Betrayal (Dismas Hardy) by John Lescroart
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Book Summary Author: John Lescroart Edition: Hardcover Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published) Published: 2008-02-26 ISBN: 0525950397 Number of pages: 432 Publisher: Dutton Adult |
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Book Reviews of the Betrayal (Dismas Hardy)
Customer Review: "The basic rules of civilization did not apply."
Summary: 5 Stars
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.