Still a fan of Ms. Talia Inger and her sassy ways. We are back with her as she learns to trust the people God put in her life. She's learning to balance and depend on God more than herself. This book has more of a cyber feel to it and is a lot more humorous than book one was. The friendships and bonds between Talia and her team are amazing -- that new found family feel. The Christian themes were much more prevalent in this book which I appreciated.

As a follow-up to The Gryphon Heist, I think this was an epic read and would recommend both books!

I've had this book a while and I just haven't been able to get into it. I found that I can't get interested in it, from the blurb, to friends' reviews and thoughts, and talking with them and they said that I would, the cover has me intrigued, I just haven't read much of this as I just can't get into it.
I voluntarily received and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

CIA agent Talia Inger gathers a crew that includes her sister, and the Adam Taylor, and embark on a dangerous, fairly off-the-grid mission, to save a group of kidnapped refugee children. The only way to the children—through syndicate crime boss the White Lion.

With time ticking away quickly, and a few mini-missions along the way, the group makes their way from Russia, to the US, to the Czech Republic to the jungle in Thailand, and comes face to face with the enemy.

An exciting storyline, well-paced, pumping adrenalin, all while keeping the faith throughout.

Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Revell, for the read of James R. Hannibal’s, Chasing the White Lion.

Opinions expressed in my reviews are my own.

Chasing the White Lion
by James R. Hannibal


Revell

Revell
Christian
Pub Date 03 Mar 2020




I am reviewing a copy of Chasing the White Lion through Revell and Netgalley:






Talia Inger is a young CIA officer who has reconciled with the man who assassinated her father. But just because she has reconciled with him doesn't mean she wants him hovering over her every move and unearthing the painful past she's trying to put behind her. The problem is she need his help and the help his star grifter, Valkyrie--if she hopes to infiltrate the Jungle, the first ever crime syndicate who were being used to rescue group of refugee children who had been kidnapped.






Talia and her elite team of thieves con their way into the heart of the Jungle, inching ever closer to syndicate boss the White Lion, in doing so she will run up against the ragged edge of her families dark past in a game of cat and mouse that quickly becomes live or die. Talia knows in times like this, it is important for someone to have your back.





James Hannibal is a former tactical deception officer and stealth pilot who takes you undercover in the criminal underworld, in Chasing the White Lion.




I give Chasing the White Lion five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

AUDIO BOOK / PRINT COMBO REVIEW. Confession. I started Chasing the White Lion as an eBook, then decided I had to have it in print, and then, because I couldn’t stand to stop reading, I got it on audio so I could listen while work (that ol’ chestnut) required my attention. This wasn’t a leap of faith. After listening to the The Gryphon Heist, book one in the Talia Inger Series, and then reading just the first chapter of Chasing the White Lion, I knew that I was in for an action-packed thrill fest, and I wasn’t interested in taking reading breaks. ALL IN, no regrets.

The mark of a great book is when I am so pulled-in and consumed by its pages that I forget or can’t be bothered to take notes about it. I was eight or nine chapters in before I remembered that I would be writing a review about the book and should pull some great lines or make some commentary on the writing. But again, that just took me away from the story – and its well-written-ness -- so the notes are sparse. This is a dangerous thing given how my memory isn’t awesome (too much on the brain to retain, you know), but Chasing the White Lion has characters who feel real and meaty plots that stay with you and keep you satisfied long after the reading is done.

“That’s what families do. They catch each other, and they keep going, no matter what.”

DON’T START WITH BOOK TWO unless you have no intention of reading book one. Book two has major spoilers of book one but more importantly, why would you deny yourself the pleasure of reading the two books back-to-back? Of course, you can; author James Hannibal makes sure no readers are left in the dark from the events of The Gryphon Heist. But having an understanding of the relationships between characters enriches the reading of Chasing the White Lion a hundredfold. It’s intriguing watching those relationships morph and grow and change; Hannibal understands the complexities of human nature and crafts personalities that pop with authenticity. Layers are peeling away from each of them, and readers are getting ever closer to seeing what’s at their core. This group of thieves and spies and mercenaries are finding themselves redefined, and I cannot wait to see how they evolve in the next book. (Umm, there better be one.)

“The whole atheist-in-a-foxhole seemed like a cowardly out. But maybe if she was praying for him, that would be enough.”

One relationship that has taken quantum leaps is that of main character Talia’s with God. This is another example of why it’s best to start the series with book one. The series is Christian fiction and a very important part of understanding Talia is understanding her faith journey, which is still in progress (aren't they always?). Readers who jump in with Chasing the White Lion might find the religious aspect heavy, possibly even unrealistic, because they don’t have the characters’ backstories. They miss out on watching faith organically develop for Talia as she sees how others’ journeys and belief systems (or lack of any) impacted their lives and the lives of others. Hannibal continues to build this element and expertly illustrates the power of being a believer and follower of Christ. Powerful, but sloppy when you are a CIA operative trained to eliminate, not to convert.

Hannibal’s imagination is amazing and much as I’d like to believe the scenarios in the Talia Inger series are purely fiction, I can’t help but wonder how much of it is only slightly-veiled truth based on Hannibal’s real-life background in covert operations and stealth technology for the military. How much of it is just a slightly skewed version of reality? Scary stuff, but much like it is for character Eddie, the geek in me thrills at the technology and the clever (though often nefarious) uses of it. Good stuff that's even better given the experiences the author surely brings to the story.

ABOUT THE NARRATION: Returning narrator Mia Barron, again, knocks it out of the park. She is the voice of Talia now, and in all her iterations. Pragmatic, (over)confident, introspective, afraid, angry, reverent – no matter what the emotion, Barron makes it real for listeners. Plus, her performances of male voices and the numerous accents of multiple characters adds an extra layer of enjoyment and learning. (For example, it hadn’t occurred to this Texas girl that the Russian name Oleg isn’t pronounced Oh-Leg. Of course it isn’t, but hearing its proper pronunciation – something close to Alyek -- now makes reading it so much richer.) Barron’s pacing is perfect (I listened at regular speed), and the audio is glitch-free. As I might have mentioned before…there better be a third book, but I will add it better be on audio and with the talented Mia Barron performing.

Truly, Chasing the White Lion has every element that I need, and in perfect doses, to have a completely satisfying reading experience. It’s cerebral, it’s thought-provoking, and it has a neatly-tied resolution so that I’m not plagued with questions or confusion. But I am concerned because of how perfectly the story concludes… Did I mention that I REALLY need a third book? I am not anywhere near ready to let this group go. (*SIDE NOTE: Hannibal is a multisense synesthete, but is he prescient? Does Eddie have COVID-19?!)

Thank you to the publisher, Revell, for doing this series justice and creating a top-notch audio of the book and a supremely edited print copy. Thank you to the author for generously donating a portion of proceeds to Compassion International (I hope audio purchases count). And I thank them both and Lone Star Book Blog Tours for providing me a digital copy in exchange for an honest review – the only kind I give.

After reading the first book, The Gryphon Heist, I was excited to read James R. Hannibal's new book Chasing the White Lion. The Gryphon Heist was an amazing suspense novel and I looked forward to the next one. Chasing the White Lion is another nail biting, heart-stopping adventure that doesn't stop until the last page.

It continues the adventures of Talia Inger and her troop of criminals turned good-guys as they work to save the world. This time, Talia must infiltrate an elite group of assassins, terrorists, and arms dealers in order in find missing children and take down the illusive man at the top of the network.

As already stated, this book is full of adventure, intrigue, and danger. The plot is good, with many twists and turns. The characters are great, almost like out of a TV show.

My only negative comments are one or two times I got lost in the plot line. It just got a little too complicated. But I kept reading and figured it out. Also there is a lot of death and murder. Nothing gory or over the top. If that bothers you, then you might not like this book.

You would need to read book 1 to understand the characters and backstory. Otherwise, you will be lost.

This book built from an initial boom to a sustained and the page flipping pace. It has an Oceans 11 feel — and a main character that grows on me. The interactions between the team have deepened and I’m interested to see where the series is going. Great ending.

Struggled to get into this book, it didn't hold my attention. I found the jumping from one ti e & location to the next to complicated. It might just be the olac6im at in life, but I didn't enjoy and delight in this book.

The second book in the intriguing series about Talia.

I found this one to be just as good if not better than the first.

I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but I just love suspense, mystery, intrigue, all of that...and therefore, stories involving CIA are right up my alley.


Talia is a fun CIA agent. I like how the author incorporates humor into the story. (sometimes maybe a bit too much, but that's just my personal opinion...)


Part of the storyline, the part where Talia is trying to figure out what happened to her dad, is a continuation from the first book, The Gryphon Heist. So, if you haven't read that one, you'll definitely want to go read it first. I enjoyed seeing the continuation of this mystery thread.


I also really liked the new mission, the setting, the characters.


Lots of action. Suspense. Twists, turns, unexpected events, and more.





Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

I can’t put into words the level of excitement I had when I saw that the second installment in the Talia Inger series was up for review. I enjoyed reading the first novel, The Gryphon Heist, and was eager to read more about Talia and the team. There were so many questions left unanswered in The Gryphon Heist (at least for me), and I hoped that Chasing The White Lion would answer them.

In many ways, it did answer those questions (Archangel, for one). In some ways, I’m still confused! 😉

Thriller. Suspense. Drama. Those three words pretty much sums up everything about Chasing The White Lion. I liked it – the author did a good job keeping the story well balanced. One thing I noticed right from the beginning was that the storyline was slightly darker than the previous novel. Which made reading this both unsettling and interesting. But mostly interesting. Readers also get more of a personal look into the lives of some of the team members, and I think readers will be surprised by them. I certainly was!

This was a good book, and I hope the story of Talia Inger and the team doesn’t end with Chasing The White Lion. I hope there’s more, and I look forward to it!

*Thanks to Revell for providing a free copy for my honest review. All thoughts expressed are my own.*

With lots of action and gallivanting across the globe, Chasing the White Lion will leave readers on the edge of their seat!

Talia Inger has had to come to terms with the man that killed her father. As a CIA officer, Talia sees a lot and has learned to put up with a lot, which has helped her to be able to work with this man. With him and the help of his friend, Valkyrie, Talia is going to try to infiltrate the Jungle, a crowd sourced crime syndicate that is involved in trafficking of children. Each step Talia takes moves her closer to the top of the food chain in the Jungle and to the White Lion. With her team to watch her back, she goes full force into the Jungle to save lives and take down the White Lion.

The follow up to The Gryphon Heist picks up right where readers left off with Talia and her crew. The overall story is very enjoyable, but I have had a hard time connecting with the characters. I liked the story arc of Talia trying to rescue the abducted children. That particular part of the novel really pulled me in, as for the rest I just couldn’t connect and didn’t feel as if I had a vested interest in the characters. When Talia was working towards that goal, I could feel the passion coming from her and her crew. She had a really good dynamic with Val and the way they played off of each other helped to move the story along. I’m intrigued enough to continue with the series to find out who the ultimate “bad guy” is and what the end game will be. So much of the novel is spent in so many different settings the reader will feel like they are going on a trip across the world. This is one that readers will need to sit down and take their time with, not one to read if you are going to rush through and not pay close attention to detail. One of the things Hannibal is best at is the detail he puts into each scene; each change brings about a new picture in the mind of the reader, which I greatly enjoyed. Readers that love mystery thrillers will want to be sure and check this one out, after reading the first in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Wow, wow, wow! Chasing the White Lion was one heck of a page-turner and an exciting ride! A follow-up novel to The Gryphon Heist, we return to CIA agent Talia and her crew of thieves as they continue their hunt for the baddie that was responsible for her father's death AND in the process take down a syndicate of bad guys. This story has a complicated and layered plot that whips along at lightning speed, features lots of cool tech, high-speed chases, smart dialogue, and fascinating characters.

While this plot is very action-driven, I felt like Hannibal also gave us some great character development. This story brought us closer to Finn and Val, two of my favorite characters from the previous book (along with Mac, whose character always makes me laugh).

What happens when a con faces up to what they've done? This was also a story with a lot of heart, and one that spoke to self-acceptance, self-forgiveness, (while delivering up a dose of retribution), and family, in its own way. You wouldn't expect a fast-paced spy thriller to cross with Christian fiction, but it's there, and it works in a way that isn't overbearing or preachy.

This book is perfect for fans of Dan Brown and Tom Clancy, and while the author leaves us with no loose ends, I'm hoping we haven't seen the last of Talia and her crew of thieves.

Chasing the White Lion is the second installment from the Talia Inger series by James R Hannibal. Even though it is part of the series, I believe it can be read as a stand-alone. I enjoyed the first book, The Gryphon Heist, and I enjoyed this one even more. It is full of action packed adventure and suspense filled mystery. I was sitting on the edge of my seat throughout. I had it read in one sitting.

I am giving Chasing the White Lion four and a half stars. I am hoping there will be more coming from the Talia Inger series in the near future.

I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

Chasing the White Lion by James R Hannibal is a thrilling sequel. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. The characters and their relationships pulled me immediately into the story. I am really enjoying this team and look forward to future books with them.

You see the story playing out like a movie. James is such a talented storyteller. You have everything in his books: action adventure, a strong faith element that fits right in with the story, and just a smidgen of romance. He adds just enough humor between the characters to lighten the tension of the creepy crazy villains. He is crowd sourcing crimes.

A parallel story line is a group of children that have been kidnapped. You get so attached to two of them as they make their way through the jungle.

It was nice to see Talia maturing and becoming stronger in this book. And how many of us need the lesson that she is trying to learn. Obviously not to this scale but we think we have to do everything and that we can do it better.

If you enjoyed Leverage or Oceans 11, I think you will love this series. You have a team of characters that can pull of the perfect cons. The team has a tech geek, a bomb enthusiast, a thief/extreme athlete, a con artist and a CIA agent.

I realize it is only March but I am pretty certain that this will be one of my top books for 2020.

Fast paced, with so many unexpected twists and turns,
PS – James mention that a portion of the sales from this book will go to Compassion International.

Violence 2 – they are bad people, who thinks of this stuff, crowd sourcing crimes, killing, kidnapping kids,

I received this book from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review.
You can see my full review at More Than a Review dot com where I rate the level of sex, violence, language and drug/alcohol use in books.

This is the second book in the Clandestine Service series. The adventure of international intrigue and high tech devices continues.

I liked this novel much better than the first one. I sensed an increased emphasis on the spiritual nature of the action. CIA agent Talia Inger becomes aware of child trafficking in Thailand and that drives part of the action. There is also many more references to spiritual life and Christianity in this book, something nearly absent in the first book. I also appreciated the developing loyalty among the unusual group of people with whom Inger works.

The main plot focus of the book is attacking the head of a huge crowd sourced crime syndicate. As was the case with the first book, the technology used to infiltrate the syndicate is over the top, as is the action. There were times when I was quite lost trying to imagine the action and all going on.

A unique aspect of the book is the mention of Compassion International. A fictional person from that ministry is a character in the book and we get a good sense of their work. Hannibal notes that money from the sale of this title will go to support Compassion International.

This is a good novel for readers who like the latest technological gadgets being used in intense action taking place around the world. You will also find a clear message of salvation and faith. It will be interesting to see if future books in the series will see spiritual change in more characters.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Do you enjoy foreign intrigue, a crafty enemy and a mystery? If so, you will enjoy this story of Talia, a CIA spy and her team of proficient rogues, bent on saving a group of trafficked children and uncovering the mastermind behind their capture and billions of dollars in prize money.
Her assignment begins in Volgograd, Russia, in a seedy cafe, filled with ruthless assassins and unrevealed friends in hiding. A professional skilled in creating false Identity papers is commissioned to make copies of the false identities he has made for others - Talia is suddenly surrounded.....

As I was reading Chasing the White Lion, I kept hearing the theme from the movie Mission Impossible playing in my head. That should give you a clue as to what you’ll find between the covers of this exciting book!

The author wastes no time in getting the reader hooked. There’s a double-agent in a position of power in the CIA who heads a global crime syndicate, but to make matters worse, now the payload consists of innocent children.

This is a powerful storyline! The use of children immediately invokes emotion in the reader. The emotion is nicely balanced with action and suspense to yield an exciting reading experience.

**The Team in Chasing the White Lion**

What really makes this story so fun to read - in my opinion - is the team composition. Trying to penetrate the global crime syndicate takes a lot of teamwork and imagination. The composition of the team really sets this story apart from others.

Technically, each team member brings a needed skill set to the table. Emotionally, each team member has his - or her - fair share of challenges. There’s a techy, a person that loves to blow things up, a thief, a con artist, a CIA agent, etc. This team is definitely well rounded, to say the least.

In addition to the borderline miraculous things they can accomplish together, the way they work together is very entertaining. The author injected humor into the team interactions to break up some of the action and suspense so the reader could breathe. Thank you, James Hannibal!

This being the second Talia Inger book, I do wish I would have read the first one before I read this one. I know it would have made this one more enjoyable since the team now has a history together.

**Technically Speaking**

The version I read was not the final text, so I will not make any comments on SPAG.

I’m not sure which I enjoyed more - the pacing, the climax, the big reveal near the end, or the character arcs. They were all done very well.

Speaking of character arcs, this being Christian fiction and all, I will say that I thought the inclusion of religion was very appropriate and not done in a way that would take anything away from the story. Again, well done!

I will likely go back and read the first book, and then maybe I’ll read this one again. (It’s quite good!)

"Just 'cause someone tries to kill you ain't no reason to go mopin' around, drinking high-calorie death coffee."

Chasing the White Lion by James R. Hannibal is the second in the Talia Inger series, with The Gryphon Heist as book one. Both books can feasibly stand alone, but they are connected by characters and events, so reading them in sequence is advisable.

Hannibal has done it again! Chasing the White Lion is a fast-paced thriller that warrants a high-octane rating for its non-stop action and delicious entertainment. This book has an explosive plot, is full of witty characters with plenty of snappy dialogue, and will reel you all the way in. Clear your schedule because Chasing the White Lion will happily steal your free time and demand your complete attention. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

CIA agent Talia Inger is back, but her new-found Christianity is steering her in new directions, with new objectives and with a new family. That doesn't mean she can't pack a mean punch when called for, including a well-placed elbow to the ribs or nose. There is a nefarious new game in town that involves the trafficking of children in Thailand, and Talia just won't stand for it. Her crew has several familiar faces from The Gryphon Heist, and they are all back with a vengeance and ready to chase the White Lion. Who is this White Lion, you ask? Finding that out is all part of the fun, and I won't be responsible for spoiling it for you. You're in for a real treat!

The stage is meticulously set, and all the players are jockeying for position as each chapter unfolds, all building up to a wicked game called Frenzy. Talia and her band of thieves, grifts, and hackers are sharpening their skills and quickly getting into place to take down that shameful king of the jungle and wrap up a few other endgame shenanigans. The actual game called Frenzy doesn't start until later in the book, but getting to the starting line is a blast. Once the game begins, the level of suspense and action, which is already supersonic high, quickly reaches even greater heights. Frenzy is a vicious, complicated, and money-grabbing playground for unscrupulous and greedy evildoers and business moguls, but there is more at stake than simply points on a leader board. With a Ready Player One/Hunger Games vibe, the ultimate game in Chasing the White Lion is a race against the clock for Talia and her complex yet lovable crew to save the lives of some very scared children and bring down all the bad actors, including the White Lion. This savvy crew has quite a few high-tech and highly explosive tricks up its collective sleeve, continuing that Ocean's Eleven aspect that splashes across book one, The Gryphon Heist.

James R. Hannibal's writing is unbelievably fantastic, but believe it anyway. Seriously, Hannibal can fabricate a story and then deliver it with style, talent, and panache. The characters have well-rounded personalities, and their interactions are dynamic and often quite amusing. The Christianity aspect is much stronger in book two, and the relevant references are well placed and smoothly incorporated into the appropriate characters' development. This spirituality is realistic and fits in nicely with the overall story line, without being too preachy or falling into the pit of Christian stereotypes.

As the main protagonist, Talia Inger is a walking contradiction. She often comes across as completely capable and fully armed with some exceptional skills one minute and then a bit clueless and left out of the loop the next. I'm not sure if that is by design on the author's part, but that development keeps her at a high enigmatic level, making me continually wonder what is going on with this girl. While all the main characters are likable and engaging, Eddie and Conrad continue to be favorites; however, my elite circle of favorites has widened to include Finn. Something is shifting between Talia and Finn, piquing my interest for more of this relationship and hopefully another book of flashy, thrilling, and meteoric action. Unlike the high-stakes game in Chasing the White Lion, this series certainly can't be "Game over."

Adam Taylor and his crew of ex-crooks, along with a CIA agent or two, have taken over for TNT’s Leverage. They are using a series of cons to take down an international gang of criminals as well as those at the very top of the chain. To do so, they would need to travel from Russia to Washinton DC to the Czech Republic to Thailand to Greece.

In the process of taking down the gang, they would save several groups of children targeted for trafficking around the world. And Talia would learn the meaning of trust - both in her colleagues and in God. It would be a hard lesson to learn.

The author has done a good job of weaving the role faith can play into the lives of ordinary (or are they extraordinary) individuals. Though faith plays a role in the plot, this reader had no feeling that it overran the main storyline, but fit nicely into kt. The book represents the best of faith-based suspense thrillers

Suitable for personal, public, and church libraries. It is not difficult to give this book a five-star rating.
______________
This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Chasing the White Lion is a page turning adventure with the heart of gold.
Family is an underlying theme in this novel. But here, it’s the family that you make that dominates.
“That’s what families do. They catch each other, and they keep going no matter what.”
Talia, Tyler, and the rest of the team are forming deeper bonds with each other. Tyler sends in the team, off-book, to protect Talia on her C.I.A. missions. After the events of the first novel in the series, The Gryphon Heist, Talia is still working on her trust issues, but by the end of this novel, she is fully embracing that she can depend on her team members. It’s great to see the characters connecting with each other on a deeper level forming life-long bonds.
The characters in Chasing the White Lion show considerable growth from The Gryphon Heist. The secondary team members who shine this time around are Finn and Val. I was happy to read that Mr. Hannibal provides more back-story and motivation for these two characters. Finn grows from the playboy thrill-seeker to one of my favorite characters. He’s still going to jump off that ledge, but he’ll hold your hand if you need help to jump along with him. Val now sees that all of her actions (past and present) have consequences. And realizing that her actions impact others is a great step forward for her character.
This novel is just as action packed as the first. I was turning the pages as fast as I could. There are enough car explosions, assassination attempts, titular lion dodging, and jumping out of planes to keep me thoroughly entertained. And there is an amazing motorcycle sequence at the end that I am still thinking about days later!
On the romance front, we thankfully have very little romance. This completely works for me in an action book. But we do have some very cute flirting between Finn and Talia. Maybe this will develop into something in a future novel?
If you read The Gryphon Heist and were wondering, yes, there is still some funny Eddie geek humor, especially with his insistence on buying only the best drones and his new call sign of Red Leader.
On a personal side note, it was SUPER STRESSFUL reading the scene where the plane our characters are flying in begins losing cabin pressure WHILE ON A PLANE. Super. Fun. Times. Luckily, no such issues on my own flight!
Whereas you could, technically, read Chasing the White Lion without having read The Gryphon Heist, you would be doing yourself a disservice. Read both. They are amazing action\adventure books!