Scorpion Betrayal audiobook

Andrew Kaplan's second thriller about the man known only as 'Scorpion', Scorpion Betrayal (Harper 2012) is a bullet train through a web of deceit. Scorpion, an American agent not affiliated with any government agency is the best of the best. He is called in to find a terrorist who's devious plan will upend not just America, but the world. What he finds as he untangles this Gordian knot of intrigue is much more. It doesn't seem that anyone anywhere in the world can be honest with him, each other, or even their friends. That trust gene atrophied in the human character and Scorpion's task is to read between the lines, between the clues to find out what is really happening and then stop it.It's intriguing to watch his mind work as he weighs clues, sifts through misinformation, and tracks down just the right thread to pull. He is an amazing, fascinating strategist which whether you enjoy reading political thrillers or write them, you won't want to miss.If I had to include a 'con' here, it would be that Scorpion is flat. He is that brilliant spy with no flaws, no emotion, and no personal life (this is why it lost one star). Kaplan wastes no time persuading us to like this hired killer. We will or will not, and that decision won't change the story. Even when Kaplan tries to inject a love interest, it doesn't ring true, seems more like misdirection (which it is). As a result, throughout the entire 400+ pages, I caromed off bad guys and bullets and nuclear disaster. Kaplan's depth of knowledge on foreign nations, foreign military, fighting tactics (I'd never heard of the Brazilian back leg sweep or the Krav Maga move) and law enforcement is impressive, so this never got boring, but it did get confusing. I wish I'd read this on a Kindle so I could search back for names and places I'd lost track of.Overall, a well-written book with a superbly crafted plot, complicated and tricky in the best tradition of thrillers, with spies, radical Muslims, bio-weapons, amoral murderers, an armload of exotic foreign cities, and much much more. Don't miss it.

I have just sat down and read through all 3 of the Scorpion books and they are all excellent stories created by a true master of this genre. It is a benefit to start with his first book in the series "Scorpion" but definitely not necessary. Each book creates an intricate story of plots and sub plots and has the reader guessing to the end.Scorpion Betrayal is one of the best books I have read of this genre and I have nearly 1000 signed books of the adventure, thriller and CIA action spy genre. It has everything and is one of those books you don't want to put down. Every time you think there is a straight line going in a set direction there is suddenly a massive road block and that is what this book has in plenty. If you are a reader of this genre, take the time to read the three books in the Scorpion series, they are well crafted and a credit to Mr. Kaplan

The Scorpion is a deep cover American intelligence agent. He's multilingual, a martial artist, skilled with firearms and explosives and possessed of familiarity with and contacts inside intelligence agencies and criminal gangs all over Europe and the Middle East. More than his enemies and his uncomfortable allies, the person he really distrusts is his slippery and politically-motivated superior, and with every risk he takes, every deeper level of plot he uncovers, the Scorpion has to ask himself: is he the player, or is he being played?The Scorpion's target is the Palestinian, a nameless, faceless man organizing multiple terrorist attacks in the West, involving both bioweapons and a nuclear bomb. This novel is James Bond-like for its exciting action sequences, but ranks with the best Cold War spy fiction for complexity, paranoia and contemporary relevance. Recommended.

Scorpion gets called back into action to save the world. Fast paced action in this book as he starts putting the pieces together traveling the globe. Great plot twists leave you guessing at the ending.

Beautifully crafted, rich in details about the middle east, spycraft, politics, and WMDs, I find Kaplan's work a bit scary because it's so believable. I learned a lot and really liked Scorpion. I'll be reading the series.

Egypt's Head of Internal State Security is brutally murderedin a Cairo cafe by a faceless killer known only as the Palestinian. It is move one in a chilling game of terror thatcatches the International Intelligence Community off guard.The CIA turns to the only man they believe can get to the bottom of this. He is code named The Scorpion. The mastermind is leading The Scorpion from the Middle East to the capitolsof Europe. The fate of the free world is in the hands of twowell matched adversaries and there is no room for error.But a shocking truth has been kept from The Scorpion and a beauty will blind him to the ultimate betrayal. This is book two in The Scorpion series and although I would'nt call it apage turner it is still a pretty good story.

Lot's of 'inside baseball' of the spy game in this one. Kaplan inserts too many foreign phrases into the dialog, which he doesn't always translate and which begins to tire the reader. All in all, not bad, but I haven't read the other book(s) in the series and I found myself somewhat lost at times.Kaplan surely knows what he's talking about and the plot was very good.

** spoiler alert ** Brilliant! Really like the character and the journey across the whole world! Sudden twist at the end of the book; really enjoyed that. Although I must admit I didn't really get the ending and was a little surprised when I found out it was already over. Gonna read the other books soon too!

Normally I read historical crime fiction, but I found this a very exciting read with insight into the world of espionage, will definitely be reading the sequel

I like Andrew Kaplan's professional way of dealing with the subject of terror threats, which he succeeds in combining with his fictional characters and situations. Fictional, but easy to believe to become real. Is it due to his former journalistic experience?Takie powieści sensacyjno-szpiegowskie z elementami political fiction po prostu lubię.Skorpion, tropiący tajemniczego ale skutecznego terrorystę o pseudonimie Palestyńczyk, który przygotowuje zamachy w różnych miejscach w Ameryce i w Europie, nie jest może postacią tak charyzmatyczną jak moi ulubieni Gabriel Allon Daniela Silvy czy John Rain Barry Eislera. Choć kiedy poznam go w innych akcjach może i w tej kwestii zmienię zdanie (cykl o Skorpionie to cztery pozycje, z których dwie zostały przetłumaczone na polski). Autor ciekawie prowadzi akcję, dostarcza odpowiednią dawkę informacji o bohaterach, łącznie z tymi, których Skorpion zwalcza, unikając łatwych czarno-białych schematów. Widać, że Andrew Kaplan jako były dziennikarz znający z autopsji wiele newralgicznych miejsc na świecie, o których pisze, jest doświadczonym profesjonalistą w swoim fachu.Z Johnem Rainem i wieloma innymi bohaterami współczesnych thrillerów szpiegowskich łączy Skorpiona fakt, że nie bardzo mu po drodze z państwowymi agencjami, a konkretnie z pewnymi ludźmi, którzy w tych firmach rządzą i albo nie potrafią wyjść poza ich zmurszałe struktury, albo kierują się w podejmowaniu decyzji swoiście pojmowanym interesem państwowym. Co nie znaczy, że bez środków z Langley mógłby Skorpion wypełniać swoją misję. Jest jednak samotnym wilkiem. Widać taka moda zapanowała nie tylko wśród terrorystów, również po stronie tych, którzy z nimi walczą. Przynajmniej w książkach. Sądzę, że w dużej części wynika ona z rozczarowania działaniem służb, które nie potrafiły zapobiec niektórym zamachom, na czele z tym najbardziej spektakularnym z 11 września. Autorzy reagują na to rozczarowanie, nie zawsze z wyczuciem, w sposób racjonalny. Ale Kaplanowi tego nie zarzucam. Swoją niechęć do pewnego funkcjonariusza Firmy Skorpion w pełni uwiarygodnia, choć, znowu, wyjaśnienia motywów działania CIA nie są całkiem pozbawione pragmatycznych przesłanek, szczególnie jeśli ktoś podziela przekonanie, że w specjalnych okolicznościach cel uświęca środki.Na końcu książki, obok Przypisów, znajduje się interesujący Glosariusz. Świadczy on o wiedzy autora, nie tylko na temat struktur amerykańskich służb, specyfiki islamu czy realiów rosyjskich, również m.in. broni bakteriologicznej, sztuki walk i metod szyfrowania.