The Betrayed

A great story. Set in Washington D.C. A real thriller with a serious historical basis. Loved the book.

Reviewed by Cristy Lawler for Reader Views (9/06) I never read a political mystery before, but this was a very good way to get it started. From the very beginning "The Betrayed" had me on the edge of my couch. It is well written, and with the turn of each and every page, I was wondering who did it, why it happened, and every time I thought I had even the slightest idea of figuring it out, I was hit with another angle, and twist. Elizabeth Creay was a single mother, working as a journalist trying to support her daughter and herself., but when she discovers something bigger than anything she had encountered before, she never imagined how big the cost would be. The secret she had uncovered would ultimately cost Elizabeth her life and turn her world and everyone she knew world upside down. It not only takes the joined forces of Detective Jack Cassin and Detective Sergeant Train, but an unlikely form of help, Sydney Chapin, Elizabeth long absent sister. Where Elizabeth first begins, these three would come to an unbelievable conclusion. First I thought it was the junkie, then maybe not, maybe the mom, surely not, but it could be. What about the shady senator, than again what is his motive? The ex-husband always looks very good for the crime, he has everything to gain. Or does he? You have to read this never ending thriller. This book will make you question everyone and their motives. Someone always has something to hide. Can you figure out who has the most to lose, and who fooled everyone by performing the ultimate form of betrayal? Do you know, or do you just think you do????

I couldn't put this book down. This is an excellent murder/mystery/thriller, more than just one body. There was action on every page, and plenty of twists and turns. The bantering and teasing between the two detectives assigned to solve this case added some humor to the story. There were plenty of surprises, especially at the end. If you are tempted to "read ahead" don't do it. I thought I had it figured out as to "whodunnit", but I was wrong. "Betrayed" was the perfect title for this very excellent book. Put your feet up and get comfortable, you won't want to put this book down. I hope that Hosp keeps on writing. Move over Grisham, Patterson, Baldacci and the like, make room for David Hosp.

Amanda Creay had a feeling that she was going to have a bad day, but nothing could have prepared her for the shock she was about to face... As Amanda entered her house she knew something was not right, she called out for her mother but received no reply, and then she saw it...the mutilated body of her mother Elizabeth. Detective John Cassian, and Sergeant Darius "D" Train have seen acts violence, but none as brutal as the Creay murder scene. Both men know this will not be an easy case to solve, and to make matters more difficult they must deal with Elizabeth's uncooperative, and cold mother, as well as her head strong sister Sydney. Sydney Chapin, Elizabeth's younger sister, didn't have the best relationship with her sister, but over the last few months they were getting close, and now she will do whatever it takes to find her sister's killer. Sydney begins her own investigation, and the deeper she probes she finds information that is puzzling and disturbing, until a violent attack proves that someone will stop at nothing to keep her from finding the truth. Running out of time, and with no one to turn to, Sydney goes to John Cassian for help, and together they uncover a conspiracy that neither is prepared for. 'The Betrayed' is excellent! Some thrillers are good because of the plot. Other thrillers are good because of perfect character development. And then there are those that are so well written you can't stop reading. Well, 'The Betrayed' is all of the above...It's the kind of thriller that you can't stop reading, and when you do you can't wait to pick it up and start reading again. David Hosp's new novel is even better than his debut novel, and that's saying something considering how good that book was. Mr. Hosp's easy to read writing style, and relentless plotting is similar to early David Baldacci so fans should take note. If you have not discovered this new author yet you should do so NOW! 'The Betrayed' is a terrific thriller...I couldn't put it down A MUST read! Nick Gonnella

"The Betrayed," by David Hosp, focuses on the torture/murder of Elizabeth Creay, a thirty-six year old reporter for the Washington Post and the divorced mother of a fourteen-year-old daughter. Assigned to the case are Detective Sergeant Darius Train and his partner, Jack Cassian. On the surface, the two men appear to be a mismatch. Train is a twenty-year veteran of the force as well as a former linebacker who grew up in a very rough area of D. C. Cassian is the product of an upper-middle-class Maryland suburb who became a detective just three years earlier. In spite of their differences, Train and Cassian have become an effective and smooth-running team. After Elizabeth's death, her twenty-seven year old sister, Sydney Chapin, is in a state of shock. Having finished two years at Stanford Law School, Sydney is working as a research assistant for a law professor at Georgetown University. Now, she must come to terms with losing Elizabeth, whom she has just gotten to know after years of estrangement. Sydney's mother, Lydia Chapin, is a wealthy and controlling society matron who has never approved of her daughter, and her mother's presence provides Sydney with little comfort. The theme of "The Betrayed" is a familiar one: a powerful politician goes to great lengths to keep an explosive and potentially scandalous secret hidden. At first, the cops are stymied by the Creay case. Could an ex-con named Jerome Washington, whose fingerprint was found at the crime scene, be involved in the reporter's death? Was the murder simply a robbery gone bad? The police commissioner would like a quick and neat resolution. However, Train and Cassian, assisted by Sydney, refuse to settle for obvious answers that may turn out to be wrong. Hosp's story is hard-hitting, fast-paced, and engrossing, and the characters are well developed. Sydney is an intelligent and forceful heroine who, unsurprisingly, forms a romantic attachment to Jack, a man with his own emotional scars. The chemistry between Jack and Train works well, and the plot's many twists and turns, although at times predictable and melodramatic, generate enough suspense and excitement to make "The Betrayed" a good choice for fans of political thrillers.