
MY REVIEW:
James R. Hannibal is new to me author and I was not at all sure what to expect from his latest novel Paris Betrayal. I wasn’t very far into the narrative before I had very mixed feelings about it. I first wanted to stop reading because in some ways it reminded me too much of our current pandemic with its plot element of an engineered bioweapon. On the other hand, the dangerous adventures of Ben Calix made me want to keep reading in order to find out how things turned out for him.
Poor Ben, once a favored spy in his organization, soon found himself out in the cold with nowhere to turn and pursued by unknown agents. His page turner of an adventure moved at breakneck speed as he alone attempted to stop a madman from unleashing a devastating disease on the world. Plenty of action, danger, suspense, and a hint of unexpected romance fill the pages as the hero barely manages to stay one step ahead of his adversaries.
Readers expecting a strong Christian message might be disappointed because it is quite subtle. It is a clean read and contains no gruesome depictions of violence that many books of this genre might include. Fans of spy thrillers should enjoy this one.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
After a rough mission in Rome involving the discovery of a devastating bioweapon, Company spy Ben Calix returns to Paris to find his perfectly ordered world has collapsed. A sniper attack. An ambush. A call for help that brings French SWAT forces down on his head. Ben is out. This is a severance–reserved for incompetents and traitors.
Searching for answers and anticipating a coming attack, Ben and a woman swept up in his misfortunes must travel across Europe to find the sniper who tried to kill him, the medic who saved his life, the schoolmaster who trained him, and an upstart hacker from his former team. More than that, Ben must come to grips with his own insignificance as the Company’s plan to stop Leviathan from unleashing the bioweapon at any cost moves forward without him–and he struggles against the infection that is swiftly claiming territory within his own body.
Award-winning author James R. Hannibal rachets up the tension on every page of this suspenseful new thriller.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
James R. Hannibal is no stranger to secrets and adventure. This former stealth pilot from Houston, Texas, has been shot at, locked up with surface-to-air missiles, and chased down a winding German road by an armed terrorist. He is a two-time Silver Falchion Award winner for his children’s mysteries, a former Thriller Award nominee, and a 2020 Selah and Carol Award finalist for The Gryphon Heist–the opener for the CIA series that now includes Chasing the White Lion. James is a rare multisense synesthete, meaning all of his senses intersect. He sees and feels sounds and smells, and hears flashes of light. If he tells you the chocolate cake you offered smells blue and sticky, take it as a compliment.