Jonathan Quinn is "a cleaner" chosen to watch and observe events and, if necessary, "clean" any mess (dead bodies) which may occur. As a result of prior help from Peter (head of the "Office"), Quinn owes Peter three jobs with no questions asked. Peter first asks Jonathan and his apprentice Nate to travel to Ireland to observe a meeting between representatives of the LP (could this stand for Labor Party?) and members of the Office who will provide important information about a terrorist plot.

The meeting goes bad and all are killed by a sniper outside the abandoned church. Fortunately due to Quinn's planning, his cameras and listening devices observe all and Quinn apprehends the assassin and obtains the information which was to change hands at the meeting.  

Meanwhile, in the tiny African nation of Cote'D'Ivoire where civil unrest bordering on civil war is brewing, United Nations volunteer Marion Dupuis is summoned to an orphanage in the middle of the night to rescue Iris, a child with Down Syndome, from the military personnel who seek her. Marion is successful in getting Iris to New York City where she learns via her UN access computer that special needs children all over the world are being kidnapped. Marion is able to transport Iris to her home in Montreal only to learn that her parents and sister have been murdered in a house fire. Now, they are on their own.  

After an agent is critically injured in an abandoned booby-trapped house in New York City, Quinn, Nate, and Orlando, the technology specialist of the group, are sent on their second clean-up mission. Here they discover that the Deputy Director of National Intelligence is among the victims. The DDNI was to meet with (code name) Primus about a secret terrorist organization before he went missing. Quinn becomes a suspect in the murder and flees to Canada and learns that Marion Dupuis may have critical information. When Quinn and Marion cross paths, Marion is also suspicious of Quinn.

 Why are these special needs children being kidnapped? Who is Primus? What terrorist plot connects all these individuals? Shadow of Betrayal will answer this questions quickly because its fast pace hooks readers immediately and satisfy readers when the loose ends are tied up. The characterizations of Quinn, Nate, and Orlando continue to evolve for those who read the first two books and will intrigue new readers to the series.

Thank you, Brett Battles, for a great summer read. 

--Jerry Solot