San Francisco defense attorney Dismas Hardy has a job to do. When asked to close out the cases of a recently disappeared fellow attorney named Charlie Bowen, Dismas quickly discovers that he may have taken on more than he can possibly handle. From an alleged suicide to a possible military cover-up, Dismas has his work cut out for him as he embarks on a legal journey that puts him to the test. Evan Scholler leads an idyllic life in the States. An ordinary cop with a schoolteacher girlfriend, his future has never looked brighter until the National Guard decides to call him up and sends him over to Iraq. His plight quickly goes from bad to worse when his unit is assigned to guard a private American company called Allstrong Security whose dealings in Iraq look superb on paper, but behind closed doors, the numbers just don't add up. Ron Nolan, an ex-Navy seal and private contractor, is a force to be reckoned with. Commanding Allstrong Security's operation in Iraq with an iron fist, Ron is virtually unstoppable as he manipulates funds as if the millions he is in charge of are mere pittance. His cold- blooded and calculating maneuvers enable him to expertly skirt by under the radar without tipping his scheming hand to the upper echelon. When a deadly incident forces 2nd Lt. Scholler to collide with Nolan, they soon discover that all is not fair in love and war. What transpires next is a battle for life and death with innocent parties falling victim to circumstances out of their control and sacred bonds of trust viciously torn apart forever. From the war zone to inside the courtroom, the stakes have never been so high. It comes as no surprise that John Lescroart's BETRAYAL combines the best in military suspense with the unassailable mental prowess of the courtroom which results in the quintessential legal thriller. From his fast-paced action scenes to his articulate courtroom banter, Lescroart once again quite masterfully hits the target.
New York Times bestseller John Lescroart returns with
an ambitious, torn-from- today's-headlines thriller
featuring his trademark blend of real people and real
suspense.
John Lescroart's millions of fans have
been waiting three years for the return of San Francisco
defense attorney Dismas Hardy and his buddy, detective Abe
Glitsky--and in that time John Lescroart's popularity has
continued to soar. Now, Hardy and Glitsky reunite in a story
filled with the big themes that are worthy of them--the
intersection of love, betrayal, and a desperate search for
the truth in a critical matter of national security.
When Dismas Hardy agrees to clean up the caseload
of recently disappeared attorney Charlie Bowen, he thinks it
will be easy. But one of the cases is far from
small-time--the sensational clash between National Guard
reservist Evan Scholler and an ex-Navy SEAL and private
contractor named Ron Nolan. Two rapid-fire events in Iraq
conspired to bring the men into fatal conflict: Nolan?s
relationship with Evan's girlfriend, Tara, a beautiful
school-teacher back home in the states, followed by a deadly
incident in which Nolan's apparent mistake results in the
death of an innocent Iraqi family as well as seven men in
Evan's platoon. As the murky relationship between the US
government and its private contractors plays out in the
personal drama of these two men, and the consequences become
a desperate matter of life and death, Dismas Hardy begins to
uncover a terrible and perilous truth that takes him far
beyond the case and into the realm of assassination and
treason.
From the treacherous streets of Iraq to
the courtrooms of California, Betrayal is not only
John Lescroart's most ambitious and provocative novel, it is
a magnificent tour de force of pure storytelling.
No excerpt available.
© 2003-2026