James R. Hannibal—a veteran combat pilot with Top Secret clearance from the U.S. government—continues the thrilling international action and intrigue, following covert operative Nick Baron.How far will collateral damage from a CIA drone strike reach? When a suicide bomber attacks the National Mall, former pilot and undercover Cerberus operative Nick “Victor” Baron receives an eerie invitation from the chess app on his phone—a mysterious figure named the Emissary wants to play.Nick and his Triple Seven Chase unit are drawn into battle against an unknown opponent who has resurrected the legendary Hashashin order of assassins. And there is a long-awaited prophecy being fulfilled by a series of violent attacks which may culminate with a final apocalypse over Jerusalem.The lines between the game and the fight begin to blur as every time Nick loses a piece on the board, he loses one of his men. And if Nick cannot find a way to stop the terrorist mastermind, a checkmate may kill millions…
James R. Hannibal an award-winning author of kids fiction, spy and military thrillers, and young adult fantasy. As a former stealth bomber pilot and drone pilot James is no stranger to action or secrets. He has been shot at, locked up by a surface to air missile system, and aided the capture of High Value Targets.
Characters: James Hannibal creates great characters! Nick and all his teammates had well-developed personalities, and Drake had me laughing several times.
Language: Clean. A bit of British slang.
Moral: Although this book wasn’t by a Christian publisher, it was written by a Christian author. I’d say the theme that stood out to me most was faith—but that came in mostly during the last few pages.
Plot: Wow, this one was exciting! Plenty of action, fight scenes, conflict between characters, and high stakes kept the plot moving. No dull moments here!
Random comments: I could’ve done without Drake’s little romantic meeting with the lady assassin. Nothing ended up happening, though—except she tried to kill him. :)
Romance: Clean. Nick was married, but his and his wife’s romance wasn’t a big part of the plot.
Writing: James Hannibal has a smooth writing style that complements his action-packed plots. He never lets the technical details overwhelm the story.
Overall: Shadow Maker was an exciting read, and I wish this weren’t the last book in the series. I’d recommend this book to readers who enjoy clean fiction, action/adventure, suspense, and military thrillers.
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book was AWESOME! If you follow me on goodreads, you know I'm not liberal with my 5 star reviews, but this book absolutely deserved it. Nick Baron and his team from a secret government branch are trying to track down a bomber, probably from a terrorist organization. At the same time, a chess game shows up on his phone from a mysterious opponent whose chess moves perfectly match the bomber's moves in real life.
I didn't realize when I started the book that it was a sequel, but thankfully, it works fine as a stand-alone. I was immediately sucked into this book! It is very fast-paced and the action doesn't stop. The descriptions of locations (various countries) and the military techniques and technology were extremely detailed. I loved the angle with the chess game happening at the same time. The book also had aspects of history and mystery in it.
You get enough background/personal information about Nick Baron to root for him, his family, and his team. He is a main character worthy of admiration. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes action, adventure, mystery, suspense, and/or thrillers!
Nick Baron had tracked and hunted Nasseem Kattan. Kattan was a terrorist that must be stopped. And Baron thought a bomb had finished it.
Nine years later, a suicide bomber made his move in Washington, D.C. just as Baron and his family drove by. He acted before first responders could and received a strange chess app notification on his cell. when his picture surfaced at the bomb site, Baron knew he was targeted. When a chemical used to track and engineer viruses is stolen, he knows the threat had increased exponentially. Nick Baron’s father is in town, Baron knows he must get his wife, son and father out of town, but can’t tell them why.
Once again, James R Hannibal has written another edge of your seat thrill ride. Chapters are easily read within a few minutes but drive you on to the next. And he does it all without bad language. I have been a fan of Hannibal for years and would recommend this book to anyone young adult and up.
Even more awesome and exciting than the first book. The author kept me guessing, and I didn't see half of what happened coming. And again, it is great to read a book of this type that isn't Christian, yet is clean and free of curse words. I have a new favorite author
He did it again. I was up late into the night reading. Like I said in my review of Shadow Catcher once you start reading you just can’t stop.
The book starts with a prologue of an event in Yemen in 2005. From there we are on a journey with the Triple Seven Chase Team from Washington D.C. to Turkey, London, Israel and many more points in between. It becomes a complicated game of cat and mouse tied to mysterious chess game. Nick always seems to be just one step behind the Emmissary’s plan. Unfortunately this game of chess has dire consequences so Nick needs to figure out a plan that gets him ahead instead of behind.
Nick Baron and Drake Merigold are quite a pair. They have been teammates for more than a decade and always have each others six. Even during the heat of battle their dialogue is quick and sharp and sometimes has a touch humor. Just what you need when you are being chased through the streets surrounded by gunfire.
They are aided on this adventure by Dr. Scott Stone, the lead engineer is well versed with IT problems and can hack into almost any system. He usually helps from the command center but this time the command center is mobile so for the first time he is out in the field. CJ, Celine Jameson, works with the team from the FBI’s Intelligence Coordination Center in Washington D.C.
Hannibal really raised the bar with this one. The thrilling – edge of your seat moments happen right on top of each other. The Emissary and his group of rabid Hashasins have no qualms about killing. In fact their plan could kill millions, including Baron’s family. Dr. Kurt Baron, Nick’s father, is with Nick’s wife and their son on a trip Nick thought would keep them safe. His father has no idea what he does for a living, he thinks Nick sits at a desk and pushes paper all day.
This is a truly excellent story. Fans of Brad Thor, Tom Clancy or Vince Flynn will absolutely love this thriller. I have become very invested in Nick, his family, Drake and all the other members of the Triple Seven Chase Team. I can’t wait for the next James R. Hannibal thriller. He is definitely an author to watch!! I wish I could give it more than 5 stars!!!
This book came from a Goodreads contest and James R. Hannibal. Never heard of the author before but the synopsis looked interesting. I am happy to report this was a wonderful find. A modern day thriller with a great action hero and an interesting nemesis. A live action chess match between hero and terrorist. This book lives up to it's cover comments from Ted Bell, Grant Blackwood, and Raymond Benson. LtCol Hannibal thank you for the gift and a great read.
This is a well written action tale. It is fast paced with plenty of dramatic moments, and it compares favorably to Tom Clancy's works. I won a copy in the GoodReads giveaway, and shortly will be ordering a copy of his previous book Shadow Catcher.
Have you ever wondered what it might be like to have to choose between saving your family, or saving millions of people in one of the largest capitals in the world? Nick Baron, unfortunately had come to those crossroads. One would say that he had made the right choice, while someone else would say he made the wrong choice. When an international incident occurs, it is up to the secret, government funded Triple Seven Chase Team to find the people responsible for it, and stop them from spreading fear and terror across the globe. Shadow Maker, the last book of the Nick Baron trilogy, by James R. Hannibal is, in my experience, one of the most thrilling, action-packed, and suspenseful books out there. James R. Hannibal himself, was a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and finished his flying career with over a thousand combat hours in the air. In his free time, he writes about his Air Force experiences. He relates all his writing to the military. When I read this book, I felt like I was part of Nick Baron’s team and it made my heart race when the main character was in a dangerous situation. There are multiple perspectives in this book that you will have to be thinking about in the back of your mind. There is the perspective of Nick Baron and his partner, the perspective of the enemy, the perspective of his family, and the perspective of his team back in Washington D.C. Shadow Maker’s main character Nick Baron, is constantly on his feet in a different country, trying to put an end to the Hashashin, an ancient society of deadly assassins who have been in hiding for centuries, waiting for the right moment to show their faces. When the leader of the Hashashin threatens Nick Baron’s family, nothing will stop Nick Baron from finding the people responsible and making sure they get what they deserve. All the action scenes in this book are displayed as a chess game, with Nick Baron always being a couple steps behind the enemy. I love this book for these reasons, because it throws me into the action and makes me believe I am part of the story. Reading this book kept me on the edge of my seat, always waiting to see what happens next. The author really did a great job of not including unnecessary details and getting straight to the point. The story is really realistic and scary at the same time. After reading the first chapter, I was already tied in the book. James R. Hannibal uses a lot of military terms, some that I did not understand at first, but as I read more, I began to understand what they meant from the context. The flow of the author’s writing really works for this book, because in Shadow Maker, the author never wastes a second. One minute, you are in this insane chase, and the next you are in a gunfight against multiple assassins. One might think this book is not right for him because the flow is too fast to keep up with, but if this sounds like the right book for you, I really suggest reading it when you get the chance. There is a little bit of a tie to the previous two books in this trilogy, but I think the order that you read them in does not necessarily matter. The first two books, Wraith and Shadow Catcher have similar objectives, and are just as good as this book, so go ahead and read them as well if you have spare time. Shadow Maker is a four hundred fifty page book, but because you feel incorporated in the plot, it feels like you are in a race to get to the end. The beginning throws everything at you, one would even be a little shocked. The middle, is the action phase, every chapter there is a life or death situation. You will not believe how this book ends. The suspense will get to you eventually until you read this book.
I attended a writers conference with James this year and picked up one of his books. This was the one, and it didn't disappoint. I loved it! He had my attention because stories about assassins are kind of a guilty pleasure for me (I write them, too), but it is obvious that there is a lot of first hand knowledge of details in the book as well. If you want a real page turner, and if you happen to know anything about the origin of the word 'assassin', this is the book for you! Read it NOW! -------Author and police officer, Jason E. Fort
Nick Baron is back and in for the Chess game of his life. Baron is part of a team that has used drones to deliver killing strikes at terrorist targets. But he and the others take great pains to avoid collateral damage at all costs.
They have track a terrorist to his dessert home and are ready to strike. There appears to be no one there that would keep them from launching the attack. So, it is confirmed and put into play. BUT, then walks out the son of the terrorist that they are after. They try to abort the mission but it is too late. The explosion comes at a cost, collateral damage.
This collateral damage will come back to haunt Nick and all his friends and workers at Romeo 7. They will be targeted for death because of this drone strike.
Not only that but the world will be brought to it's knees by the terrorist who wants revenge. Can Nick and the Romeo 7 organization be able to stop the destruction or will they be eliminated one by one as the chess game plays on.
James Hannibal brings us a mystery/military thriller that will give you a reason to stop and think through what the importance of our drone project is, what war is truly like, what happens when collateral damage occurs and finally what love and loyalty can make people do.
The action is non-stop and you will be drawn in and not want to stop reading until you get to the end.
One thing I thought about while reading this story is the historical fact that many coups that happened throughout history had the victor executing all of the family members of the former King or Dictator. I always wondered why they would do that when it included innocent children and women. Well, Hannibal gives us a good reason to understand why that practice use to happen and was more the norm than the unusual.
Nick will deal with a lost breed of ancient assassins who are fanatical in their desire to bring hurt and pain to the people whom their leader wants brought down. But their work is to start by killing all those around their final victim to inflict as much hurt and pain as possible.
What will happen to Nick, to Romeo 7, to Nick's family and his friends?
So, why did I give the book four stars? Well, the book is good, but I am sure that Hannibal will get better with more writing and bring us another book that will be the one that hits it out of the park. Hannibal just has a little more maturing to do as a writer.
Shadow Maker Checkmate: the final move of a chess game. That’s what Nick Baron is trying to discover while in James R. Hannibal’s book titled Shadow Maker. In this story, Nick is an undercover U.S. operative, stuck in a deadly battle against a terrorist mastermind known as the Emissary, each of their moves reflected in an online chess game on his phone. This book is full of excitement and mystery, and it highlights how bravery is needed to make actions that may hurt some people in order to save the majority. In this book, I found that the theme was being brave and making the right choice can be difficult at times. Hannibal supports this theme by placing Nick in dangerous situations throughout the story, and he is forced to make a tough decision in order to save as many people as he can. This theme creates a dramatic uncertainty that hooks readers and keeps them on the edge of their seats the entire time they read this book. The plot twists and turns, each chapter throwing out new threats and challenges for Nick and his friends to face and overcome. I enjoyed reading this book. It showed how U.S. Special Ops teams navigate through hostile terrain, and eliminate threats to our country such as terrorists groups like the Emissary is part of. There is plenty of action, and by the end of the book any reader will be energized and want more of these books. As a reader, this book constantly had me thinking it would end in a certain way, but just then another twist in the plot would come along and change the entire viewpoint of the future. I would recommend this book to those who like fiction novels that are based on real-life events, such as sports books or murder-mysteries. Any reader who read this book would most likely have a greater understanding and respect for the men and women in the Military, as this book shows how tough they need to be in these situations.
Buckle Up! This rapid action, complex thriller will keep you enthralled from start to finish. The multi-dimensional plot is based on a number of all too plausible scenarios. Hero Nick Baron is drawn into a progressively severe series of conflicts by an eerie, haunting and possible prophetic adversary self-named "the Emissary".
I thoroughly enjoyed this action-packed and frighteningly timely thrill ride that takes us from Washington, to the Middle East, and ultimately to the center of the world, Jerusalem. The author's knowledge of advanced military equipment and strategies adds an air of realism to each and every crisis and dilemma that he must navigate through and survive, only to be presented with yet another test which seeks to destroy all those he loves and allies himself with.
I thoroughly recommend this book, but make sure you have plans to make up for the sleep you will surely miss!
Another great tale from James Hannibal-his best yet. This story is all about dominoes. Hannibal explores how far the trail of falling dominoes will lead when the first is triggered by a CIA drone strike-gone-wrong. His covert ops team lead, Nick Baron returns with the Triple Seven Chase squadron. This time Baron and his team are drawn into a chess match (both real and figurative) with a genius bent on a very unique brand of revenge. The stakes are high, the action is intense, and the real-world chase and the chess match blend together in diabolical ways. Hannibal, of course, brings his military experience and counterterrorism background into the mix for a realistic atmosphere. This one is not to be missed.
I received this as part of the goodreads giveaway program.
This was a great adventure story combining history and technology to make a great read! The main character, Nick Baron is part of a covert team that operates outside the normal channels. In this story, a part of his past comes back to haunt him when he finds himself chasing the son of a previous enemy. Nick must find and stop him before he and his religious followers bring about the end of the world as we know it. I enjoyed the background history and the story was fast-paced and so full of action that I read it in one sitting. A must read for adventure/spy fans.
"I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads”
Having never heard of this author or read any of his books, as always I started reading with an open mind. Each chapter was fast-paced and exciting as the story was constantly on the move. Kept me interested from start to finish. Thought the back flash sections of Baron’s life seamlessly fitted in with the current plot, gave the reader more of an idea behind the motive for the terrorist strikes. Plus when I started this book I didn't actually realize that it was a sequel, but thankfully Hannibal has written it in a way that makes it work perfectly fine as a stand-alone. Enjoyable.
I really enjoyed this book. The lead character, Nick Baron, is a covert operative with a vague government unit. After a suicide bomber attacks the National Mall in DC Nick is drawn into a strange and dangerous game of chess being played out on his phone. The chess moves are correlating with real-life moves by the unknown "Emissary". The whole thing started because of collateral damage caused by a drone attack years ago. This book does not disappoint. I can't wait to read the author's two prior books....Wraith and Shadow Catcher.
Collateral damage, how far does it go? The 777 team race to find a solution to this puzzling question. Fast paced, straight ahead exciting action. From Russia to England and back to the middle east, every page is full of twists and turns and you wonder can Nick Baron make it out unscathed. An absolute must read!
I really enjoyed this book! The action starts from the beginning and doesn't let up. As usual (with this series) the suspense sucked me in early and I was on the edge of my seat. I can't wait for the next Nick Baron book!
I won this book from Goodreads and the author...Never a dull moment in this novel, it is fast moving and exciting all the way through! I have not yet read Shadow Catcher, the first book in the series, but this book stood on its own quite well. I will certainly be reading Hannibal's other books!
I really liked the story, the people and the way the book was constructed so that it was easy to follow all the people and happenings. This is fast paced and keeps you wondering and wanting to know what is going to happen next.
So I read this mostly in one sitting on a 2 hour plane flight, and I just want to say wow. It was amazing. No break in the action, no spots that lagged, genuinely an enjoyable read from start to finish.
*disclaimer: I received this free through a Goodreads giveaway.