Season of Betrayal - by Margaret Lowrie Robertson (Paperback)

About the Book

Snipers, shelling, car bombs, suicide attacks. This is Beirut 1983, and Lara McCauley is an outsider in a city at war. An ordinary person caught up in extraordinary events. The U.S. Marines have been sent in as part of a peacekeeping mission to help restore stability, but the civil war is not yet over, and they quickly become embroiled in Lebanons political unrest. Against this chaos, Lara tries to hold her marriage together, but her life is quietly falling apart. Her husband, Mac, an American journalist, has his hands full covering the conflict and matching drinks with a new circle of comrades in arms at the Commodore Hotel. Lonely and scared, Lara befriends another misfit, a Polish journalist named Thomas Warkowski. The Marines' disastrous mission parallels Laras own countdown to disaster, as a brief, desperate affair with Thomas sets into motion a chain of events with unforeseen, fatal consequences. Author's website: www.mlrobertson.com

Book Synopsis

**DEBUT FICTION**

Lara McCauley never wanted to go to Beirut. But in 1983, when her husband's career as a foreign correspondent brings her there in the midst of the civil war, she tries to make the best of it for the sake of her marriage. Unlike the other foreign visitors--most of whom are hard-charging journalists like her husband--Lara can't seem to find her footing in the chaotic city. Although she's relatively insulated from risk, she's as terrified of the frequent eruptions of violence as she is ashamed of her fear. Bored, lonely, and afraid, Lara defies her increasingly bullying husband by befriending a mysterious Polish journalist and beginning to work part-time as a broadcast film editor. But she is an inexperienced player in a dangerous game. As the U.S. "mission of presence" in Lebanon rapidly morphs into something far more deadly, Lara unwittingly sets in motion a chain of events with devastating consequences.

Drawing on her years of experience as a foreign correspondent, Margaret Lowrie Robertson brings war-torn Beirut to life in this gripping debut.

Review Quotes

PRAISE FOR SEASON OF BETRAYAL

"Ms. Robertson writes with a crisp, clear, tough voice reminiscent of Joan Didion's journalism. Her portrait of Beirut--at once vivid and meticulous--displays a reporter's gift for detail." --The Wall Street Journal

"Season of Betrayal is a captivating journey into war-torn Beirut and the equally dangerous front lines of human relationships. Margaret Lowrie Robertson brings her keen reporter's eye to this evocative and moving story of love, loss, and of course betrayal." --Anderson Cooper