 billion dollars in cash that just vanished in Iraq during Paul Bremer's watch.
Anyway, the details seem to be right on, and Dismas Hardy is his usual brilliant self. All the characters are fully realized and fleshed out, and you love them or hate them with equal amounts of passion.
This is a great story, and I highly recommend this novel, as I do all of John Lescroart's books.

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.

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.

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