The Paris Betrayal by James Hannibal (beach read .TXT) 📕

together at all?”

The Director turned down a ramp toward an underground parking garage, and the tinted barrier started rolling up again. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

Author Note

I am not a spy.

Early in my Air Force student pilot days, an intelligence officer sat us down in a secure room and told us we were all spies because combat pilots fill out intelligence reports after every mission, reporting anything observed during flights over enemy territory. At the time, I considered the term spy in that context a stretch, and I still do. But little did I know in that moment how far beyond the flight deck my career and God would take me. I’m not a spy, but I’ve worked with a few and learned a lot.

In this story, for some fun, I wanted to give you a look behind the curtain at the reasons Ben does what he does or knows what he knows. Some of what I wrote is pure fiction fun, like Ben’s cleaning system. Some is extrapolation through research and old friends. And some is founded upon experiences, training, and conversations in a long career. “Pick up the trash” is my favorite among the latter, based on hockey, just as I said, offered by a man very much like Hale.

My other favorite is the frozen lake scene. As a former combat survival instructor, I feel this one is something more people should know. Yes, most lakes have a temperature inversion that can make a difference. More importantly, having the presence of mind to pause and find your escape route will likely mean the difference between life and death. Once you’re out, get a fire going, because hypothermia is sure to follow—although, to critique Ben, lighting a fire in a shed full of fertilizer was a less than optimum solution.

A COVID-19 disclaimer: The traditional publishing timeline from manuscript to bookshelf is a long one. The Paris Betrayal was 85 percent complete before COVID-19 struck. Imagine having an almost-completed manuscript about the threat of a global pandemic when you’re suddenly struck with an actual global pandemic.

Ben Calix is based upon the biblical Job, who experienced great physical suffering through a disease covering his whole body, so I didn’t feel I could drop the bioweapon portion of the megabomb/bioweapon combo I had developed. But I did my utmost to make changes that would prevent the story from hitting anyone too close to home. In this process, DiAnn Mills, Lynette Eason, and Edie Melson all offered excellent advice, and I am grateful. DiAnn Mills, as a mentor and teacher, also deserves a great deal of thanks as an ear and voice during the project as a whole.

Finally, a word about Job.

In preparation for the writing of this story, Dr. Gary Huckabay created a detailed analysis of the book of Job and all its characters—no easy task. Then he advised me throughout the writing process. Upon the foundation of his analysis, I built the characters of the Director, Ben, Giselle, Tess, Sensen, Hale, Dylan, and Jupiter. On this, I also built the story’s implied theological conclusions regarding God’s sovereignty. I cannot adequately express my gratitude to Dr. Huckabay for his hard work and insight.

For more on Ben and Job, including a comparative Bible study and book club resource, visit my website at www.jamesrhannibal.com.

James R. Hannibal is no stranger to secrets and adventure. A former stealth pilot from Houston, Texas, he has been shot at, locked up with surface-to-air missiles, and chased down a winding German road by an armed terrorist. He is a two-time Silver Falchion Award winner for his Section 13 mysteries for kids and a Thriller Award nominee for his Nick Baron covert ops series for adults. James is a rare multisense synesthete, meaning all of his senses intersect. He sees and feels sounds, and smells and hears flashes of light. If he tells you the chocolate cake you offered smells blue and sticky, take it as a compliment.

Sign up for announcements about upcoming titles.

Facebook ● Twitter ● Instagram ● Pinterest

Table of Contents

Cover

Endorsements

Half Title Page

Title Page

Copyright Page

Contents

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

Author Note

About the Author

Back Ads

Back Cover

List of Pages

1

2

3

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

73

74

75

76

77

78

79

80

81

82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

100

101

102

103

104

105

106

107

108

109

110

111

112

113

114

115

116

117

118

119

120

121

122

123

124

125

126

127

128

129

130

131

132

133

134

135

136

137

138

139

140

141

142

143

144

145

146

147

148

149

150

151

152

153

154

155

156

157

158

159

160

161

162

163

164

165

166

167

168

169

170

171

172

173

174

175

176

177

178

179

180

181

182

183

184

185

186

187

188

189

190

191

192

193

194

195

196

197

198

199

200

201

202

203

204

205

206

207

208

209

210

211

212

213

214

215

216

217

218

219

220

221

222

223

224

225

226

227

228

229

230

231

232

233

234

235

236

237

238

239

240

241

242

243

244

245

246

247

248

249

250

251

252

253

254

255

256

257

258

259

260

261

262

263

264

265

266

267

268

269

270

271

272

273

274

275

276

277

278

279

280

281

282

283

284

285

286

287

288

289

290

291

292

293

294

295

296

297

298

299

300

301

302

303

304

305

306

307

308

309

310

311

312

313

314

315

316

317

318

319

320

321

322

323

324

325

326

327

328

329

330

331

332

333

334

335

336

337

338

339

340

341

342

343

344

345

346

347

348

349

350

351

352

353