Book & Film Pairings, edition 3

Welcome to my blog series pairing favorite stories in book and film format. In this third edition, I’m sharing a book and two movies that share this commonality: high tech heist/spy thrillers!

Ocean’s 11 is a favorite! It covers the HEIST aspect with sleight of hand, humor, and an iconic cast. Its plot involves a team of thief-friends who assemble, prepare, and execute a plan to rob the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas. Simultaneously, a deeper emotional-driven plot is built up as the leader, played by George Clooney, tries to win back his ex-wife, played by Julia Roberts. Who happens to be dating the casino owner. 😉 Filled with quotable lines and smart storytelling, it’s a must-watch for any heist/comedy/action fans!

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. revives the classic TV series with an updated cast and an intriguing Cold War-era setting. It’s a classic enemies-forced-to-work-together plot as agents from the CIA, KGB, and maybe one or two other clandestine agencies work to thwart the plot of a criminal organization and their nuclear plans. It has globe-trotting fun, high tech gadgets, a killer soundtrack, and 3 main characters whose on-screen banter and chemistry is off. the. charts. I really, really, want Hollywood to give us a sequel with more animosity between Solo and Illya and more romance with Illya and Gaby.

The Gryphon Heist by James Hannibal is my book recommendation paired with these films. It features a brilliant ensemble cast of characters from sanctioned government organizations and freelance thieves joining forces to protect a defense design project… and possibly uncover a traitor. It’s fun, high tech, witty, and fast paced ~~ everything you could want in a thriller!

If you have read or watched these, I would love to hear your thoughts! Do you have other novels or movies that feature a heist or ensemble agent/thief combo to recommend?

Review: “Chasing the White Lion” by James R. Hannibal

This review is of a super fun action and suspense story: Chasing the White Lion by James R. Hannibal. Though I’m glad I didn’t experience the dangers CIA agent Talia Inger and her team face in this story, I did enjoy googling all of the locations around the globe for a visual — and now I want to visit Prague!

Young CIA officer Talia Inger has reconciled with the man who assassinated her father, but that doesn’t mean she wants him hovering over her every move and unearthing the painful past she’s trying to put behind her. Still, she’ll need him–and the help of his star grifter, Valkyrie–if she hopes to infiltrate the Jungle, the first ever crowdsourced crime syndicate, to rescue a group of kidnapped refugee children.

But as Talia and her elite team of thieves con their way into the heart of the Jungle, inching ever closer to syndicate boss the White Lion, she’ll run right up against the ragged edge of her family’s dark past. In this game of cat and mouse, it’s win . . . or die. And in times like that, it’s always good to have someone watching your back.

Former tactical deception officer and stealth pilot James Hannibal takes you deep undercover into the criminal underworld where everyone has an angle and no one escapes unscathed. 

Goodreads | Amazon

Reading Chasing the White Lion is more fun than watching an action movie — and I do LOVE action movies! If the crew of Ocean’s 11 were working with Mission: Impossible and the CIA, it might look something like what the globe-trotting Talia Inger and her team accomplish.

More than the high-tech, cybercrime-stopping fun, though, these characters share nerdy humor and a deeper story of purpose. While Talia learns to depend and trust those God has placed in her life as a ragtag “family”, ties between these team members grow stronger and more secrets are revealed. I highly recommend reading the first book, The Gryphon Heist, to appreciate the full background of this story and the personalities of each character.

Veteran James R. Hannibal has penned an extraordinarily fun story that simultaneously draws attention to the global opportunities of giving and caring for the “least of these” around us. Chasing the White Lion incorporates the organization Compassion International deftly into its plot and shines such a light on children and human trafficking concerns. For more info, go check out James’ website post about how each book purchased is supporting Compassion.

I highly recommend this book to any fans of action, suspense, or ensemble-cast heist stories with a thread of faith. I hope many more adventures are in story for Talia and company!

Thank you to Revell Reads for the review copy. This is my honest review.

Review: “The Gryphon Heist” by James R. Hannibal

Brace yourself for my thoughts on a new thrilling novel of espionage I’d recommend to any fans of military fiction or suspense! I anticipate The Gryphon Heist is the start of a new remarkable series from author James R. Hannibal.

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.

Even Tyler is more than he seems, and Talia begins to wonder: Is he helping her? Or using her access to CIA resources to pull off an epic heist for his own dark purposes?

In this Ocean’s Eleven-meets-Mission Impossible thriller, former tactical deception officer and stealth pilot James R. Hannibal offers you a nonstop thrill ride through the most daring heist ever conceived. 

Goodreads | Amazon

The Gryphon Heist is an action-packed thriller of a novel! One that should require a seatbelt warning 😊. The synopsis aptly references Ocean’s 11 meeting Mission: Impossible, and I must agree. I’d also add a comparison to the high stakes, globe-trotting, and gadgetry of a James Bond film with a few more espionage and psychology elements.

We’ll get to Talia and Tyler in a moment, but first I want to talk about the cast of characters! The supporting characters are some of the most vivid and memorable I can recall from an ensemble cast in the vein of Ronie Kendig or Susan May Warren. I enjoyed getting to know their quirks and skillsets! Hannibal’s style balances such a large cast admirably, complete with accents I could “hear” through the succinct phrasing.

Even with all the action, the story is deep and layered.  Talia is a compelling heroine whose emotions and personal journey to grace are handled extremely well and realistically. The secrets and twists she deals with unfold in surprising ways, and Tyler plays a significant role as an enigmatic leader in all of it. I couldn’t predict ANYTHING about the finally-revealed villain or real plot behind the subterfuge. The end is intriguing, to say the least, and I anticipate another surprising and high stakes story with the sequel releasing early next year!

Thank you to Revell for the review copy. This is my honest review.