Title: Betrayed
Author: Eve DeLange
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 978-1-9845-5938-8
Pages: 126
Genre: Mystery
Reviewer: Carl Conrad

Read Book Review

In the book Betrayed by Eve DeLange, the author has created two classic FBI agents without first names – Agent Ragetti; the tall, dark-haired, well-dressed man with a “don’t-mess-with-me” expression etched on his face, and Agent Smitty; his antithesis who is smaller, a married man with four children, more amiable and not entirely consumed by doing his job like his partner is. The fact that they don’t have first names doesn’t affect the story or the agent’s effectiveness in any substantial way, but it does make it unique when they are introduced to other people, sworn in to give testimony in court proceedings, and even as they are spoken to by people who are close to them.

It was while interrogating a low-level operative involved in a different case that the two agents were quickly dragged into an even bigger investigation by their boss — involving the deaths of eight people and some substantial money payoffs to a chain of others which led Smitty and Ragetti into a hospital case involving fraudulent Medicare payments for colonoscopies that was the focus of Betrayed.

Digging into a list of names which required background checks, then following their instincts and some suspicious bank deposits into a variety of doctor’s and hospital employee’s accounts, the agents soon revealed the parameters of a major Medicare scam, and in due time, brought the case to court. In a very realistic courtroom and interrogation language, the author methodically peels away the subterfuge and denials of those involved in the scam so that Smitty and Ragetti become star witnesses in the trial as the preponderance of evidence tilted the scales of justice in their favor.

Yet it was the unexpected romance of the divorced Agent Ragetti, who struck up with Victoria, an attractive and bright 911 operator who was the sister of Patty who worked in the FBI office that caught my interest in the middle of the book. The attraction to each other was immediate and convincing, showing the careful but steady progress they made with their relationship which gave both characters another aspect to their dimensions.

The courtroom testimony of witnesses and accomplices, which involves several chapters of the book, will draw the reader to a clear conclusion of who was involved and how these crimes against Medicare were accomplished, although it involves some twists and turns before the outcome is certain. If you are a fan of strong character development with deep backstory and carefully plotted drama which will lead you through the complexities and legal entanglements of law enforcement, you will find that Betrayed will do it for you.