"The Paris Betrayal" by James R Hannibal

After a rough mission in Rome involving the discovery of a devastating bioweapon, Company spy Ben Calix returns to Paris to find his perfectly ordered world has collapsed. A sniper attack. An ambush. A call for help that brings French SWAT forces down on his head. Ben is out. This is a severance--reserved for incompetents and traitors. Searching for answers and anticipating a coming attack, Ben and a woman swept up in his misfortunes must travel across Europe to find the sniper who tried to kill him, the medic who saved his life, the schoolmaster who trained him, and an upstart hacker from his former team. More than that, Ben must come to grips with his own insignificance as the Company's plan to stop Leviathan from unleashing the bioweapon at any cost moves forward without him--and he struggles against the infection that is swiftly claiming territory within his own body.

One thing I have gathered from the books I've read by James Hannibal, you can count on a fast-paced international thriller with plenty of twists and turns. The villains are so clever you'd think the hero has no chance--until it proves that the good guys are cleverer yet. 

The story seems to be set post-corona--there are references to the pandemic, but more so in past tense. At this point I'm pretty sick of anything pandemic-related, but it didn't bother me in this book--rather surprising, given that the plot centers on weaponizing plague. But that's the power of engaging characters and captivating plots. I loved how this book continued to surprise me. It would make a great action movie. The author tosses in the occasional spy tip, and the weird thing is, some of them are actually practical for everyday life--like how to survive going through the ice on frozen lake. 

While the story never mentions God or Christianity, it has an allegorical feel; it wasn't until I read the author's notes at the end that I discovered that the story derives a lot from the book of Job (which sounds strange, given this is a spy thriller, but it actually works).

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.