I read The Gryphon Heist by James R. Hannibal and loved it. I immediately obtained a copy of the sequel, Chasing The White Lion, then left it languishing on the shelf. Shame on me! In an attempt to whittle down my TBR pile, I picked it up and devoured it! Why did I wait so long?! Chasing The White Lion has all the same great elements as the first book — ensemble cast of grifters, thieves, hackers, etc., non-stop/breath holding action, an intrepid heroine, and a faith message that fits right into the danger and chaos that seeks to swallow her up. I loved the spy craft, the look at underworld and dark web doings, and the fun romp the author takes his reader and his characters on. There is a very serious thread about human trafficking that I felt grounded the rest the book. It gave weight to the daring dos of the main characters. The bad guys are very, very bad, the good guys are flawed and a bit bad themselves, but Hannibal never blurs the lines of what God commands. I highly recommend you get book 1 first, then move right into book 2. Don’t wait like I did. You won’t be disappointed.

Recommended.

Audience: adults.

(Thanks to LibraryThing for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) ( )

The opening scene is of a lone woman entering a less than desirable Russian bar to meet and transact a deal to convert a Russian become a CIA agent. The tables turn (literally) quickly and become a "scene." Former friends and acquaintances are there (unknown to said female) and aid in exiting scene.

Soon the action turns to the jungles of Thailand and the brutal treatment of villagers, and especially children, as they are kidnapped.

The story hop skips across the globe with lightening speed as, Thaila (said woman CIA officer) and her cohorts chase various thugs, thieves, murderers, and kidnappers. The team is composed of thieves, hackers, militants, con-men (or con-women) and other beneficial persons to save-the-day.

Tense, active, fast-paced, and humorous in parts the story has you deep-diving mentally to track the machinations of the international criminal world.

I enjoyed the book and yet found it one that took me a while to read. My mind had difficulty following the maze of convoluted episodes these characters got themselves into.

In the end, though, the good guys won. And the author had some God honoring scenes and conversations that were much appreciated. I had a hard time wrapping my mind around having thieves, murderers, con-men doing the work of policing the criminal world. But still, it made for some interesting reading.

I loved the funny bits, too.

I won my early-reviewers-copy from Librarything.com. A review is nice but not required. Opinions are mine, alone and freely given. ( )

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 was my first James R. Hannibal book. It is 2nd in a series but I don't feel I missed anything and it read just fine as a stand alone. It was very fast paced but Talia did finally learn to trust her team which was very important in the "game" that was played. ( )

I tried hard to get into the story and the characters. For whatever reason, it is still sitting on my coffee table and does not catch my interest when I sit down to read. ( )