Betrayal (Dismas Hardy)

I am reading all of Mr. Lescroart's books in order and Betrayal has got to be one of my favorites. Very interesting how he weaves today's headlines with every day life and the characters are very believable. I have two more books to read and then I will be out of Mr. Lescroat's novels until he writes another one and I can't wait.

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.

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.

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

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 n