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)

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

Good Read! A little unbelievable at times.

What did you love best about Phantom?

This book has an Interesting plot and provides plenty of action. I enjoyed the different stories within the story, but felt there were a few subjects needing closure.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

There was plenty of action, but there were times when the author provided a little too much useless information.

Which character – as performed by John Shea – was your favorite?

Stokes! I wouldn't say he was my favorite character overall, but - as performed my John Shea - he was hilarious.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

Any additional comments?

I thought there were a few loose ends that could have used some closure. Also, the Hawke's extreme calmness during the intense action was a bit unbelievable.

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.

Another fun Alex Hawke adventure

Where does Phantom rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I've been a Ted Bell fan for quite a while now and I've read all the Alex Hawke novels. They are all kind of "over-the-top" far-fetched in some ways, but hey that's part of the fun of this series. Phantom is no different and is exactly what you would come to expect from this series. I think Bell addresses the important issue of cyber-security in this novel, although working in the information security field myself, I found some of the logic regarding the main antogonist a little hard to swallow. But setting this aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the book as I have the others in this series.

What did you like best about this story?

I think what I liked best is Bell's attempt to address an important not to mention very real threat of the day, cyber-security.

Which character – as performed by John Shea – was your favorite?

First, I can't say enough good things about John Shea. He is one of my favorite performers, absolutely grade A fabulous. I love how he performs all the characters, but I especially like Stokely Jones.

Good Read

I have followed Ted Bell since his first novel Hawke, I have never been disappointed. Phantom kept me reading till the end. I love his leading man Hawk and the way he gets out of the most dangerous situation. I loved Hawk's new ship and the sea battles. The reader was a joy to listen to and the story was complex but yet I didn't get lost.

Love the sayings

It is so pompous and over the top, but enjoyable. The comments and sayings are hilarious. Only Alex will leave his child with the Queen!
John Shea is great!! Love him.

I love Ted Bell's books!

Would you listen to Phantom again? Why?

I rarely listen to fiction again. If I want another dose, I usually just go buy the book so that I can have it at the ready if I wish to recall something in more detail.I would love to see all of Ted Bell's books made into movies, but very quickly after they are released because the information is so current...well as current as it can be without being classified. So hey Hollywood...what are you waiting for?????

Who was your favorite character and why?

How can I not continue to be utterly charmed reckless by Alex Hawke and thrilled by Jones?

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

Big brother...guess who is watching you?

Any additional comments?

I always appreciate the detailed research that goes into Ted Bell's books. I have read a few on AI gone rogue before, but this one was particularly engaging. Another reason I adore Alex Hawke series is because of the almost continued theme of sailing. I don't get to much anymore, but am fascinated with the technology now available for large yachts and even small ones making it even easier to enjoy nothing but the noise of the wind and the water, unless of course you are on a pirate ship where all manner of fighting noise abounds!

Alex saves the world again with a lot of class

I think this is Ted Bell's best book yet. Alex has become more arrogant and a bit pompus, even for an elite Brit character. He has absolutely no qualms about killing or being the bad guy, but is a pussycat with now having a family! It is a very interesting mix. I loved every minute and the narration was again superb. John Shea is the perfect narrator for this series. I'd like to listen to more of his books. Don't pass this one up if you like thrillers!!
It is excellent :-)