I had a little bit of a hard time focusing or understanding the first chapter and actually re-read it, but once I pressed on and glad I did! The author blended humor and edge so well, I was either literally laughing out or squealing with anticipation. Once I was hooked I couldn't put it down. I even cried at one point. What?! So many twists and turns. Unpredictable. When I was done I immediately bought two. It's a series you won't want to miss if you like suspense!

AUDIO BOOK REVIEW. WOW! I just finished listening to THE GRYPHON HEIST, and I was blown away by it. BLOWN. AWAY. I basically listened straight through to the 12+ hours of it (at regular speed due to the amazing narration by Mia Barron) and am considering queuing it up again and listening to the last three hours again because WOW! Did I already mention BLOWN AWAY?

While I have to allow some time for all the words floating around in my head to settle down so I can write a proper review, I want to mention the Christian aspect of the book and how organically it worked within the story. I know many readers are wary of any book that has the "Christian Fiction" label, and there's nothing to fear here. If religion and faith aren't your thing, then the mentions will be no more than elements of plot and characterization. On the other hand, if you are looking for or enjoy a faith journey, it's here for you between the action-packed, edge-of-your-seat thriller that is THE GRYPHON HEIST. And James Hannibal slipped it in so well between the technical concepts, the sub-plots with the spies and thieves, the subtle humor, and the in-your-face explosive action, that I was caught completely off-guard when a scene brought me to tears.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I am happy that I waited so long to read THE GRYPHON HEIST because now I am able to jump right into my copy of book two in the series, CHASING THE WHITE LION (publishes March 3, 2020).

The Gryphon Heist is an exciting espionage thriller! The story is chock full of action and adventure with multiple lush destinations and twists and turns along the way. Hannibal's world feels almost Bond-esque in the wild plots and action.

An interesting read with a female CIA operative as the lead character. She’s surrounded by a host of strong secondary characters. The story is filled with plot twists that left me guessing and wondering who was truly behind the evil. In lines of Ocean’s Eleven meets the Italian job. Wonderful read for those who enjoy an international thriller/heist

Talia Inger is a CIA rookie who thinks she's received a 'dud' posting into an Eastern European backwater. She's had a tough upbringing having been orphaned as a child and doing the rounds of a series of foster homes. She's an interesting character from the outset even though I was a little unconvinced by her at the beginning.

After a relatively slow build, the action takes off once the 'shady' Adam Tyler arrives on the scene. He's in his 40's I'm guessing and has quite the resume, one that never gets fully revealed. He's smart, surprisingly generous for a man in his business and very well connected. Oh, and he's wealthy.

Tyler and Inger join together on a mission to stop a genius inventor from blowing up Washington D.C. They'll need a team of maverick superstars in their own designated fields to help them. A good third of the story involves the recruitment of these players. I especially enjoyed the inclusion of an Aussie, Finn. And it's clear Hannibal knows some Aussies because he does a great job drawing out some of the qualities one associates with Aussies plus their unique laidback style of talking.

The cast of characters is excellent. No one, with the exception of perhaps Eddie, the geek, is who they seem which adds to keeping the reader on their toes. Who really are the good guys and who are the bad guys? Nothing really becomes clear until the end but even then Hannibal sets up the sequel leaving the reader guessing about Talia and Eddie's new boss, Mary Jordan, who recruited them into the Agency.

Lots of unbelievable actions and heroics that Hannibal makes believable. Reminded me a bit of Matthew Reilly's hair-raising stories. Coupled with some fabulously picturesque European scenery and the latest technology and spy-stuff, the story is continually compelling to read.

There's a strong theme of forgiveness which I appreciated reading together with some interesting thoughts on goodness and evil. Tyler is a great character as is his chef sidekick, Conrad, and I'd love to see Hannibal write a series with these two as a dynamic spy duo. I'm still a little unsure about Talia ... she's a good mix of contradiction and unpredictability and I'm looking forward to seeing how she develops in Book 2.

Overall, a surprising delight to read. And I'm glad the second story is only a few months away to being released as I'm keen to get my hands on it.

The Gryphon Heist by James R. Hannibal, an interesting read could have used a tad more intro but still enjoyable.

Gah! That was fun! An Oceans11/The Italian Job kind of vibe with a cast of characters that you love to love (at least I did).

The Gryphon Heist, huh? A fitting title.

Sometimes I’ll pick up a book without giving thought to the storyline or its author. Usually that happens when a book’s cover or title stirs my interest so much that the details doesn’t really matter, I just have to read it. And that’s what happened with James R. Hannibal’s newly released thriller; I just had to read it, even though I knew very little about it.

The Gryphon Heist has all of the ingredients a reader can expect from a spy novel: plenty of action, plenty of suspense, and the right amount of humor. The first thing that I noticed about this novel was that it had a strong Quantico (the show) vibe to it. Which wasn’t a bad thing. For the most part, at least. Sometimes the pace of the story was so fast and mysterious that I couldn’t follow, and I almost didn’t finish reading it because of that. But 33% into the story, everything started to click together. That was when setting this book down was no longer a option. I liked how the feel of the story changed, at that point. It was almost like I wasn’t even reading a book, but rather watching an intense movie. Which was pretty cool!

To my surprise, I liked this book. Wasn’t totally in love with it, but I really liked it. I eagerly look forward to book #2!

This is a fast-paced spy thriller that will keep you guessing, has engaging, likable (even though you shouldn’t) characters, and a bit of DEPTH to it, too.

In Talia Inger, Hannibal has crafted an extraordinary heroine: brave, smart, and damaged enough to have some serious trust issues. Which, as it turns out, may not be a terrible thing as a CIA officer, because accompanying her on this ride is a brilliant cast of characters that you will love – and hate to distrust. On top of that, who CAN she trust – her new donut-loving boss who resides in a basement-dwelling department titled “Other”, the civilian “consultant” she has been tasked to work with, the brilliant aerospace tech genius she is sent to assess, or the mentor who brought her into the CIA?

The story was exciting from beginning to end. It’s replete with evasive chases, a bevy of amazing tech from spy gadgetry to planes that fly in the mesosphere (which I had to Google, I was so intrigued), plenty of cleverly planned explosions, insane stunts, and a down-to-the-last-minute operation using a Russian ekranoplan. The latter also necessitated a Google search to figure out if it was a plane or a ship. (Hint: it’s kind of both.) From Talia’s super cool Inspector Gadgetesque sunglasses to Eddie’s tiny drone (named “Sibby”), the story had as many fun details as it did action scenes.


The Gryphon Heist is also a story about redemption and forgiveness. Tyler’s character delivers a message about the difference in doing things for the purpose of morality versus the greater good. It’s not a message you would expect to find in an action-driven spy thriller replete with bombs going off everywhere and machine guns, but there you are.
Confession: I haven’t read anything in the true spy genre for a while. THIS was the most fun I’ve had with the genre since my Tom Clancy/Jack Ryan days. The book’s dry humor and banter remind me of Robert Ludlum’s The Road to Gandolfo – a longtime favorite.

The book ties up the main plot neatly while leaving an opening for the next book in the Talia Inger series, Chasing the White Lion.

The Gryphon Heist, the first installment from James R Hannibal's series, Talia Inger. I thought it was quite a thrilling ride to read. I give it four and a half stars.

The Gryphon Heist
by James R. Hannibal

Revell

Christian

Pub Date 03 Sep 2019

I am reviewing a copy of The Gryphon Heist through Revell and Netgalley:

Talia Inger is a rookie CIA case officer who instead of finding herself assigned to the department known as the other in the backwoods of Eastern Europe instead of the office in Moscow that she had dreamed of. It is there she was given the assignment of 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. That is before she knows where the designs are stored and who is trying to get them. Talia takes a deep dive into a criminal world with her shady civilian partner Adam Tyler.

Tyler is more than he seems though, and Talia finds herself wondering if he is helping her or using her to access the CIA resources to pull off an epic heist for his own dark purposes?

If you are looking for an Ocean 11’s v’s Mission Impossible type thriller then Gryphon Heist is just the book you are looking for.

I give The Gryphon Heist five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Who to trust is the name of the game for new spy Talia Inger. Her boss? Her mentor? The civilian contractor? The scientist she’s investigating? Talia even struggles with trusting her own judgement.

“So how is a spy supposed to know what’s right or wrong?”

I’d say experience. And Talia gains that experience over the course of The Gryphon Heist, the first novel in a new series by James Hannibal. Talia and her team are out to steal\keep safe a new weapon from a secret vault in a high-altitude orbit. Not quite space, but space-adjacent.

A lot of spy\adventure books that I’ve read always have a great team of secondary characters. The Gryphon Heist has such a team. An elite one, if I may borrow a phrase from the trailer! From hacker to chemist, wheel-man, cat burglar, and con artist, we meet quite the collection of characters. My favorites are Finn (the high-flying cat burglar), Darcy (the chemist\demolition expert), and of course Eddie, our hacker. Eddie has a very similar sense of humor to my own. (I always gravitate to the nerdy jokes!) Building the team is one section of the novel that I really enjoyed. This team reminds me a bit of the group from the Fox and O’Hare series by Janet Evanovich. Every member of the team has a specialty and they do not always blend together. But they get the job done.

“In the past, I’ve put teams together for onetime operations, disbanding them afterward. But this team is different. … I don’t think any of you can deny that we work well together. You all have unique talents. And last week you used them to save lives.”

I was relieved that there was no forced romance between Talia and Tyler. For me, knowing what I do about how their relationship started, it’s better as mentor\mentee than romantic.

I may not be into action in my own life, but I do love reading a great action scene. Mr. Hannibal captures these scenes well with very visual descriptions. There are some extreme, heart-racing, action scenes in The Gryphon Heist. There is a great chase involving an ekranoplan. (Don’t worry. I looked it up too.) Our first introduction to Finn is a high-altitude jump out of a weather balloon. The whole end of the novel is one giant try not to die action scene. Kudos to Mr. Hannibal on the action writing!

The Gryphon Heist as a lot of spy jargon which I can only infer is correct. I read a number of books like this, or with other military jargon. I don’t know anything about the subjects. I’m here for the car chases! If you are one of those readers who are a stickler for accuracy, this is my heads-up warning for you!

I’d rank The Gryphon Heist up there with some of my favorite spy\thrillers, like the Jack West Jr or Oregon Files novels. Or Covert Affairs or Jack Ryan tv series. Well-written. Fast-paced. Good car\plane chases! And some great plot twists. Very worth checking out if you are looking for some high-speed action (AT HEIGHTS!).

"The greater good is shifting sand. You can't trust it."

The Gryphon Heist by James R. Hannibal is an incredible mix of espionage and spy craft that bombards the reader with explosions, betrayal, high-density ceramic bullets, high-tech capers, and a hefty dose of humor. While many spy thrillers are steeped in complicated narrative discussions and explanations, The Gryphon Heist relies more on character interaction and is only minimally mired in scientific jargon and complexities. That does not mean Hannibal's fantastic story is any less entertaining. In fact, The Gryphon Heist turns the traditional spy novel on its head by interspersing fun, lighthearted banter throughout the serious action as well as injecting a bit of contemporary Christianity that lends some impressive intricacy to at least two of the main characters.

Talia Inger is a new CIA recruit, eager for her first assignment that, at first glance, appears to be less than interesting. With her teammate, Eddie Gupta, in tow, they set out for Transnistria near Ukraine in what they hope will be a brief stint. What follows is rip-roaring international high jinks, involving a deadly plan, high-stakes greed and subterfuge, and a motley team of diverse characters that offers shades of Dewey Gram’s Ocean's 11.

Aside from some fragmented flirtation and a sweet case of puppy love, The Gryphon Heist lacks any steamy romance, and no character comes even close to spouting strong language. But these missing elements prove to be unnecessary because Hannibal's remarkable plot, varied characters, and action scenes that deserve to be on the big screen will keep you fully engaged in pondering each character's level of trustworthiness, laughing full belly laughs (oh, that Eddie), and quickly flipping the pages as the action picks up and the danger goes from a simple thrill of the hunt to a fast-paced and quite deadly race against the clock.

As a former stealth pilot, Hannibal clearly knows his business and has skillfully brought a fantastical plot to life, filled with immense energy, surprising twists, and unforgettable personalities. Hannibal's writing is sharp, precise, and easily navigated, which is perfect because the characters are constantly on the move, and the action never lets up. Hannibal's character development is spot on. For example, Talia is smart right out of the CIA training gate, but she's a rookie on her first assignment. Her character often feels unapproachable; however, her backstory provides a good reason for that. Other than trusting her loyal-to-a-fault sidekick, Eddie, Talia struggles with trust issues and is still haunted by the mysterious death of her father when she was a small child. As the story progresses, some likability seeps through the cracks in her self-imposed armor. She is a good protagonist because her character experiences tremendous growth, but it takes awhile to warm up to her. On the other hand, Eddie will steal your heart from the first page.

The Gryphon Heist ends with a glimpse at the beginning of book two that appears to be on the horizon. Although, waiting even one day for Chasing the White Lion will be one day too long.

The Gryhon Heist
By James R. Hannibal

2 stars

Billed as ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ meets ‘Mission Impossible’, its more like the slow boat to China.

The plot is slow moving to the point you have to push to get through it. The story line is just an unrealistic as ‘Mission Impossible’, and that is tied tot eh plot makes it a poor read.

The characters have no depth. It just all falls flat. Putting a Christian spin on a bad plot does no one any favours.

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 only criminal minds and unlikely strategies will keep the Gryphon, a high-altitude data vault, hovering in the mesosphere.

This title has been reviewed by www.books-reviewed.weebly.com

This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review.

#TheRansom #NetGalley

Readers are set up for a thrill ride full of suspense, danger, mystery and so many twists and turns they won’t be able to stop until the very last page!

After passing her final tests to become a CIA agent, Talia Inger gets assigned to a case she is less than thrilled about at first. She is assigned to work in the “Other” department. Her first assignment is working with Adam Tyler, a Moldovian executive, to retrieve his technology for their own defense. What seems like a simple task at first turns into the more than she could have bargained for when finds out who else is after the technology and what it is going to take to retrieve it. As the get closer to completing their mission, things get more complicated and Talia starts to wonder who she can trust and if she has been given all the information she needs to complete the mission and return home in one piece.

The Gryphon Heist is a novel full of so many things. That can be both good and bad. It is obvious that Hannibal did his research and knows his stuff, the plot would have been incredibly weak had he not, and this plot was anything but weak. The problem is there was so much going on it was a little difficult to keep up at times. Not only is the plot and storyline very intricate, there are also a lot of characters to keep up with. In my opinion, a few of the characters could have been cut without impacting the story. There were other chapters that just felt awkward and better left on the cutting room floor. Those were the only items that took the book down a notch for me. When the tension picked up, it did so at warp speed. The last few chapters made the book, I’m talking unstoppable action that left me thirsting for me. The little tidbits about who might be the bad guy on the inside was played out so well I found myself smiling with the turn off each page. I’m so happy that this is the first in a series and we will get to see these characters further developed. I see so much potential for this series and the characters and will be chomping at the bit to get my hands on the next installment. I recommend this book to readers that enjoy the television show Alias and the Mission Impossible movie series type thrillers and a great read.

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

This is one of those books that take a hold of you and drags you down a bumpy and twisting mountain road in the middle of a thunder storm. That's how it felt reading this story. As with all storms, this book starts off with a slow brooding build. I always appreciate finding a good suspense/thriller that is squeaky clean with a decent faith thread woven throughout, because they tend to be few and far between. This is the first book that I have read by this author, and I am looking forward to reading more. If you enjoy a good suspense/thriller, then highly recommend that you check this one out.

Didn’t care for this one at all. The main character didn’t interest me, plot was improbable, and dragged.

A great adventure full of suspense, this book is highly recommended. It moves along a good speed and does well to immerse you in the story.

This was a great thriller filled with spies and lots of intrigue. There were so many twists and turns. Every page seemed to bring something new. I would think that I had the story figured out and then I found out I was wrong. I loved the dangerous characters throughout this story. It was hard to know who was good and who was bad. I can’t wait til the second book comes out in this series. I received a copy of this book from Revell for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

A cross between Mission Impossible and Ocean's Eleven (with a bit of Leverage thrown in), this book has all the intrigue of an international spy thriller combined with the scheming--and thieves--of a traditional heist. To me, the heist aspect makes all the difference, setting the book apart from so many other races to stop world destruction.

My initial impression of Tyler was womanizing slime, but I grew to respect him the more time we spent with him, even as I suspected some of his unshared history (and kept an open mind for a potential Sudden but Inevitable Betrayal--it's a spy story. You just can't trust anyone, even the people you love. Or hate.). Eddie's an adorable geek--I loved being able to follow his references to Star Wars, Star Trek, and other sci-fi/fantasy fandoms. The rest of the crew really grew on me too, questionable as they all are.

I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in the series!

Thank you Revell and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.