Review: The Paris Betrayal by James R. Hannibal

 

About:

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.

My Thoughts:

Wow. I am going to state up front, my review will not do justice to this action packed thriller that had me like the main character Ben, wondering who/what was true and real and what wasn't. I wasn't even sure if this is part of a series, or this was just a standalone. The novel started out with Ben on a mission with his teammates for the Company and obviously there was already relationships well established. But that doesn't really matter as I was yanked into the story and along with Ben on a seemingly wild ride.

If you like Jason Bourne or Mission Impossible movies this is a book that will really interest you. Plenty of action, danger, bio hazards (creepy), and the whole who can you trust and who can't you trust vibe throughout. The author also places this in our post pandemic world. This was the first time in fiction I read that so that was interesting. It made sense, especially in this world of spies and agents.

The author's notes in the end also shed an interesting light on this whole story. I don't know if you should read that first or last, but it certainly gave me a different perspective. Overall this is a book you don't want to miss.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

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.