Capitol Betrayal: A Novel
(Libby/OverDrive eAudiobook)

Sometimes you have to know when to stop or at least when to take a long break. The Ben Kincaid series, closing on its twentieth anniversary and slowly running out of oomph for six or seven books now, has finally hit empty. It's as if Bernhardt no longer knows what to do with his character, or he's simply bored with him. In his latest outing, the Oklahoma defense attorney turned (briefly) senator is now appointed to the White House Special Counsel office. During a high-level meeting in the Oval Office, a national emergency sends everyone scrambling into a bunker beneath the White House, where Ben soon finds himself defending his friend, the president, against an aggressive and manipulative vice president. At stake: the leadership of the free world. This is a wildly implausible book you can feel Bernhardt manhandling characters and events to suit the needs of his story. Bernhardt can still be a talented and compelling storyteller see 2009's excellent Elliot Ness novel, Nemesis, for example but you won't find much evidence of that here. This installment of the Kincaid series is definitely for completists only.--Pitt, David Copyright 2010 Booklist

Ben Kincaid has lost his bid to be elected to the U.S. Senate in Bernhardt's less than credible 18th thriller to feature the honorable Oklahoma lawyer (after Capitol Offense). Ben's wife, Christina McCall, also a practicing attorney, has moved the family law firm to Washington, D.C., and is in charge of operations, while Ben works on legal issues for the newly elected U.S. president, Roland Kyler. Ben is at the White House with the president, the vice president, and other cabinet members when they learn that the nation is under missile attack. Ben and the others rush to an underground shelter deep beneath the White House, where the vice president makes a bid to replace Kyler, who's been acting bizarrely. This results in a trial of sorts, with Ben defending the president. A side plot starring Seamus McKay, a CIA agent in the James Bond mold, takes place topside while the trial grinds on below. At times the action borders on the silly, though series fans are unlikely to mind. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Sometimes you have to know when to stop—or at least when to take a long break. The Ben Kincaid series, closing on its twentieth anniversary and slowly running out of oomph for six or seven books now, has finally hit empty. It's as if Bernhardt no longer knows what to do with his character, or he's simply bored with him. In his latest outing, the Oklahoma defense attorney turned (briefly) senator is now appointed to the White House Special Counsel office. During a high-level meeting in the Oval Office, a national emergency sends everyone scrambling into a bunker beneath the White House, where Ben soon finds himself defending his friend, the president, against an aggressive and manipulative vice president. At stake: the leadership of the free world. This is a wildly implausible book—you can feel Bernhardt manhandling characters and events to suit the needs of his story. Bernhardt can still be a talented and compelling storyteller—see 2009's excellent Elliot Ness novel, Nemesis, for example—but you won't find much evidence of that here. This installment of the Kincaid series is definitely for completists only. Copyright 2009 Booklist Reviews.

Ben Kincaid has lost his bid to be elected to the U.S. Senate in Bernhardt's less than credible 18th thriller to feature the honorable Oklahoma lawyer (after Capitol Offense). Ben's wife, Christina McCall, also a practicing attorney, has moved the family law firm to Washington, D.C., and is in charge of operations, while Ben works on legal issues for the newly elected U.S. president, Roland Kyler. Ben is at the White House with the president, the vice president, and other cabinet members when they learn that the nation is under missile attack. Ben and the others rush to an underground shelter deep beneath the White House, where the vice president makes a bid to replace Kyler, who's been acting bizarrely. This results in a trial of sorts, with Ben defending the president. A side plot starring Seamus McKay, a CIA agent in the James Bond mold, takes place topside while the trial grinds on below. At times the action borders on the silly, though series fans are unlikely to mind. (Mar.)