The Traitor in Us All (Five Star First Edition Mystery) [Hardcover]

Robert S. Levinson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bloodthirsty killer Emil Grass abducts teen Tracy Collins from an Eden Highlands, Calif., pizza parlor, after shooting dead a high school friend of hers, at the start of this far-fetched thriller from Levinson (In the Key of Death). Jack Sothern, a world-weary journalist, recognizes a link between Tracy's kidnapping and Tracy's mother, Maggie, who may be privy to the secrets contained in the missing diary of the late Erich Mielke, the notorious head of East Germany's Ministry of State Security. Years earlier, Maggie was married to Dan Boone, a controversial American entertainer who became known as the turncoat rebel after he defected to the U.S.S.R. When Dan tried to return to the U.S. in 1987, he was apparently murdered in East Germany. Tracy's harrowing experience as Emil's hostage is the high point of a tale hampered by less than credible characters, notably the over-the-top villain and a mysterious femme fatale who manipulated Jack and broke his heart during the cold war era. (Feb.)
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From Booklist

Jack Sothern is a journalist who used to have a career; now he’s a freelancer barely keeping his head above water. When two young girls are murdered and a third is abducted, Jack realizes that the crimes are related to the episode in his past that cost him his career. Desperate for redemption (both personal and professional), he risks his own life to save the kidnapped girl and to right an old wrong. This is quite a good crime novel, with a strong protagonist and a story that runs on character, not plot, twists. It’s a traditional mystery with a few unconventional elements—for example, the author introduces his main character by revealing him when another character opens a door—and, although the book appears to be a stand-alone, it’s a good bet that readers would enjoy seeing more of the likable Jack Sothern. --David Pitt

Product Details

• Hardcover: 378 pages
• Publisher: Five Star; 1 edition (February 17, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159414852X
• ISBN-13: 978-1594148521
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #244,571 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars exhilarating action-packed thriller, March 4, 2010

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Traitor in Us All (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (Hardcover)

In Eden Highlands, California, killer Emil Grass murders one teen in a pizza shop and abducts the victim's friend Tracy Collins. The assumption is she is a hostage. However, reporter Jack Sothern disagrees.

Instead he seeks a link between Grass and the extended Collins' family. He soon finds what he sought with Tracy's mother, Maggie. Sothern believes Maggie has seen, and perhaps possesses, the lost missing diary of the late Erich Mielke, the notorious deadly East German Ministry of State Security chief. Maggie had been married to Dan "The Turncoat rebel" Boone, who defected to the USSR but tried to return to the West before the Wall came down; only to be assassinated. Now the past transgressions of the adults have converged on the rightfully frightened teenage child.

The Traitor in Us All is an exhilarating action-packed thriller that has deep ugly ties back to the Cold War. The story line is fast-paced from the opening kidnapping to the final confrontation, but ignore your plausibility meter as the plot is over the top of the Kremlin (perhaps the Burj Dubai would be more accurate).

Harriet Klausner