Betrayed Books In Order

Publication Order of Betrayed Books

Publication Order of Betrayed: 3rd Cycle Books

The Betrayed Series is the work of Carolyn McCray, a collection of novels that have been classified as revisionist historical fiction.

+The Story

The Betrayed Series started in 2010 with ’30 Pieces of Silver’. This was long after Dan Brown had emerged on the scene and shaken the literary arena with his take on historical biblical occurrences.

Carolyn McCray is not the first author to follow in Dan Brown’s footsteps and she is hardly the most popular of the bunch. Dan Brown’s hold to fame has been imputed to his willingness to take facts as they have been laid out in the Bible and skew them, suggesting that the writings of the Holy Book were manipulated to keep hidden the controversial nature of Biblical history.

Carolyn McCray’s Betrayed series follows a similar path. In fact, each Betrayed Novel features a warning at the back which tells audiences to expect a litany of blasphemous content that reworks Biblical history and presents Christian figures like Moses and Jesus in a light that some people might find offensive.

McCray claims that the controversial nature of her books was the reason she couldn’t get them published in hardback. Though, her critics have suggested that McCray’s unrefined writing abilities and frequent grammatical errors are to blame.

The Betrayed series revolves around the adventures of Rebecca Monroe and Vincent Brandt. Rebecca is an archeologist with a distinct interest in religious matters. The fact that she identifies as a skeptic, possibly even an atheist does not stop her from putting her life on the line to discover the truth about the Bible and its claims.

Vincent Brandt is a Special Forces operative. He also happens to be a devout Catholic. Brandt and Rebecca are far from compatible, not only in the arena of romance but also friendship.

Rebecca lives to cast doubt on everything Brandt believes. And she has no qualms about desecrating the memories and names of those figures that could be considered central to Brandt’s faith.

And yet the pair is forced to join forces in ’30 Pieces of Silver’ when a mysterious discovery brings to light an ancient conspiracy. Rebecca’s expertise makes her an asset in the search for a set of engraved bones, and Brandt’s skills and field experience perfectly position him to protect Rebecca when an unknown enemy rises to fight against their cause.

All the Betrayed novels have similar themes running through them. Each book has a Biblical mystery at its center, possibly even a couple of prophecies. And the author makes an effort to spend a few chapters in the past, allowing her readers to watch some of the Bible’s most famous figures as they play out a subplot that affects the present.

The enemy is typically a fanatical group with religious ties that is either determined to keep a secret or expose it. And they will do whatever it takes even commit murder on a large scale to accomplish their goals.

Scattered throughout the novels are a litany of scientists and archeologists that assist Rebecca and Brandt in their efforts to survive potential assassination and save the world.

The Betrayed series has been commended for its boldness. Carolyn McCray isn’t afraid to step on the toes of believers by taking every facet of their faith and trampling on it. And the author’s decision to explore subplots in the past even as her heroes unravel the mysteries of the present has been praised for the depth it adds to the series.

On the other hand, the books have been criticized for being too action-heavy. In fact, some professionals in the industry believe that McCray has tailored the Betrayed series for a potential live-action film adaptation down the line.

The archeological and religious intrigue that McCray creates is often quickly forgotten in favor of the many explosions and gunfights and car chases that follow Brandt and Rebecca.

McCray definitely expects her readers to suspend some of their disbelief when reading her books because she injects a lot of absurdity into Rebecca and Brandt’s adventures. The pair is constantly engaging with and overcoming impossible odds using unrealistic contrivances.

Each chapter ends on a cliffhanger that forces readers to turn the page if only to learn whether or not Rebecca and Brandt survived their latest threat. And that approach works for the first novel especially when it is paired with McCray’s rapidly paced narrative.

However, as the series progresses, it becomes harder and harder to believe that Rebecca and Brandt are in any actual danger.

McCray’s fans have always been quite fervent in their defense of the Betrayed series, though, suggesting that critics take the novels too seriously and, as such, cannot enjoy the fun, action-packed thrill ride the author provides.

However, even McCray’s most loyal fans cannot dispute the fact that the Betrayed novels are chockfull of spelling and grammatical errors, and that they could have done with additional extensive editing and rewrites.

It is also worth taking into account McCray’s disinterest in delivering accuracy when it comes to archeological and scientific facts and methods of operation.

+The Author

Carolyn McCray went to veterinary school. Born in San Francisco and raised in Napa Valley, McCray was always burdened with an overactive imagination as a child. She spent many decades in the Veterinary fields before she finally gave into the temptation to put all the characters and voices in her head on paper.

+30 Pieces of Silver

When a Christian Suicide Bomber unleashes a devastating attack, Rebecca Monroe is pulled away from her work in Ecuador to solve a riddle. There’s a dark secret afoot, one that relates to the ancient Greek inscribed on the bones of John the Baptist.

And it will take the efforts of Rebecca and Special Forces Operative Vincent Brandt to bring it to light.

+Havoc

Rebecca Monroe and Vincent Brandt are back, an archeological expert and atheist, and a Special Forces Operative and devout Catholic. There is reason to believe that the Ten Commandments were not placed in the Ark of the Covenant like the Bible states.

In fact, rumors are rife that the tablets contained far more than the Golden rule. Rebecca is certainly curious. But with the Disciples of the Stone working to oppose her, Rebecca’s poking and prodding might lead her to an early grave.