The Gryphon Heist: Review

THE GRYPHON HEIST

(Talia Inger, Book One)

By JAMES R. HANNIBAL

Genre: Contemporary Christian / Thriller / Suspense

Publisher: Revell

Date of Publication: September 3, 2019

Number of Pages: 400

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Talia Inger is a rookie CIA case officer assigned not to the Moscow desk as she had hoped but to the forgotten backwaters of Eastern Europe–a department only known as “Other.” When she is tasked with helping a young, charming Moldovan executive secure his designs for a revolutionary defense technology, she figures she’ll be back in DC within a few days. But that’s before she knows where the designs are stored–and who’s after them. 

With her shady civilian partner, Adam Tyler, Talia takes a deep dive into a world where criminal minds and unlikely strategies compete for access to the Gryphon, a high-altitude data vault that hovers in the mesosphere. But is Tyler actually helping her? Or is he using her for his own dark purposes?

PRAISE FOR THE GRYPHON HEIST

“A movie-worthy tale of espionage and intrigue. Hannibal has done it again.”–Steven James, national bestselling author of Every Wicked Man

“James Hannibal has crafted a story slam full of mystery, danger, twists, and turns. I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough–or bother to stop to breathe. You don’t want to miss this one!”–Lynette Eason, bestselling, award-winning author of the Blue Justice series

The Gryphon Heist plunges readers into a world where no one can be trusted, nothing is as it seems, and choosing the wrong side could be catastrophic.”–Lynn H. Blackburn, award-winning and bestselling author of the Dive Team Investigations series

“Leap on board The Gryphon Heist and ride the whirlwind of suspense. Don’t let go!”–DiAnn Mills, bestselling author of Burden of Proof

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The Gryphon Heist by James R. Hannibal can be enjoyed by large scope of readers out there. This book is packed full of interesting characters, mystery, action, and already a promise of more to come.

I’ll start from the beginning. Out of absolute honesty, I had some trouble getting into this book at first. The first handful of chapters mostly set the background and struggles that Talia is facing as a rookie spy. With her own complicated past, complicated present, and unsure future; she is a jumbled mess. Props to her for keeping it mostly together. It becomes more clear why certain things are vague and hidden in each conversation. It sets the tone for our own rookie status in this story I suppose. After these starting chapters, things start to really kick off. With a bang. From there I was doomed to an over abundance of coffee and cramped fingers from holding my tablet too tight.

Talia is smart, cautious, and a bit overconfident at times. This leads her to her own fate in the dark and glooming closet of ‘Other’. She somehow remains confident in her situation, standing up against her secretive boss and even the bossy barista. At least she’s consistent…

When she proves herself capable for the field, she’s given a rather boring mission in the ‘armpit of Europe’. However, her first mission is so much more than meets the eye. James R. Hannibal’s clever writing will leave one guessing and tense throughout this layered story.

I especially enjoyed the varied amount of characters throughout this book. Hannibal creates a great mix of characters with their quirks and ties to the story. However, Eddie Gupta was my favorite. I’m fully convinced he’s a classic ‘looks like a cinnamon roll, but could actually kill you type’. (Google that if you don’t know it. You won’t regret it.) He typically is the more relatable character, besides his judgement of the original Star Trek. (I’ll forgive him for that I suppose.) Mostly, the banter between him and Talia were my favorite. I typically steer towards action scenes but found myself looking forward to their scenes a lot.

The dry humor in Hannibal’s writing was basically on point with my own dry humor. I found it especially hilarious when Talia would be experiencing a scene and later we read the side characters actual experience and opinion of her. She definitely leaves an impression with everyone she meets.

There is so much to keep the reader entertained and in a whirlwind to read as fast as possible. Plot twists around each corner and nefarious secrets linger with every character. James R. Hannibal does a wonderful job of switching perspective and revealing hints to how complicated this world really is. With Talia in the middle, her decisions could determine so much more than just her future with the CIA.

Overall, I’m just so impressed by the way this story is laid out. The writing is high caliber and sharp. Besides the smart layout of dialogue and action, there’s great humor throughout the book. You can tell how carefully constructed this book is. I enjoyed it more with every page and recommend you read it in time for the sequel release!

 Former stealth pilot James R. Hannibal is a two-time Silver Falchion Award winner for his Section 13 mysteries for kids and a Thriller Award nominee for his Nick Baron covert ops series for adults. James is a rare multi-sense synesthete, meaning all of his senses intersect. He sees and feels sounds and smells and hears flashes of light. He lives in Houston, Texas.

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GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

GRAND PRIZE: Copy of The Gryphon Heist 

+ Gryphon Ornament + Clip Bookmarks + $10 Starbucks Gift Card; 

SECOND PRIZE: Copy of The Gryphon Heist + $25 Barnes and Noble Gift Card;

THIRD PRIZE: Copy of The Gryphon Heist  + $10 Starbucks Gift Card

September 26-October 6, 2019

(U.S. Only)

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