Hannibal Jones

Created by Austin S. Camacho

“I’m not really a detective, although I do have a private investigator’s license. And I’m not a bodyguard, although I have been known to protect people from danger. And I’m not a strong-arm man, but I do sometimes have to fight on the job. I’m a troubleshooter. I help people out of tight spots.”

HANNIBAL JONES is a sort of freelance trouble-shooter finally returned home, a former government agent stomping around his old stomping gorounds of Washington, D.C., talking the talk and walking the walk. In his first appearance, 1999’s Blood and Bone, he’s hired to track down a missing man whose son desperately needs a bone-marrow transplant. Only problem is, the guy took off before the kid was even born!

The “clue-laden corkscrew brainteaser,” we’re told, has been praised for its fast-pace and generous doses of action, and Hannibal, who’s a “honey-coloured” black, has been compared more than a few times, I’m told, to Shaft. I guess that’s because he wears shades most of the time and acts as though he’s seen too many Samuel L. Jackson movies.

But it seemed forced to me. An allegedly well-educated army brat who grew up in Germany, frequently slipping into cringe-inducing “street talk”?  Sorry, but too often it makes Hannibal sound like he grew up watching Different Strokes–or perhaps never got past Grade Two, after all.

But what do I know? Apparently Camacho’s writing (or his networking skills) have improved considerably (or at least mellowed) since his early entries in this series, because later books in the series, particularly the latest, The Wrong Kind (2019), have drawn some fairly favourable blurbs from some fairly impressive authors.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Austin S. Camacho grew up in Saratoga Springs, New York, and, according to his bio, “is a lifelong fan of adventure and mystery. He’s known as ‘Deuce’ to many Undernet denizens. Deuce is a reaver and a rake, a cloaked and hooded warrior from the hills.” Uh-huh…
He’s a middle-aged desk jockey working in public affairs, whose wife serves as his “branding manager.” But, to his credit, he’s stuck to his guns, and has continued to write, and now runs Intrigue Press, a scrappy little indie publisher.

UNDER OATH

• “An utterly brilliant read! Camacho consistently manages to thread the needle of creating breathtaking plots and rich psychological insights into the characters he populates his books with. The Wrong Kind lives up to his high standards. And, let’s face it, Hannibal Jones is one of the best heroes in modern thriller fiction. I love him! This book is a must-read!”
  — Jeffery Deaver
• “Success breeds trouble for Hannibal Jones when he finds himself in the middle of a vicious gang war. But it’s how he gets out from beneath the blood and bodies that makes The Wrong Kind the right kind of read.”
  — Reed Farrel Coleman

NOVELS

• Blood and Bone (1999) | Buy this book | Buy this CD-ROM (Yikes!) | Kindle it!
• Collateral Damage (2002) | Buy this book  | Kindle it!
• The Troubleshooter (2004) | Buy this book  | Kindle it!
• Damaged Goods (2006) | Buy this book  | Kindle it!
• Russian Roulette (2009) | Buy this book  | Kindle it!
• Pyramid Deception (2015) | Buy this book  | Kindle it
• The Wrong Kind (2019) | Buy this book  | Kindle it!

FURTHER INVESTIGATION

• Blood and Bone
  The official Austin S. Camacho web site

Report respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.

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