When Men Betray - (Jack Patterson Thriller) by Webb Hubbell (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"Former associate attorney general of the United States and political insider Webb Hubbell masterfully evokes the terrors of a hot, black Southern night--one can practically smell the sweat, hickory, and gunpowder emanating from the book's pages." -- Ellen Ratner

After a shocking assassination of a senator on live TV by an unlikely suspect, attorney Jack Patterson reluctantly returns to Little Rock, a town that he swore he would never step foot in again to uncover the motives of the killer. Jack and his ragtag team set off on a race against time to unveil the answers left in a series of strange clues while hired hitmen stand in their way of learning the truth, and the one man who knows everything refuses to talk.

When Men Betray introduces readers into the steamy underbelly of Jack Patterson's world--full of secrets and betrayals underneath the facade of southern BBQ and antebellum. Alliances are tested, buried tensions surface, and painful memories are re-lived as Jack desperately tries to clear the name of an old friend, ultimately realizing that even the oldest friendships can be threatened, when men betray.

Review Quotes

"When Men Betray is a delightful page-turner crime/mystery that captivates the reader from the first page, with wonderfully detailed descriptions that made me feel I was in Little Rock, with several subplots that eventually intersect to disclose a terrible secret from the past. I could hardly put the book down. For those of us who know the author, it is clear he drew liberally from his own fascinating life." --R. Keith Stroup, Esq. NORML Legal Counsel

"Webb Hubbell's novel is a tour de force, crafted with riveting plot lines and fascinating characters. I couldn't put it down!" --Jack Abramoff

"Webb Hubbell has been in power and under power and knows both sides of the street intimately. This tale takes off with the speed of the pistol shot that opens it, and never slackens its pace. Yet at the end of this intriguing, engaging, thriller you realize it's actually a tale about decency and values. I loved it and I know readers will too." --Peter Coyote, actor/writer

"In When Men Betray, Webb Hubbell's insider knowledge of politics and natural storytelling ability combine for a shrewd mystery exposing the wooly underside of southern culture and government. May this be the first of many Hubbell novels." -- B. Brandon Barker, author of the novel Operation EMU (Shrouded Rock Press)

"John Grisham, move over---the legal thriller has a new master! When Men Betray is the real thing, a gripping, literate thriller from an author who knows the courthouse from the reporters scrambling on its front steps, to the drama of the witness box, to the tightrope in the judge's chambers. Breath-stopping action, romance and suspense rush forward to a climactic ending that will keep the sharpest readers guessing." --Steve Spruill, author of Ice Men

"Over the course of a week and a half, D.C. lawyer Jack Patterson takes us on a rousing journey into murder and antitrust violations. How author Webb Hubbell manages to combine these two divergent sides of the law is masterful, as only a top antitrust attorney and connoisseur of the justice system, from inside and out, could make it. This page-turner is about friendship, family, race relations, and it delves deeply--and cynically--into the behavior of politicians, lawyers, judges, and prisoners. Forget presumption of innocence, says Patterson. Law enforcement loves for the defendant to look as guilty as possible at first impression, parading him in front of the press handcuffed and shackled. A brilliant read." -- Anne Harding Woodworth

"When Men Betray is a mystery thriller that quickly buries readers deep in the twisted tunnels of Arkansas's political and criminal underbelly. Author and former mayor of Little Rock Webb Hubbell masterfully evokes the terrors of a hot, black Southern night--one can practically smell the sweat, hickory, and gunpowder emanating from the book's pages." --Ellen Ratner

"Hubbell, a former Little Rock, Ark., mayor, puts his experience as a public servant to good use in his ambitious first novel. Washington, D.C.-based antitrust lawyer Jack Patterson has struggled to balance professional success with personal turmoil―specifically, the death of his wife, Angie. All of that is forgotten, however, when his best childhood friend, Woody Cole, fatally shoots U.S. Sen. Russell Robinson in the rotunda of the Arkansas capitol, on national TV no less. Convinced by Cole's mother to come back to Little Rock, the place he swore never to return to 25 years earlier, this Washington insider is soon representing a killer in court amid a media frenzy. Jack must also contend with professional hit men, as well as the ghosts of his troubled past with the city. While the author overloads the narrative with incident, those with an appetite for a cleverly detailed account of political power dynamics and a modern-day witch hunt will be rewarded." --Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Webb Hubbell, former Associate Attorney General of the United States, is an author and lecturer. His Jack Patterson series and his memoir, Friends in High Places, are published by Beaufort Books. His books have been honored with numerous awards, including the IndieFab awards for best novel in 2014 and the IPPY Awards Gold Medal for best suspense/thriller. He also writes a daily blog of personal meditations at thehubbellpew.com.