Shadow of Betrayal

By: Brett Battles

Narrated by: Scott Brick

The meeting place was carefully chosen: an abandoned church in rural Ireland just after dark. For Jonathan Quinn - a freelance operative and professional "cleaner" - the job was only to observe. If his cleanup skills were needed, it would mean things had gone horribly wrong.

But an assassin hidden in a tree assured just that. And suddenly Quinn had four dead bodies to dispose of and one astounding clue - to a mystery that is about to spin wildly out of control.

Three jobs, no questions. That was the deal Quinn had struck with his client at the Office. Unfortunately for him, Ireland was just the first. Now Quinn, along with his colleague and girlfriend - the lethal Orlando - has a new assignment touched off by the killings in Ireland. Their quarry is a U.N. aide worker named Marion Dupuis who has suddenly disappeared from her assignment in war-torn Africa. When Quinn finally catches a glimpse of her, she quickly flees, frantic and scared. And not alone.

For Quinn the assignment has now changed. Find Marion Dupuis, and the child she is protecting, and keep them from harm. If it were only that easy.

Soon Quinn and Orlando find themselves in a bunker in the California hills, where Quinn 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 guess.

Fast, smart, sleek, and stunning, Shadow of Betrayal is vintage Brett Battles: a gritty, gripping masterpiece of suspense, a thriller that makes the pulse pound--and stirs the heart as well.

©2009 Brett Battles (P)2009 Random House Audio

Too Convoluted

The Battles series is taunted as fast-paced thrillers. I found the 'fast-pace' to be contrived and forced. The mystery was not well developed and the reader was not taken along with the story. The introduction to the story, the characters and the plot was poor leaving me to wonder 'what is going on?' and when is the 'action' going to start?' The story was all over the globe, literally. This made it a little confusing for me. I am sure it was the intention of the author to build suspense and mystery but it seemed to me to be convoluted. I wasn't able to determine what the 'bad guys' were doing and how it was suppose to impact the 'good guys'. Nobody was clued into anything until the end. This would have been okay but the end was weak and didn't tie up loose ends. I was prepared for this because this is a series but I wanted some closure and this book was fared and underdeveloped.
I always enjoy Scott Brick's performance. He articulates and uses accents that are reasonable and accurate. He brought this story to life.

Secrets

Would you consider the audio edition of Shadow of Betrayal to be better than the print version?

Yes, I love to hear the narrator - he is amazing!

What other book might you compare Shadow of Betrayal to and why?

The Gray Man Series by Mark Greany. The author developes the characters very well and are similar in both

Which scene was your favorite?

When Drury saved Jake at the car and killing the woman before she could do in Jake.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I liked the backbone that Jake had while in captivity.

Any additional comments?

I'm excited to continue with the Series.

Excellent early Jonathan novel

This is the third novel in the Jonathan Quinn series by Brett Battles. Although it is excellent it is not quite as good as the first two novels or several of the later novels in the series. Yet it is a great listen.

Audio

Any additional comments?

When the audio has sounds of someone trying to control their mucous, sniffling and snorting in chapter 14 right after they checked the hotel room after the chase.

The audio should be re-recorded. The story-line is fantastic BUT!

Wonderfully exciting and intense.

Would you consider the audio edition of Shadow of Betrayal to be better than the print version?

Definitely, especially with Scott Brick as the narrator.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes. The focus required by Quinn and Nate to find each other in the obscure island was terrific. Once having a tiny piece of information and then continuing to piece the puzzle together. The characters were heroic.

Which character – as performed by Scott Brick – was your favorite?

Quinn

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I couldnt stop listening, always on the edge of my seat. No laughing or crying, just rooting for the Quinn and his team.

Any additional comments?

Can't wait for Brett Battle's next book.

Bit convoluted and a loud sniff from the narrator

The story was pretty good but I had to go back several times and listen to some sections to keep the story straight. Also, in almost 250 books that I’ve listened to it’s the first time I heard a loud, gross sounding sniff by the narrator. I couldn’t believe it! That section definitely should have been redone. Yuck!

The Narrator Makes the Book

This is a perfect example of how a narrator makes or breaks a story. First book in this series (The Cleaner) was not an excellent book but a fun listen, read by Scott Brick. It prompted me to buy the remaining two books in the series. The second book (The Deceived) may or may not have been just as good a story but they changed narrators and his read changed the entire personalities of the characters; and not for the better. The third installment, read by Brick again made this book enjoyable again. I have said it before but I will never understand why some series change narrators mid-stream. For anyone that enjoys listening to series, like Bosch, Bolitar, Reacher, begin to identify the characters with the voice and when it changes it alters the listening experience.

Location: Ireland Another murder mess!

Another "simple" job with big complications.

Quinn continues to be entertaining while dealing with a gruesome crime scene and its back story.

Scott Brick is always an excellent narrator.

Outstanding performance and Author

I have enjoyed listening to the first book in the series and how the characters have been developed. Some are natural, at least to me, and most are surprises that add excitement to each book. I enjoy the performance very much. Scott Brick has the ability to bring each character to life. He is a great 👍 performer and able to add drama as well as tenderness to the characters at the appropriate times. I look forward to listening to the next book in the series.

Not as good as the prequel

I generally read books out of their published order, and had read "The Cleaner" awhile ago, but wasn't inspired to read more of Battles. The real breakthrough and character development came for me when I read "Becoming Quinn", which really fleshed out Jonathan Quinn and gave the character depth. Deciding to continue reading Battles after enjoying the prequel so much, I chose this one, based on some of the reviews and the narrator being one of my favorites. I found the character development of Quinn still somewhat shallow, and almost unrecognizable from the depth of the prequel. The other things that bothered me were some trite dialogue. Not sure if I'll try Battles a third time.