Betrayed

In a time of global political upheaval comes the crime thriller novel, Betrayed. The primary complication in this action packed novel of retribution and suspense is a real Ponzi scheme that was uncovered in 2007 as the Bernard Madoff Ponzi crime was breaking on the national scene. With refreshingly honest and raw insight, R.P. McCabe explores a broad spectrum of social ills resulting from the contemporary tragedy of Ponzi crime and the subsequent collapse suffered by hundreds of thousands of American families. Yet, in the face of the impending certainty of grave retribution that is imminent, Mr. McCabe manages to entertain and inform his readers. This thriller is a hallmark story of our times filled with suspense and action that creeps up on you just as the psychosis that is consuming Wally Stroud threatens to replace the man he thought himself to be. Victims of Ponzi crime around the world will relate to the tragedy suffered when Wally and Poppy Stroud are betrayed in this story of heartbreaking loss and retribution.

The Strouds discover that they have lost their entire life’s savings to two nihilistic criminals in an elaborate Ponzi scheme. The suspense and action build in this thriller as it becomes obvious that Wally and Poppy will once more be betrayed and abandoned by the regulatory agencies they have turned to in desperation. Wally slips into a state of attenuated depression. Consumed by his own grief, he does not see that his wife, Poppy, has tumbled into an even deeper chasm of despair. The action begins to intensify when Poppy commits suicide. Now feeling further betrayed by his wife, Wally’s depression devolves to a long slide into psychosis. As with any well crafted crime thriller, the suspense becomes riveting. You know retribution is coming. R.P. McCabe takes us along on that suspense driven journey with vivid, heartrending truth. The resolution in Betrayed is stunningly unforgettable. Even then McCabe does not leave his reader and shut down the action. The denouement of this crime thriller is no less satisfying than the journey we are treated to throughout Betrayed. Mr. McCabe weaves his story of retribution with clever crafting of action counterbalanced by sublimely agonizing suspense, holding his reader in a state of suspended animation with appetizingly mature literary prose and crisp dialogue. Readers of Stieg Larsson or David Baldacci novels will find an especially satisfying read in Betrayed.