This unforgettable gut punch of a techno-thriller features Voodoo, a war veteran with exceptional shooting skills that commanded respect among his peers in Iraq. He is haunted by images of the war and the only respite he gets comes from his work at the military research lab in San Diego. His dreams about the future are disturbing and he has the uncanny feeling they might come to happen. In Japan, two scientists — Dr. “Taka” Hawkins and Dr. Kenzo Ichikawa — go missing. These missing scientists have been working on the ''God Algorithm'' and the third scientist, Dr. Naomi Shimoda, is worried dead about her own future. Voodoo is contacted by his fellow vets and invited to join a rescue mission in Japan. But what awaits him there is far worse than anything he could have imagined, including the vicious yakuza and deadly enemies sponsored by a shadowy rich man.

The Hawk Enigma by J.L. Hancock is a fast-paced thriller that is loaded with action, a tale with a protagonist that readers will want to see evolve through other stories. Voodoo is a rock-solid character, but one that is genuinely flawed. His inner world is vividly drawn and readers instantly get strong glimpses of his painful memories and how they affect his life. There is a darkness that haunts him and that becomes some form of stark premonition. I desperately wanted to see this character succeed against the fully-stacked odds. Hancock's prose is dazzling, the plotting is clever, and the breakneck speed of the tale makes it a delightful read. The Hawk Enigma is pulse-pounding with intrigue, rich in conflict, and features advanced technological concepts. It's another winner for fans of technothrillers.