Wraith

Bestselling thriller writer Clive Cussler has enthusiastically endorsed WRAITH, a new techno-thriller and first novel by former Stealth Bomber pilot James R. Hannibal:

"Hannibal brings together a terrific mix of real air technology with intrigue and nonstop action. A true suspenseful story that will keep you turning the pages until the exciting finale; it really is a great tale."

Publishers Weekly gave a favorable review in its April 26, 2010 issue:

"Hannibal, a former air force officer, offers an insider's view into some of the U.S. Air Force's most intriguing weapons systems in his promising first novel, a post-9/11 thriller....Hannibal demonstrates that high-tech weapons are only tools, and that it's the people doing the fighting who win the day....will please military fiction fans."

This new military action adventure is written in the vein of Tom Clancy, Dale Brown and Clive Cussler and features a cargo load of fascinating insider insights into the secret worlds of Stealth Bomber top guns, military covert operations, and the chess-board game of modern terrorism.

Readers will be fascinated by insider knowledge about the fabled Stealth community, an elite class of only 350 B-2 pilots worldwide, of which Hannibal was trained as number 190. Because of Mr. Hannibal's former high clearances, he had to write WRAITH on an un-networked laptop and hand carry the manuscript to Whiteman Air Force Base, where security personnel "sanitized" it and approved it for release. As one reviewer says, "You'll wonder if reading it could get you arrested."

WRAITH introduces readers to an exciting new fictional aviator, protagonist Michael "Victor" Barron. Baron is an A-10 Warthog pilot and an expert in Islamic Terrorism. He struggles with the dichotomy of both an aversion to killing and a deep-seated hatred for the men who commit terrorist acts. Amidst the darkness of the 9/11 aftermath and the controversy of a fatal training accident, Victor leaves his A-10 squadron to join the Stealth Bomber, where he is certain he will have a better chance to gain retribution for the twin tower attacks. At the Stealth Wing a covert operative recognizes Victor's unique talents and recruits him into the top secret world of Operation Cerberus, an executive-directed mission to eliminate Saddam Hussein and Tariq Irhaab. Here he will pilot an experimental stealth reconnaissance aircraft called Dreamcatcher. Readers will hold onto their seats as Cerberus takes Victor from a harrowing flight high over a hidden desert testing facility to a fight for his life on the Iraqi dunes.

Readers are challenged to solve a secret message about WRAITH and its sequel encoded into the book's dedication. Hannibal used a 150-year old encryption technique to embed the code and then left clues in WRAITH's text to help readers decipher it. Try breaking the code yourself!

Author: WRAITH's authenticity stems from James Hannibal's experience across a 14-year military career. He is a former USAF fighter and bomber pilot with a degree in Middle Eastern Studies from the US Air Force Academy. His class was the first to formally study the then little understood emergence of Islamic terrorism. He has logged hundreds of hours as a Forward Air Controller and Flight Lead in the A-10 Warthog and as an Instructor in the B-2 Stealth Bomber. He worked as a key planner in the covert B-2 Mission Planning Cell during Operation Iraqi Freedom and uses his experience in WRAITH to explore the unique subculture of the covert world and the inner conflicts that plague every soldier who must kill and die for his country. Hannibal is currently a pilot for a major US commercial airline and serves in the Air National Guard, where he is in training to operate the US Air Force Predator.