Lone Star Book Blog Tour: Chasing the White Lion by James R. Hannibal (Review)

“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.”

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