Phantom

Alex Hawke, Book 7

By: Ted Bell

Narrated by: John Shea

The first and most bizarre event nearly becomes a monumental catastrophe when something goes awry at an American theme park, wreaking havoc on visitors looking for nothing more than a sun-splashed holiday.

In a different part of the country, a USAF F-15 pilot, escorting another jet in the skies over the Midwest, inexplicably loses control of his plane, endangering the lives of several people and deeply puzzling those following his mission on the ground.

Then, in the misty calm of a coastal California evening, the world’s premier scientist on the subject of artificial intelligence gets a strange phone call. When he hangs up, he quietly grabs his coat and leaves for an after-dinner stroll from which he never returns.

It’s up to Hawke and the brilliant former inspector Ambrose Congreve to find out what could possibly be happening. But how does one identify—and fight—an enemy one can’t see, a real phantom? Even these seasoned operatives are mystified. Is there really such a thing as an ultra-intelligent machine, a cyberweapon that can shift the geopolitical balance of power?

In a hunt that takes him from Palo Alto, California, to the Russian frontier, to Cambridge University and the glistening Mediterranean aboard his newly christened and armed super-yacht Blackhawke, Alex Hawke is joined by the unstoppable Stokely Jones and his ex-CIA buddy Harry Brock. As he moves closer to unmasking the scientist behind these extraordinary events, he goes nose-to-nose with an enemy unlike any he’s fought before—and may never again.

©2012 Ted Bell (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“A hero to rival Bond by an author to rival Cussler.” ( The Bookseller)

Another riveting adventure of Alex Hawk!

I really enjoy this author. I have read several of his books. This one did not disappoint.

Wow! Scary times!

So glad Hawke is at the helm of this science fiction adventure! Man vs machine! Crazy times that are coming into realty soon - great read!

Another excellent well written and verbose novel

Intrigue and suspense a very well thought out story, A great midwinter action novel
for those long hours of interior living. Ted Bell keeps this rollercoaster rolling by plotting steadfast and headlong into one action unto another, While John Shea's performance articulates the total drama of each written word, the novels imagery comes to life.

Ted Bell's Phantom another winner

Would you listen to Phantom again? Why?

No. Hate to listen to ANY book more than once.
Ther are too many books I have NOT listened too even though I have listened to ove 1800 books in the last 25 years (have a list of every single one).
Nothing I hated more than to get an hour into a book and discover I had already heard it.
Therefore, I started an alphabetical list.

What did you like best about this story?

Action packed

What about John Shea’s performance did you like?

Great performance by John

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Action packed cyber film

Any additional comments?

What a great bunch of characters

Ted Bell is a well informed writer and I admire his works.

If you read/hear this book, note that Bell wrote it in 2011. Ted Bell is a wonderful writer who intellectually takes the reader to the very edge. Here he is most relevant in 2023 with his words in 2011.
Primarily, I love his writing, his character development, and his great stories.
John Shea is a masterful reader!! More please.