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THE BETRAYED
by David Hosp
Warner Books, July 2006
432 pages
$24.99
ISBN: 0446576956


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

David Hosp's first book, DARK HARBOUR, was an engaging and well-written look at a boy from the rough side of the tracks. The second, THE BETRAYED, pits the boy from the ghetto against the monied ruling class.

Except Hosp has resisted the temptation to revisit his old characters, and has come up with a new cast. And the location has moved from Boston to Washington DC.

This time his poor boy-turned-pillar of the community is Sgt Darius 'D' Train, a former footballer and now a homicide detective. His partner is Detective Jack Cassian, who comes from a wealthier background, but has some family secrets.

Together they must solve the murder of Elizabeth Creay, a newspaper reporter and single mum, who is found dead in her home. It turns out she comes from a monied background, and her snooty mother Lydia isn't overly helpful to the investigating officers.

Elizabeth's sister Sydney is much more co-operative, though, and determined to help the police track down whoever killed her sister. Sydney, who is back in Washington to do legal research for a university professor, has been estranged from her wealthy family for nine years, but had begun rebuilding a relationship with Elizabeth.

As the detectives and Sydney start digging, they discover how money and power has led to a terrifying cover-up which is still putting lives in danger.

THE BETRAYED is a slickly-written page-turner with an engaging character in the large, lumpy shape of 'D' Train. The book really threatened to take off whenever he lumbered into view and he was a more than strong enough creation to support the action single-handed.

Cassian is more predictable and not as well drawn -- and I guarantee you'll guess at least one of the plot twists featuring him. And Sydney at times comes across as your bog-standard, tick this box female lead. And there's some borderline femjep featuring her which is signalled way in advance.

The book confirms my view from last time out that Hosp is a writer worth watching. He writes fluently, plots well and with some more padding out of his characters, should, given good luck and a following wind, be around the genre field for quite some time to come.

Reviewed by Sharon Wheeler, June 2006

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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