BETRAYAL by John Lescroart
The war in Iraq has not proven to be a good subject for Hollywood films. Movie after movie with the war as its theme has fallen by the wayside and has suffered total defeat at the box office. Now we shall have to see how a novel with an Iraq War backdrop does. John Lescroart's new novel BETRAYAL does use the "war" as a player in the scheme of the action of the story. If the war weren't there, the whole plot of the novel would be invalid.
In the story Evan Scholler is a member of the California National Guard and his unit is sent to Iraq. While there Scholler meets ex-Navy Seal Ron Nolan. He is now working for a private contractor in that country and is involved in a variety of questionable schemes. Unsure of himself and afraid for his life while in country, Scholler lets himself be used by Nolan to get things done quickly and for his and his boss' advantage.
Back home Tara Wheatley is trying to adjust to a life without Evan. They broke up before he was sent to Iraq and the cause of the breakup was the war. She has not written to Evan since he left but she is still unsure of her feelings for him. She is vulnerable and miserable when Ron Nolan shows up at her door. Ron is a charmer and Tara lets him fill the void left by Evan.
Eventually this triangle leads to a death and Evan is accused of killing Ron. That is where Lescroart fans get their big boost. Attorney Dismas Hardy takes Evan's case and he is assisted by his best friend Police Detective Abe Glitsky. Hardy and Glitsky have been the focus of many a Lescroart story and they are two of the big reasons for Lescroart's popularity.
In this story however Hardy and Glitsky have subordinate roles. The main focus is on Evan, Ron and Tara. They are the featured players and they control the action. Still it is nice to have Hardy and Glitsky around even if it is in minor roles.
Lescroart's writing has never been better. He makes each character come to life on the pages of this book and the plot is one of his most intriguing yet. It is virtually "ripped from today's headlines" and the impact of the war and its players has never been so tantalizing. Lescroart does not politicize the war too much but he does expose some unsavory characters and actions along the way.
At heart BETRAYAL is a legal thriller. All the events described in the early part of the book lead to the trial of Evan Scholler. The facts are against him in the trial and it will take an enormous amount of skill on the part of his attorney to get him acquitted. Can Dismas save the day, well the answer may not be as obvious as you would expect.
If you want a book in which you can lose yourself, then BETRAYAL is the one. Lescroart is a master at the writing game and his story will fascinate you, entertain you, and educate you. It is another genuinely powerful novel from a man who knows how to do his job.
BETRAYAL is published by Dutton. It contains 400 pages and sells for $26.95.