Customer Reviews

The Betrayers

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I started reading this book two days ago and am half way through it. I was hooked from page 1. It has heaps of relevant history (I am a history buff and loved revisiting what I had learnt in high school about Russia's 900 day seige). Junius Podrug bring's this Harold Robbins novel alive with his smooth, fast-paced narration. It also gave me tremendous insight into the Carribean, which I have a fascination for,as well as the exotic Havana, Cuba. A brilliant, masterpiece.

The Betrayers, a symphony, a story so smooth; and Junius Podrug keeps Robbins legacy very much alive.

Nick is the love child of a british and russian communist visionaries, who move to Russia for hopes of building a better society. The communist system kills nicks father and his mother starves to death in the deadly siege of Leningrad, Russia, by Nazi Germany.

Nick grows up in a brutal Russian Orphanage, where he learns more about life then in any school. He becomes a delivery boy for the gang leader who illegally produces and sells cheaply made vodka at his farm. Nick gets caught by the NKVD (the soviet secret service) for illegal activities. He is in jail, about to hear a death sentence when he is thrown a lifeline by a British lawyer.

The lawyer was sent by Nicks grandfather, who was english. He passed away, but had never seen his grandson, and his last wish was to get nick out of the Soviet union and be sent to his remaining family: Nicks father's step sister and her husband in the British Hondurus.

His half Aunt is a kind woman who loves her abusive husband Jack. Despite quarrells among Jack and Nick they managed to stay together, untill Nick buys another farm in the area and starts manufacturing vodka and rum. This is the start of his career. His quest for making money through liquor takes him from Hondurus, to Cuba, to Dominican republic. His business takes him to Santo Domingo, where he meets luz, a woman with dark secrets. He ends up battling dictators with their armies for this woman who he falls in love dearly.

this book is something of a throwback to early Robbins - this makes it better. Read it, you wont be disappointed.