Shadow Catcher

Nick Baron, Book 1

By: James R. Hannibal

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

James R. Hannibal - a veteran combat pilot with Top Secret clearance from the U.S. government - comes an electrifying high-tech thriller in the great tradition of Tom Clancy…

Over ten years ago, Air Force major Nick Baron was part of a failed special ops mission that left a B-2 stealth bomber at the bottom of the Persian Gulf. Now, leading his men - the Triple Seven Chase team - Baron must find the bomber and dispose of it for good before any unfriendly nation can steal the onboard technology for its own purposes. But as the team embarks on its mission, there are greater dangers waiting.

When the CIA intercepts a call signal from an operative in China long thought dead, the Triple Seven Chase team is given the perilous task of retrieving the lone soldier from deep within the Chinese wilderness. There is only one plane for such a dangerous mission: the Shadow Catcher, a plane with capabilities beyond anything that has ever flown.

What Baron and his men don’t know is that the enemy is already among them - and that the Shadow Catcher itself may be the ultimate prize.

©2013 James R. Hannibal (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Yes!

Kept me on the edge of my seat. The writing and performance were top notch.

Fun book

What did you love best about Shadow Catcher?

I thought it was a fun book that explored the concept of global conflict without a typical egocentric government bias.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

I normally love Dick Hill, he is one of my favorites, but in this book his narration was slow and choppy. I'm not positive, but he may have had a difficult time with certain accents, as he definitely talks slower than normal with certain characters. Either way, I felt that his overall narration was needlessly slow and lacking the level of emotion I expect from this caliber of narrator.

Any additional comments?

Although the book was well written, I would have liked to see more character death and more twists and turns. Its extremely easy to see in advance where the story will end up, but it is still a fun listen.

Strikingly Real Action

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This story really connects with recent events in China. The author mixes real events from the past with fiction to expose Chinese political and military hardline tactics and ambitions. He boils it all up with heart-pounding action and believable characters for a fun and informative read.

What did you like best about this story?

The descriptions of stealth and other military tech were cutting edge. They were not exaggerated to the point of science fiction, but right at the forefront of what an elite special ops team should employ in the near future.

What about Luke Daniels’s performance did you like?

Luke Daniels does a great job with dramatic narration and voices (all except for Nick Barons, which seemed grating). His timing and execution of the narrative passages are excellent and kept me listening.

If you could take any character from Shadow Catcher out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I would have to say Drake Merigold. That guy is hilarious.

Good book!

Pros:
Clever plot with unexpected twists
Reader does good job with assorted voices
Clean - don't have to listen to foul language while enjoying book

Cons:
Really just one, and I enjoyed the book anyway ... but it seemed a bit over overkill to me how recalcitrant and moody and unpleasant nick was throughout the book. Began to wear me out.

I recommend this book

Excellent.

Thank you sir for writing an exceptional story that remains clean yet spell binding. Pilots will love the secret flying weapons!!! Wow!

Had potential

it wasn't a bad story, but the plot line was a bit difficult to follow at times. The shifting points of view from one character to another left me feeling lost at times, especially if I wasn't fully engaged with the story (which was sadly often). I might give this author another shot, but after I work through a couple of other series instead.

Horrible

What disappointed you about Shadow Catcher?

The story line in lame! Drags on and poor story development. End of the line for me.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Not this author.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Luke Daniels?

Horrible. Voice was odd if not weird

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Very disappointed