Betrayal (Dismas Hardy) by John Lescroart
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Book Reviews of Betrayal (Dismas Hardy)
Book Review: CAUTION, this book is a betrayal!
Summary: 1 Stars
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.
Book Review: You Dare Not Pass On This One
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Book Review: Not much there
Summary: 1 Stars
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.Book Review: A surprising and satisfying climax
Summary: 4 Stars
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
Book Review: Not as expected but still good.
Summary: 4 Stars
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.