Happy Friday! If you enjoy spy thrillers, you won’t want to miss this book! Today, for First Line Friday, I’m featuring James R. Hannibal’s newest release, The Paris Betrayal.

“From a rooftop perch, Ben Calix watched the courier leave the Tiber and cross the piazza.”

The Paris Betrayal by James R. Hannibal

The Basics

Title: The Paris Betrayal

Author: James R. Hannibal

Publication Date: May 4, 2021

Genre: Christian Suspense/Thriller

My Rating: 5 Stars

From the Back Cover: 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.

My Thoughts

The Paris Betrayal is an intense spy thriller with heart-stopping action from the first page – my favorite of James R. Hannibal’s books yet! I stayed up way too late to finish it, because I was so engrossed in the story I lost track of time. That doesn’t happen often! Lots of action, great dialogue, and fascinating characters all come together to make this book impossible to put down. I loved the spy notes sprinkled throughout – tips and tricks Ben had learned during his training and career. A complicated web of deception and betrayal that leaves Ben’s life hanging in the balance illustrates powerful spiritual themes of faith and God’s sovereignty. I highly recommend this book for fans of high-stakes, high-octane suspense and thrillers with just a hint of romance. I already know it will be one of my favorites this year!

Now it’s your turn! Please share the first line of the book you’re reading in the comments below. Don’t forget to head to Hoarding Books to see what first lines other bloggers are sharing, or to share your own!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and author as part of the launch team. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.