The Betrayal by Jerry B. Jenkins

Detective Boone Drake has just masterminded the most massive sting in Chicago history, bringing down the heads of not only the biggest street gangs in the city but also the old crime syndicate. The story is the biggest in decades, and the Chicago Police Department must protect the key witness at all costs. Despite top-secret plans to transfer the witness ahead of his testimony before the grand jury, an attempt is made on his life. And the person suspected of leaking this information may be one of the CPD’s own.

The Betrayal by Jerry B. Jenkins is the second book in the Precinct 11 series. It was an interesting book that was filled with suspense, deception, and the loyalty of friends. I did not read the first book, the Brotherhood, but the Betrayal's plot line seems to follow immediately after where the first novel ends. The plot line was exciting and filled with mystery. I was captivated by the book and read it in one sitting. I quickly figured out who was the betrayer in this novel, but the suspense in this book was still phenomenal. Throughout the entire novel I had no idea who was working with the main antagonist or how everything would be resolved in the novel. The tone of the plot line of the novel varied nicely, and there was a good mix of slower, more reflective moments and action packed scenes throughout the novel. The book followed the perspective of Boone Drake and gave the reader a good idea about what he was thinking during the novel.

The characters in The Betrayal were excellently developed and very realistic. Boone Drake was a very flawed character, but he did experience considerable growth in the novel. I did not read the first book in the Precinct 11 series, but I gathered from this novel that his relationship with God had already grown significantly from the events that had happened previously. His character had many admirable qualities, such as, loyalty to those he loved and incredible perseverance and honesty. His boss, Jack, was a great character as well. He was an unbeliever, but I enjoyed seeing his steps toward discovering the power of God's love. His interactions with Boone were hilarious and definitely my favorite part of the book. They had a really awesome friendship and camaraderie. Not only were the main characters developed well, but I thought that all of the supporting character were very dynamic as well. They all had unique and varying personalities that added a lot of flavor to the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel, and I would highly recommend the Precinct 11 series by Jerry B. Jenkins to anyone who likes a good ol' mystery and detective work. I would suggest starting with the Brotherhood before this book, however, just so more of the connecting plot lines are clear.