Supreme Betrayal

Zachary Blake Legal Thriller Series # 6

Fiction - Mystery - Legal
279 Pages
Reviewed on 03/31/2021
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Mark M. Bello is an attorney, civil justice advocate, and award-winning author of the Zachary Blake Legal Thriller Series. He draws upon 44 years of experience, a passion for justice, and his creative writing style to pen captivating novels for his readers and hard-hitting commentaries on controversies in the news.

Bello was one of the first attorneys to sue the Catholic Church over sexual abuse by clergy, an experience that inspired his debut novel, “Betrayal of Faith.” Through his “ripped from the headlines” novels, he takes readers deep into courtroom battles that protect our most precious rights, and gives us a front row glimpse into what victims face when standing up for justice. Supreme Betrayal is his 6th Zachary Blake legal thriller.

Bello is a native of Detroit, MI. He earned his law degree from Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Oakland University.

In his books, articles, and blogs at markmbello.com and legalexaminer.com, Bello calls out abuses of power as he empowers readers, the media, and ordinary citizens to fight for their rights as guaranteed under the Constitution.

Bello and his spouse, Tobye, have four children and eight grandchildren. In his spare time, he enjoys writing, sports, traveling, and spending time with his family. For more information, visit http://markmbello.com.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Deborah Lloyd for Readers' Favorite

In August 1997, Hayley Larson, a 16-year-old teen who usually followed her parents’ rules, decided it was time to break a few. She went with her friends to a lakefront mansion where alcohol, drugs, and sex were plentiful. The wealthy parents were out of town, and their sons were known for their wild parties. When Hayley needed to use the bathroom, she was sexually assaulted by the 22-year-old college son, Oliver Wilkinson, and his friend, Shane Marbury. Although she reported the assault, no legal actions were taken. Fast forward to 2020 – Oliver Wilkinson is now the Republicans' choice for the next Supreme Court justice. When attorney Zachary Blake was approached by Hayley and her husband to bring this incident to light, he gladly takes the case. In the legal thriller, Supreme Betrayal, Mark M. Bello crafts an exciting plot with many twists and turns.

This story takes place in the Detroit area where Hayley and Zachary live, as well as in Washington, DC. The Senate hearings are filled with surprising moments as Oliver and his cohorts take every step imaginable for confirmation. While the cast of characters is large, each person has a well-developed, distinctive personality. Zachary Blake is a brilliant and complex personality – sometimes compassionate and other times disparaging. His private investigator Micah is hard-working and perceptive. Clare Gibson, who is in charge of the FBI investigation, is a strong advocate for the truth. The pace of the story is fast, and a reader cannot put the book down until the ending is revealed. Author Mark M. Bello captures the current political climate with an adventurous twist in the novel, Supreme Betrayal. A great read!

Bernadette Diane Anderson

Mark M. Bello's Supreme Betrayal is set in America and tells of three people who meet at a party, make mistakes, and over twenty years later pay the price for their errors. Sixteen-year-old Hayley Larson unusually agrees to go with friends to a party hosted by two brothers, Oliver and Jared Wilkinson, parties in which nothing is off-limits! Used to getting his own way with females, the narcissistic Oliver and his friend Shane Marbury follow the naïve Hayley upstairs and pursue her in the master bathroom. Years later, now a happily married woman, her husband Joel Schultz calls her to watch the news as it tells of nominees for the vacant position of Judge to the Supreme Court, one of which is Oliver Wilkinson. Hayley decides she can’t let that happen and makes it her mission to stop it. While a legal mind is necessary for the position, the political agenda is the biggest factor to be considered. See if justice prevails in this story of intrigue, loyalty, and deadly plots.

We are presented with a brilliant political thriller in Supreme Betrayal by author Mark M. Bello. It has all the elements needed for an excellent, exciting read that will keep your mind open to the very end as to how it will conclude. A good look at how American politics works and how leading individuals in that society think and operate, the desperate measures they are prepared to take to achieve their ambitions and dreams; for some a blatant disregard for life itself. How the world of politics manipulates society and how minds can be changed to help a certain course. You are led to develop your own opinions and feelings about each character as they weave in and out of the plot and you will enjoy the changes of pace in the story as you get further and further involved in the events. Whether new to or a fan of this genre, you will not be disappointed.

Lorraine Cobcroft

Oliver Wilkinson sexually assaulted Hayley Larson Schultz at a party when she was just sixteen. She filed a police complaint, but Oliver’s wealthy family greased palms to make the complaint go away. Twenty-two years later, Hayley is a social worker specializing in helping sexual assault victims. She is happily married with children, but she has not forgotten what the entitled narcissist who is now a nominee for a judge on the Supreme Court did to her. She cannot let this criminal achieve his ambition. But how can she stop him? Engaging prominent lawyer Zachary Blake, she begins a campaign to bring Wilkinson down, but Wilkinson is wealthy and powerful and an accomplished liar who will stop at nothing to achieve his dream. And he has powerful friends who have no more integrity than the candidate they want positioned to make judgments that support their political causes. How far will Wilkinson and his friends go in their efforts to discredit Hayley and thwart their political enemies?

Lovers of great legal thrillers will thoroughly enjoy Mark M Bello’s Supreme Betrayal. If you haven’t read the other five books in Mark’s series about lawyer Zachary Blake, you will want to devour them all after reading this one. Authors who want to sell books are advised to choose topical subjects. Mark M Bello certainly hit the spot with his headline-inspired Supreme Betrayal. A widely despised past President, an ultra-conservative current government clinging desperately to power, sex abuse crimes, and the corrupt abuse of wealth and power feature in a story with a powerful action-packed plot and relatable characters. It helps that several of the heroes of the story are women and that the antagonist is a character we can all readily identify as someone we know of and love to hate. This is a story that reflects accurately the current political climate; a story about a brave woman challenging an evil Goliath and risking everything in a quest to bring the giant down. Mark M. Bello has delivered yet another genuine page-turner; a story that will have you on the edge of your seat right to the surprising end. I have no hesitation in awarding five stars, though I think it merits at least seven for marketability! A great story, well-told.