Russian Roulette

Hannibal The Affable

A guy walks into a bar, looks up and down the deli menu and says he'd like a ham and cheese on rye and an open-faced detective. Bartender says the only rye he has is in a bottle, but as to the open-faced detective? Hannibal Jones is right there in the corner, nursing a vodka and coffee...and several bruises.

"Russian Roulette" was my first brush with Hannibal Jones and the thing about the character that immediately struck me was his completely open and straightforward approach to a case. No Sherlock Holmes here folks, as Hannibal is not a master of deduction. If Hannibal wants to know something, he simply goes to the individual, tells them what he is about and asks for information in a friendly sort of way. And while a couple of buxom manipulating dames are included in the tradition of any good detective story, he's no booze, broads and bullets dick in the style of Mike Hammer either. One could liken him, perhaps, to a steely black pinball with shades bouncing where his leads take him throughout the D.C. beltway and beyond.

That brings up one fun aspect of the story. You never know what interesting locations you might discover while searching out clues. After reading the story, I found myself wanting to check out a couple of the sites introduced therein. Another thing I discovered while reading "Russian Roulette" was that I really liked Hannibal Jones, so much so that I was willing to become invested in his personal life and get emotionally involved when both his girlfriend Cindy and Hannibal's relationship with her are threatened.

This was a good read, and one could deduce the mystery if reading carefully. Now that I have been introduced to Hannibal, I think that I'll go check out some of his earlier case files.

Chris Hober
Falls Church, VA

Austin Camacho's "Russian Roullette" Leaves You Spinning

You can get your thrills driving through the Rock Creek rollercoaster section of the Washington Beltway during rush hour or you can read Russian Roulette, yarnmeister Austin Camacho's latest Hannibal Jones volume. Mr. Camacho spins his mystery threads so masterfully and tightly that soon after entering the world of this page-turner you are hopelessly wound up in Toubleshooter Jones' latest caper. How does the Russian assassin find and convince Jones to take what appears to be a dead-end assignment? Ride with Hannibal through the streets and suburbs of Washington, DC, and be prepared to be surprised - and thrilled.

- Fred Apelquist, "You're Entitled to My Opinion, A Balanced Point of View" at www.yetmo.com

RUSSIAN ROULETTE--best Camacho YET!

In RUSSIAN ROULETTE, Austin S. Camacho's latest Hannibal Jones mystery, the thrills start on page one and never let up!
Hannibal is being forced to dig up the facts on a wealthy and well-connected Algerian who is set to marry the daughter of a deceased big wig within the Russian mob! Her old flame, Aleksandr Ivanovich (an enforcer for the same group of 'gentlemen') needs to know if his beloved will be cared for the way he thinks she deserves. To insure Hannibal's cooperation, Alexander gives an ultimatum: Protect the love of my life or lose yours! Given no choice, Hannibal sets out to get the information on a man who may not be at all what he seems!
All the while, Hannibal's girlfriend Cindy is unaware she is in any danger and is busy looking for her dream house she wants to share with Hannibal--but is he ready for that kind of commitment? Add in the fact that Cindy has a lot more money than Hannibal and his male ego may be getting in the way of his lifetime of happiness with the woman he loves. But before he can make any commitments, he has to save her life--without her even knowing about it.
In RUSSIAN ROULETTE, Hannibal gets to do what Hannibal does best--kick butt and take names--and he never even gets a scratch on those signature Oakleys!
This is hands-down and by far the BEST Camacho novel YET! The pacing is fast, the action is heart-pounding and Mr. Camacho's word choice is sublime! The pictures he paints with words are worthy of the term MASTERPIECE!
If you're only going to read one thriller this year--make it RUSSIAN ROULETTE, but read it TWICE!

Right On Target

Austin Camacho's Russian Roulette, the fifth book in the Hannibal Jones mystery series, is a hard-boiled detective novel about a D.C. troubleshooter who is coerced by Russian assassin Aleksandr Dimitri Ivanovich into taking a case. As Hannibal investigates the background of a wealthy African businessman for his client, blackmail plots, scandals, Russian mob money, and several dead bodies litter Hannibal's path.

Hannibal's mix of toughness and vulnerability make him sympathetic to the other characters around him. The relationship between Hannibal and Ivanovich develops into an uneasy partnership as Hannibal continues to search for the truth even after he was released from his obligation.

Camacho juggles a fairly large cast of characters, all with realistic motivations and personality quirks. He is a master at painting characters with details that leave you feeling like you know them personally. Here's how he describes Hannibal's person of interest Dani Gana: "He was aggressively handsome, wearing a day's growth of beard and the kind of self-possessed smirk that women are drawn to and men want to slap off any face they see it on."

Camacho lives in northern Virginia and it's obvious that he knows the Washington D.C. area. You can track Hannibal Jones's movements with a street map as he drives to Rock Creek Park, to Wisconsin Avenue and Connecticut Avenue up to Rockville, to the corner where Florida Avenue crosses Connecticut at the Russia House, to Roosevelt Island. You can just see jam-packed roadways and sense the frustration of trying to find a parking space around Dupont Circle. It's right on target!

The book's strengths lie in its solid pacing and many creative plot twists and turns that wind up with a surprising ending. This book keeps you wondering who did it. The main suspect changes often.

No text was provided for this review.