The Troubleshooter [Paperback]

Austin S. Camacho (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 4, 2004

A high powered Washington attorney learns there are some problems he can’t solve in court. Dan Balor buys an apartment building in the heart of the city, hoping to create low income housing for good families. Instead he finds the building occupied by squatters: drug dealers, winos, hookers and professional criminals intent on staying in place.

Police and private investigators are unable to empty the building for use by paying residents. No one seems willing or able to take on this challenge until Balor meets an intense young man dressed in black named Hannibal Jones. He calls himself a troubleshooter, but he finds more trouble in Southeast Washington than he expected. The people holding crack pipes are backed up by people holding guns, and Hannibal soon finds himself up against a local crime boss and his powerful, mob connected father.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

While this is the third entry in my series featuring Hannibal Jones, the events depicted in this novel predate the novels Blood And Bone and Collateral Damage. This prequel, written based on reader demand, explains how it all began. Unlike the earlier two novels of the series, this novel is more of a character study and less of a mystery. Little actual detective work is actually done as the story shifts more into a vigilante style of justice work with Hannibal forced to repeatedly do battle to rescue a neighborhood from drug dealers at considerable cost.

Over the course of the story, not only do we see how Hannibal came to be known as a "troubleshooter" through insights into his character, but we also see the beginnings of his romance with Cindy Santiago. Several other recurring characters from the other novels make their initial appearance as well, explaining the tight bonds that exist between them. So, not the clue-laden corkscrew brainteaser that the first two novels are, but written specifically for old friends of Hannibal and Cindy who want to get to know them and their Washington D.C. environment better.

About the Author

Austin S. Camacho grew up in Saratoga Springs, New York, and attended Union College in Schenectady, New York. After a variety of jobs he joined the Army as a broadcast journalist. On the American Forces Network, his radio and TV news stories informed military families overseas. During his military service, Austin began work on his Masters degree while rising to the rank of Sergeant First Class. Today, he is a public affairs specialist for the Department of Defense. He lives in northern Virginia with is wife Dee and teenage son Phillip.

Product Details

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Intrigue Publishing (April 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890158631
• ISBN-13: 978-1890158637
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,644,485 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Austin S. Camacho was born in New York City but grew up in Saratoga Springs, New York. He majored in psychology at Union College in Schenectady, New York. There he read a number of good books, learned to tell good beer from bad, and became a brother in the Alpha Delpha Phi fraternity. Actually, the frat was largely responsible for the books and the beer.

Dwindling finances and escalating costs brought his college days to an end after three years. Then came the factory work, the five years selling insurance, and finally, the Army. He enlisted as a weapons repairman but soon moved into a more appropriate field. The Army trained him to be a broadcast journalist. Disc jockey time alternated with news writing, video camera and editing work public affairs assignments and news anchor duties.

During his thirteen years as a soldier, Austin lived in Missouri, California, Maryland, Georgia and Belgium. He also spent a couple of exciting weeks in Israel during Desert Storm, covering the action with the Patriot missile crews and capturing scud showers on video tape. While enlisted he finished his Bachelor's Degree at night and started his Master's, and rose to the rank of Sergeant First Class. And in his spare moments, he began writing adventure and mystery novels set in some of the exotic places he'd visited.

After leaving the Army in 1996 he continued writing military news for the Defense Department as a civilian, frequently serving as on air anchor for the American Forces Information Service. Today he does public affairs work for the DoD agency charged with guarding the health of service members when they are deployed. He has settled in northern Virginia with his wife Denise.

When he's not writing Austin likes to run along the shores of the Potomac, watch action films, and shoot - at paper targets, not live ones. He is a voracious reader of just about any kind of nonfiction, plus mysteries, adventures and thrillers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Troubleshooter, August 2, 2005

By 

L. Tucker (Fredericksburg, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Troubleshooter (Paperback)

I just finished reading the Troubleshooter. It was a great story - since I went to business school in DC and worked there for 20 years, I knew the exact places in the book where the story takes place. It was very interesting to see how Jones was able to outsmart the drug dealers and how the entire community stands behind each other. I can't wait to read Austin Camacho's other books. It gives readers a look at real life outside of the Capitol of the U.S. Mr. Camacho's writing style was very easy to stay with and the entire story was so interesting you kept wanting to read but really didn't want it to end.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gunning for Trouble in "The Troubleshooter", October 20, 2004

By 

Kevin Tipple (Plano, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Troubleshooter (Paperback)

While third in the series featuring Hannibal Jones, the events depicted in this novel predate the novels "Blood And Bone" and "Collateral Damage." As such, it serves as a perfect introduction to the series for new readers and for those fans familiar with the series, explains how it all began.

Displaced by a fire in his apartment complex, Hannibal needs a new home, at least temporarily. With his new struggling business open less than six months and all records destroyed in the fire along with everything else he owns, Hannibal is devastated and contemplating a bleak future. Thanks to Cindy Santiago, daughter of his friend, Ray Santiago, he may get a new place fast.

Cindy works in a small law firm and one of the partners, Mr. Dan Baylor, has recently branched out into real estate as a developer. Cindy is sure that she can set up a meeting and Mr. Baylor will help Hannibal get a new place. They do meet and after Baylor checks with his staff, he informs Hannibal that nothing is currently available. The only possible exception and one that he is very reluctant to reveal, is in a building across the river in Anacostia. Infested with squatters and drug dealers, Mr. Baylor has been unable to get them out of his building despite repeated requests to the Police. The property, which he bought from the government and is intended to be developed for low-income housing, is costing Baylor every month and thanks to the squatters and drug dealers, he can't recoup his investment.

A deal is struck for Hannibal to clean out the building and provide security so that repair crews can go to work. Former government agent and now "troubleshooter" Hannibal Jones figures he has the bases covered and can have the building emptied permanently in less than a week. But, he is very wrong and quickly puts himself and those he cares about in great danger as the war for control between a neighborhood and the mob heats up.

Unlike the earlier two novels of the series, this novel is more of a character study and less a mystery. Little detective work is actually done since the dealers and other bad guys are quickly identified. As such, this novel shifts more into a vigilante style of justice work with Hannibal forced to repeatedly do battle at considerable cost to clear the building. Over the course of the siege, not only do we see how Hannibal came into being through insights into his character but we also see the beginnings of the romance between himself and Cindy Santiago. Several other recurring characters from the other novels make their introduction as well, explaining the tight bonds that exist.

Like the others in this series, this very enjoyable novel features tight writing, plenty of action, and intriguing characters. However, in so doing, some reviewers have mistakenly compared this author with Tom Clancy. Please do not be misled as this book and the others in the series have nothing in common with Tom Clancy novels. Both authors are writing books that do not share connections of style, character development, plotting, pacing, or anything else in common other than the fact they both release books printed on paper. Since Tom Clancy writes detailed techno thrillers making such comparisons meaningless and absurd, a better comparison might be made between Hannibal Jones to the "Lucas Davenport" character of the Prey series by John Sandford if comparisons must be made. Much like Lucas, Hannibal is an intense loner by his very nature and is very selective in his personal entanglements, romantic or otherwise. Much like Lucas, Hannibal does not tolerate evil in its many forms and is often conflicted as to the results and consequences regarding such confrontations. Much like Lucas, Hannibal is often pitted against forces that devalue human life at great personal cost.

Hannibal is fast becoming an old friend that this reader regularly looks forward to every time a new novel is released. This author and his three mystery novels to date are well worth the read and worthy of a place on your bookshelf.


Book Facts:

Troubleshooter
By Austin S. Camacho
www.ascamacho.com
Intrigue Books
www.publishinggold.com
August 2004
ISBN # 1-890158-63-1
Large Trade Hardback

Kevin R. Tipple (c) 2004

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Troubleshooter - Hannibal Jones will become one of your best friends, May 3, 2011

By 

Denny - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Troubleshooter (Hardcover)

I met Austin Camacho at a Borders Express bookstore in Virginia a few months ago. He had his five books in his Hannibal Jones series at his table. Hannibal Jones - a troubleshooter who helps people. At the time I thought why not, it just might be okay, so I bought the first book in the series, The Troubleshooter, and the last book in the series, Russian Roulette. Well, Hannibal Jones is now one of my best friends. Great plots that takes place in the Washington DC area and very well-written. Enjoyed the books tremendously. I then immediately felt regret that I had not picked up the rest of the books in the series when I had the chance. Fortunately Austin Camacho will be back at the Borders Express bookstore soon where I am greatly looking forward to getting everything he has available. I highly recommend the Hannibal Jones books.