The Paris Betrayal

Author: James R. Hannibal
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Release Date: May 4, 2021

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 ratchets up the tension on every page of this suspenseful new thriller.

---

Reviewer: June McCrary Jacobs
​
A tightly-constructed, topical plot set in Europe . . .
 
This story, the characters, and the European settings held me captive from page one until the unexpected conclusion! As a great fan of Christian romantic suspense and Christian thrillers, I feel this book has many of the elements required to make a fantastic read.
 
This author does not waste a single scene in building his story. Everything you need to know is revealed—in his own good time. Mr. Hannibal respects his reader's intellect by backing up all of his plot details with scientific evidence that leads one to believe, or doubt, that the things which occur in the story might really happen.
 
The male lead, Ben Calix, is an honest, hard-working spy who gets caught up in a dramatic plot involving lots of physical action, cat-and-mouse games, questionable ethics, technology, and shady characters who he thinks he can trust—or can he?
 
Besides Ben Calix, there is a strong, intelligent female character who I felt ended up making all the difference in moving the plot forward in many stages of the story. I personally enjoy stories where canine friends contribute to the story by assisting their human partners or by offering some comic relief at tense times. A loyal dachshund named Otto was a valuable asset in the circle of main characters for this book.
 
Can an inanimate object become a character in a story? To me, the most unique and intriguing character in the story was Ben's backpack. With its plethora of varied tools, gadgets, and everyday DIY materials, it was a source of great interest for this reader as I often wondered, "What else has he got in there?"
 
I felt the faith element in the storyline was weak, and there is a lot of hand-to-hand type violence in some of the scenes. Overall, the book is completely clean in language and content.
 
I received a paperback copy of this book from Revell through Interviews & Reviews. All of my thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely my own.

---

---

Reviewer: Laura Thomas

“Stop asking what you deserve, Ben. Try asking, what is my purpose?”

If you are looking for a smart spy thriller with plenty of unexpected twists, a compelling page-turner with a Christian worldview, and a setting that races you through Europe and beyond—this could be for you!

It’s no shock to learn the author is a former stealth-bomber pilot who has seen his share of action. He writes excellent suspense with vivid detail as we witness his spy protagonist, Ben Calix, navigating betrayal by the Company he works for and those he thought he knew. Bioweapons, deception, intrigue, and serious Jason Bourne vibes make for a riveting read.

I received this book courtesy of Baker Publishing Group, Revell Division, through Interviews & Reviews. All opinions in this review are my own.

---

---

Reviewer: Monica Huyser

Ben Calix comes home from his last mission to find things totally aren't what he expected. He wanted to relax. Instead, he is attacked by a sniper, then an ambush, and he soon finds out that he is out of The Company. He has been unfairly labeled a traitor. But why? And how can he stop the bioweapon that he fears will be unleashed if he is cut off?

The Paris Betrayal started out with a bang, and as a reader, I hit the ground running, so to speak. It took me a few pages to figure out what was going on, and then I was quickly swept up in the action as I rooted for Ben to overcome his many obstacles. 

This is definitely a fast-paced novel that kept me turning pages quickly. I really liked Ben and wanted him to beat the odds. I also liked his friend, Clara, that helped him out of trouble to start with. There were some twists and turns that I didn't see coming, and I wasn't sure how it would end until I got there.

I also thought it was interesting that he included the pandemic and it is set in our world today, post pandemic. I enjoyed reading his afterword where he talks briefly about the writing process of this book for him at this time. There wasn't a lot of spiritual substance for those who like more of that, but otherwise, The Paris Betrayal was a great, clean suspense novel that kept my interest all the way through. I like that eye-catching cover too.

I received this book courtesy of Baker Publishing Group, Revell Division, through Interviews & Reviews. All opinions in this review are my own.

---