Consummate Betrayal

Sometimes you run across something the government has done that just doesn't sit right, while other times it does stuff that downright scares you. It is at times like that you might wonder if you are being paranoid or do others see it the way you do.  You know all about the 'conspiracy' theorists, who see danger behind every piece of legislation but that is not who you want to judge your concerns against. After all, those people would find malice if the government said Venus is a planet or liquid water is wet. No, you want to know if what you fear is what a 'normal' person might fear.  Then along comes a book that addresses your fear. Consummate Betrayal is just such a book. But the government policy is not the main course of the book, rather it is the plate holding the main course.  And as the hero of the book meets his fate at the hands of the FBI and the CIA, the reader gets an inkling of the danger some government policies and legislation present.




Consummate Betrayal
By Mary Yungberg
Paperback: 284 pages

• Publisher: Sanders Printing Comapny; 1ST edition (2011)

• ISBN-10: 1450788165
• ISBN-13: 978-1450788168

From YouTube


      FBI Special Agent Rowan Milani doesn't expect his life to be turned upside down when he arrives in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for an Anti-Terrorism Task Force operation. But the clandestine side of his life catches up with him as he circumvents the target on his back one too many times.
      Be drawn into Rowan's frightening journey as he encounters a gullible Intelligence Community, the bloodthirsty media and a terror-weary country, all willing to believe the worst about the son of an Iranian immigrant.
     Set against the backdrop of an insidious terror plot, Consummate Betrayal is a rich tapestry of intertwining relationships based on unconditional love, sacrificial friendship, and the courage of a fiercely honorable man pursued by relentless evil.


About the Book:  
    On New Year's Eve Sa-id Harandi is preparing a feast for his best friend's son, Rowan Milani, with the hopes of reuniting Rowan not only with his heritage but also with his family. Little does Sa-id know that very soon he will, under torture, betray Rowan to a man in a position to bring everything Rowan is involved with to a crashing halt with Rowan buried under the debris.
     Rowan is just returning from a special assignment to Mexico, where he is forced to eliminate the threat to the United States. Anyone who knows how the various agencies are supposed to work, know the FBI is not supposed to be doing any enforcement outside of the U. S. So when Rowan eliminates the threat, he plays right into the hands of the evil man who has forced Sa-id to betray him. Using the both the FBI and the CIA as his personal pawns, this man of evil hunts for and entraps Rowan.
    The FBI retains Rowan for questioning in Denver but eventually is forced to let him go. Rowan's assignment takes him to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he meets a young woman, Danielle, who works for an airline company in Sioux Falls. The course of his business has him in close contact with Danielle and a relationship blossoms. Unfortunately for Danielle, Rowan's problems soon become hers. 
    As evidence mounts, the CIA becomes sure Rowan has betrayed his country and is now an undercover terrorist that has somehow infiltrated the FBI or at the very least has gone rogue, killing people outside U.S. soil. Rowan is arrested once again with the plan to send him to Egypt, a place where more forceful interrogation techniques can be used, even though Rowan is a U. S. citizen, leaving his friends and his coworkers little option but to save him


My take: 
     I enjoyed this story. There is romance, intrigue, social comment, and action in a mix that makes this a balanced story, more natural and real life feeling, than most books. The romance is graphic at times but adds spice to the story in just the right amount to allow the flavor of the story to rise to the top. The story was easy to read, and very easy to follow even as the story introduced more characters. The timeline is accelerated, so we see mostly glimpses of what is happening during various parts of the story.  This allows the reader to follow what is happening, without the author going into details that the reader doesn't need to know but it does give a slightly choppy feeling to the story.  As a reader, you should pay attention to the headers of each section that tell you when there is a time shift. I am lazy about doing just that and I still followed the story easily, so it is not a necessity but may remove some of the choppiness.
     One of the things I did enjoy was the hero who in reality is not a super hero. I remember reading a SciFi story, maybe Battlefield Earth, and all I could think of was, "Doesn't this guy ever get beat down?" If you are tired of having heros never feeling their injuries, then this book will suit you. Rowan is very much a human, not only in how he reacts to his injuries but also in some of his responses to others that are as much a detriment to his predicament as not.
    Another thing I appreciate about the book is the author is not afraid to explore the new U.S. rules that allow its very own citizens to be detained, imprisoned, and shipped overseas to be tortured without ever being given a chance to see a lawyer or to present a case. It is true, the story hasn't gone so far as to present a case with a lilly white John Q citizen, but the bravery of an author to at least broached the subject demands recognition.
    I would suggest this to anyone who wants to read a fast, light action story with good characters and an interesting plot.