Friday, June 11, 2010

Book Review: Shadow of Betrayal

Shadow of Betrayal is the third in the Jonathan Quinn series by Brett Battles, although it is the first in the series that I have read. Shadow of Betrayal can stand alone as a thriller, but some parts of it would have been more clear if I’d read the previous novel. Even though I sort of understand what the group “LP” is, don’t ask me to tell you.

The good news is you don’t have to know the specifics, just that LP is working against our hero, Quinn. There are two other main players. The first is Orlando, Quinn’s girlfriend and second in arms. Battles does a good job of portraying Orlando as tough and dependable and as much an expert as Quinn, yet she can be soft when the time’s right. The second is Nate who Quinn relies on, despite Nate’s having one prosthetic leg. (My feeling is that Nate lost the leg in the previous book since during this book Quinn is questioning whether Nate will be able to keep up while at the same time feeling guilty for how Nate lost the leg.)

Now that you know the characters, here’s the back cover blurb:
Three jobs, no questions. That’s the deal Jonathan Quinn -- freelance operative and professional “cleaner” -- has struck with his client at the Office. But his first assignment in rural Ireland unexpectedly results in four dead bodies to dispose of -- and leads him to an astounding mystery about to spin wildly out of control.

Now Quinn, along with his colleague and girlfriend, the lethal Orlando, has a new mission: find and protect a U.N. aide worker who has suddenly disappeared from her assignment in war-torn Africa. If it were only that easy. Soon Quinn and Orlando will unearth a horrifying plot that is about to reach stage critical for a gathering of world leaders -- and an act of terror more cunning, and more insidious, than anyone can foresee.
I could see the Jonathan Quinn series as becoming one that I follow. I like that Quinn and Orlando work together. It’s not often you see a woman portrayed as capable and as realistically as Orlando is. And Quinn, clearly the hero, is not one-dimensional. The story moved quickly and kept me turning pages.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FTC Disclaimer: Shadow of Betrayal was sent to me by Kaye Publicity in Chicago. I’ve no doubt that they hoped I would do a review, although they did not ask for one. But I liked the book, so I wrote this review. I also liked that they goofed and sent me two copies. Woo-woo! That means, I’m giving away the untouched copy (don’t think anyone would want my dog-eared one). So, if you would like Shadow of Betrayal by Barry Award winning author Brett Battles, leave a comment. You don’t need to leave an email address unless when I click on your name and go to your Profile, there’s no email address there. If there is an address there and you win, I’ll email you to get your mailing address. Also, I have no idea what it costs to mail things outside of the U.S., so if you know, give me a warning so I don’t faint in the post office when the bill is rung up. The drawing closes at midnight Saturday, June 12th.

22 comments:

  1. Not entering for the book, but once again, your FTC disclaimer is the best. And perhaps they sent two so you would do a giveaway?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Helen Ginger's Book of Disclaimers!
    First in the Series is in my TBR stack.Got it because I liked the character names. Now must move it up!
    Maribeth
    Giggles and Guns

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sounds like it was interesting read. I think I spent more time reading the disclaimer than the review but thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yeah, I went rather long on the disclaimer. Gotta cut them back.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Helen, at least do a disclaimer post in the future! Have other bloggers send you their best.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Disclaimers are fun. I spend more time on publishing related blogs than mind body spirit blogs. I'm in a random information sharing mood. It's cool you're having a give away. Talk soon.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Personally, Simon, I think it's good to have a little variety in your blog.

    Cassandrajade, you're right. I need to learn how to write more involved reviews.

    That's an interesting idea, Diane. A post of Disclaimers. Hmm.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sounds like an interesting book. Love your disclaimer. Mine is so plain and boring.

    Mason
    Thoughts in Progress

    ReplyDelete
  9. Won't be much time for books the next month, Helen. Soccer World Cup starts in 20 minutes.

    Hope the USA team will play well >:)

    Cold As Heaven

    ReplyDelete
  10. Cold As Heaven, you are the first true fan to leave a comment (that I know of). Soccer is becoming more and more popular here! Go USA. Go everybody. Nobody get hurt!

    Mason, plain and boring is good. Someday the FTC is gonna whack me upside the head.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Professional Cleaner. Great title for a killer. Very clever. Have a great weekend everyone.

    Stephen Tremp

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sounds interested. I like the rural Irish setting and the 'professional cleaner' title. I watched a really interesting documentary once on the people who clean up after dead bodies are discovered. Sounds terrible but it was fascinating.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Like the review and as always, laughed at the disclamer!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Ah, dangerous. Can I afford to get hooked on yet another series?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thanks for introducing me to another good book. Like Sheila, I am not sure I can get hooked on one more author to follow, but I am willing to try.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I haven’t heard of this series and enjoyed your review. “Shadow of Betrayal” sounds like an interesting, international(Ireland and Africa) page turner.

    ReplyDelete
  17. He's the kind of cleaner who carries a gun.

    If you're like me, Sheila, the answer is no...or usually the answer is, too late.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Love the disclaimer as usual, and this...

    "give me a warning so I don’t faint in the post office when the bill is rung up."

    LOL, you crack me up!

    ReplyDelete
  19. It's 42 cents just to mail a letter here in the States! I can't imagine what it'll be to send a book to New Zealand or Africa or somewhere!

    ReplyDelete
  20. ooh, set in Ireland? It sounds like a good read, Helen. I love a good thriller. I'm thinking I'll have to check out book one of the series. Thanks for highlighting it.

    Sorry it took me so long to get here. My sleep depository has been really low. Nap late this afternoon sure helped, but now I need to head off to bed. Just wanted to stop by and see what goodies you had on the blog today. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  21. If it helps Helen, I use ebay to calculate shipping costs. I often want an idea of cost to post pressies to post from here.

    I popped onto used books, and selected postage to Cyprus. The range is $3.50 - $6. I pay $7 for lulu.com to send me my little thin poetry book over.

    Oh, the books sounds interesting by the way. I love your reviews and disclaimers.

    ReplyDelete
  22. One glass of wine and I am to post...to post too many! LOL

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...