Betrayed

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Pub Date 12 Nov 2020 | Archive Date 02 Jan 2021

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Description

Integrity is protecting someone who betrayed you. Courage is keeping a promise even though it might mean death.

A late-night phone call turns what was to be a fun hunting trip into a deadly showdown. Fifteen-year-old brothers George Tokay, Brian Evans and Brett McGovern face death on top of a mesa on the Navajo Nation Reservation in Arizona. They have no idea why men are intent on killing them. 

Betrayed is a contemporary psychological thriller and an exploration of the heart and of a blended family of adopted kids, their relationships to each other and their parents woven into a tight mystery-thriller.

Integrity is protecting someone who betrayed you. Courage is keeping a promise even though it might mean death.

A late-night phone call turns what was to be a fun hunting trip into a deadly...


Advance Praise

"Adopted and bonding as a family, with histories of death, destruction and for some...abuse, these boys band together—ready to lay down their life for their new family—in order to find a missing friend before dangerous gunmen find them.

“A whirlwind of adventure, relationships, protecting family, hair-raising situations, and cold betrayal.” 

—Tina O’Hailey author of When Darkness Begins

A boy goes missing in Navaho Nation, a family is killed. Onto the next adventure for three brothers, including one who grew up there, to search for him. As to be expected, danger awaits, but these are not ordinary teens. They have faced harrowing situations before, and now they will rely on the skills and experience they’ve developed to get through this one. 

“Once again, author Joseph Lewis has written a fast-paced psychological thriller mystery that immerses readers into a dark world few encounter.”

— Joan Livingston, author of the Isabel Long Mystery Series

“Betrayed is at once an emotional chapter in author Joseph Lewis’ continuing coming-of-age story and an intriguing thriller. Following both law enforcement and a group of teens searching for a missing boy on Native American land, Lewis’ latest also provides a unique view into Navajo culture. A layered story that explodes into a bullet-riddled climax.”

— Rick Treon, award-winning author of Deep Background and Let the Guilty Pay

Fifteen-year-old brothers George Tokay, Brian Evans, and Brett McGovern thought they were going on a hunting trip on the Navajo Reservation. They didn't anticipate that they would turn out to be the prey and would be stalked by strangers determined to kill them, and that the decisions they make could lead to a different outcome.

Strangely, the serial killer and a missing boy in the Navajo Nation threatens more than their family structure or reservation life. These events leave a question in Brian's heart about survivor guilt and whether he is ruining his adopted family by joining it. These questions reverberate in a mystery that challenges Brian's values, life, and experiences in an unexpected way: he feels they are at war as he and his brothers search for safety and answers, violence hot on their trail.

Joseph Lewis does an excellent job of crafting and entwining the politics and process of confronting reservation violence and the efforts of a group of boys to find answers about their conflicted lives and disparate backgrounds.

He paints a realistic, involving portrait of reservation life and the FBI's involvement in shootouts and confrontations that threaten to take not only lives, but ways of life.

The satisfying cat-and-mouse game challenges Brian and his brothers on many levels, from Brian's relationships and adopted family to the level of trust he puts in others.

When the truth about his closest friendship comes to light, everything changes in an unexpected way that neatly ties up loose ends and keeps the story line realistic, compelling, and emotionally charged.

To call Betrayed a thriller alone would be to do it a disservice. Its social inspection of Navajo reservation culture and life and its probe of the roots of love and connection are wonderfully woven into a story of adversity and the struggle to survive on many levels. These elements make Betrayed particularly highly recommended for readers who look for psychological depth and complexity from a story of violence and evolution.

— Diane Donovan, Editor; Donovan's Literary Services; Midwest Book

      Review/Bookwatch; Author of San Francisco Relocated

“Action and adventure are the words of the day in this thrilling, well-written, page-turner from Joseph Lewis.” 

- Sublime Review


"Adopted and bonding as a family, with histories of death, destruction and for some...abuse, these boys band together—ready to lay down their life for their new family—in order to find a missing...


Available Editions

ISBN 9781684335725
PRICE $6.95 (USD)

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Average rating from 5 members


Featured Reviews

Betrayed by Joseph Lewis is the third book in the series that follows on from 'Caught In a Web' and 'Spiral Into Darkness'. I haven't read the previous two books as yet I jumped in with Betrayed. The storyline revolves around a family that is a 'blended' one. There are adopted as well as biological brothers. This is a family whose siblings have all, in varying degrees have suffered tragic events in their pasts.
An action-packed thriller that grabbed my attention from the start.This particular instalment involves the brothers helping Law enforcement try to find one of the brothers, George, oldest friend, Charles who is a native american.The problems begin to get bigger as they find themselves being drawn into a much larger case of intimidation, greed and ultimately murder!
The story isn't only about the missing Charles though, we also see Brian, another of the brothers struggling with his sexuality and also his place within his family. I really thought that these issues were handled with the sensitivity they deserved and we then delve into some of the back story so we are not left feeling lost in the story either.
I thoroughly enjoyed the pace of this book and getting to know all the characters. I could have been part of that blended family by the time I was done with the story. These characters are very well created, all the brothers camaraderie and the live they have for all their family, and friends is a lovely part of the book. The conclusion of the story just leaves us enough hope that there MAY BE another book to come. I hope so as I have only just discovered this family and I would certainly look forward to a new book featuring them!
Thank you to Damp Pebbles and Joseph Lewis for my book to write this review today of this story of loyalty, love, greed and ultimately, family.

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this was a great mystery novel, I really enjoyed learning about this crime. The writing was really well done and I really enjoyed going on this journey.

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Another great entry into Joseph Lewis's universe. This one delves deeper into the Navajo culture, as George and his adopted brothers attempt to locate one of George's missing childhood friends. Along the way, they stumble into a larger mystery that quickly turns violent - even deadly.

This book is a slower burn than the other 6 books he has written, but definitely amps up around the 40% mark. It also does a great job of handling some sensitive matters, such as how one of the adopted brothers questions just how he fits into the family unit and where his sexuality and love really lies.

I'd recommend reading the preceding books in the series to fully understand it, as there are a lot of allusions to the events of the past novels which may leave you a bit confusing.

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A mom, a dad, 2 teenage boys of their own, and 3 adopted boys .. all 15 and 16 year-olds These teenagers are treated like adults and as they are all Navajo, maybe their culture dictates how they act. These boys all have histories of death, sometimes abuse of one kind or another, they have found themselves a place where they are loved, cared for and they know they have a place in the world.

A late-night phone call sends dad and three 15-year-old brothers to the Navajo Nation Reservation in Arizona. A good friend of theirs has been reported missing. Some sheep that he had been tending were left shot and dead ... but no sign of the missing boy.

Partnering up with an FBI agent, and the local law enforcement, he and the adults start investigation on their own. The boys have taken all their camping equipment and set up near a small lake .. close to where the missing boy was last seen.

And there is where the action really begins ....

The intricate plot is solidly written. This is a character-driven story examining a blended family, how they relate to one another amid a mystery filled with Navajo culture and beliefs. Twists and turns lead to a hair-raising conclusion. It's an emotional story with many layers.

Many thanks to the author / BooksGoSocial / Netgalley for the digital copy of this mystery-thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

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