The Betrayal, A Precinct 11 Novel

By Jerry B. Jenkins

Review by Kathy Bruins

Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Copyright © 2011 by Jerry B. Jenkins

290 pages

This story will make you wish you were a speed reader as anticipation grows with each page read. Caution if you are snacking on anything as you read … you’ll find you’re chewing faster as the suspense grows. Jenkins writes another spell binding story where trusting the wrong person could prove fatal.

The Betrayal is a wonderful follow-up of The Brotherhood in continuing the story of Boone Drake, a detective in the Gang Enforcement Section of the Chicago Police Department. Boone wakes up in the hospital with a shoulder wound caused by an assassin who was after Pascual Candelario, aka PC, a reformed gang leader who is going to testify before the grand jury to bring down some of the biggest gang leaders. The attempt on his life was a job from inside the police department since the operation of transferring him to a secure location was top secret. Who would want to blow the operation and why? Favorite characters from The Brotherhood return in the second book of the Precinct 11 series. Suspects of the leak include Boone’s new love, Haeley Lomanica.

While Boone is trying to figure out who is behind the misdeeds, he struggles with the pain of his shoulder, and the sleepiness of his medication. His friend and ex-partner, Jack Keller, seems to be the only person he can fully trust.

Woven through the story is how God is working through the lives of Boone and all the people around him. Questions of trust, prayer, eternity and the character of God arise from the situations experienced by the characters in this story. Does the kingdom of God really have anything to do with the workings of detectives, officers, lawyers, assistants, and others who are part of the entangled story, where peace can only be found through the truth?

The Brotherhood, A Precinct 11 Novel

By Jerry Jenkins

Review by Kathy Bruins

Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Copyright © 2011 by Jerry B. Jenkins

371 pages

This book’s goal is not only to entertain the reader, but to show how God’s grace works through the toughest times in life, change the hardest hearts, and forgive the worst of crimes. This is a pretty tall order, but author Jerry Jenkins knows how to cook up a great feast in reading as millions have experienced through the Left Behind series.

Everything seemed perfect in Boone Drake’s life—good job as a cop with future promotional possibilities, a lovely family, great house, and a partner in the cruiser who was top notch. He was happy. But as life can often do, everything turned upside down. Boone’s life and emotional health were going down. He was sinking into the valley of what he may have thought was no return. The pain he experienced was what one could parallel to the Old Testament character of Job, asking the question of why do bad things happen to good people?

Where is God in all this? Chapter after chapter shows that God is at work through all the details. God can heal the broken hearted, the lost and confused, and maybe even a tough Chicago cop who has always wanted to battle the gangs and rid them from the city. A goal that felt unreachable for most and especially to Boone during his dark days.

People come into play as Boone journeys through the struggles in his life. All of these characters are well developed where the reader can gain an image of the character as portrayed. There’s Pastor Sosa, who leads the church Boone, his wife and son attended. This character gives a great model of how pastors can minister to the broken. Then there’s Boone’s partner, Jack Kelly. He’s lives a bit on the rough side, but has a heart of gold and is a very dedicated officer. Boone’s family surround him although there have been stressors in those relationships. Then there’s Haeley, a single-mom who has a great love for God and her son. All of these people play a special role in Boone’s transformation.

Pascual Candelario, a gang leader of gang leaders, comes on the scene to make a deal with the police. Is this the real thing or could Boone and the police be set up for an ambush? The police thriller aspect of this book does not disappoint. It’s packed with adrenaline raising scenes that motivate the reader to eagerly continue.

Deep thinking opportunities also exist for methodical readers. It challenges the reader to contemplete what they believe about God and grace. The full understanding of grace has always seemed just out of reach, but Jenkins definitely shows a clear illustration through The Brotherhood.

The ending left a wide opening for a sequel which will be a relief to readers of this book that more is coming.