"New York Times" bestseller Lescroart returns with an ambitious, torn-from-today's-headlines thriller starring Dismas Hardy, whose latest case drops him into the complicated world of government conspiracy, assassination, and betrayal. Available in a tall Premium Edition.

Reviews

In Lescroart's (Hard Evidence) latest Dismas Hardy novel, our hero only appears in the opening and closing chapters. The middle of the book recounts the tragic experiences of Redwood, CA, police officer Evan Scholler before and after his tour of duty in Iraq. An officer in the National Guard, Evan is befriended by charismatic former Navy SEAL Ron Nolan. Now working for a private security firm, Ron betrays Evan twice. He drives a deep wedge between Evan and his girlfriend, Tara, then provokes a firefight that kills an Iraqi family, seven men in Evan's company, and leaves him severely wounded. Evan returns home but suffers from memory loss, post-traumatic stress disorder, and alcohol abuse. When Ron is found dead, Evan is accused, tried, and sentenced for the murder. Dismas is asked to handle the appeal, and San Francisco detective Abe Glitsky investigates a series of murders that may be connected. Lescroart's plot is timely and contains enough twists and turns to hold the listener's interest. Read by David Colacci, Betrayal is an excellent addition for audio collections with heavy traffic in courtroom procedurals. [Lescroart is the New York Times best-selling author of The Suspect.--Ed.]--Stephen L. Hupp, West Virginia Univ. Parkersburg Lib. Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

At the start of the adrenaline-infused 10th thriller to feature DA Dismas Hardy (Dead Irish, etc.) from bestseller Lescroart, Hardy agrees to wrap up some of the caseload of a Bay Area lawyer who has mysteriously disappeared. After discovering that the lawyer was set to appeal an apparently straightforward murder case, Hardy realizes that the crime had its origins in Iraq, where the alleged killer and his victim first met. With the help of his old friend, Det. Abe Glitsky, Hardy learns that the victim, ex-navy SEAL Ron Nolan, was sleeping with the girlfriend of National Guard Reservist Evan Scholler, who was later convicted of killing Nolan. As Hardy and Glitsky dig deeper, they discover that Nolan had committed several murders himself, and it's up to Dismas and Hardy to unravel the conspiracy that may have roots in the U.S. government. Lescroart weaves his trademark complicated yet fast-moving tale, full of believable characters and crisp dialogue. A first-rate addition to the author's ongoing series, this should please both longtime readers and new fans. (Feb.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

?Lescroart dispatches courtroom scenes with crisp efficiency.?
?"Entertainment Weekly"

?A tour de force of a legal thriller...Easily usurps the latest from Grisham and Turow.?
?"The Providence Journal"