Chameleon – READ EAT And DRINK

Read, Eat and Drink

Featuring
Chameleon by Remi Adeleke

CHAPTER 1 – READ

Chameleon is Remi Adeleke’s debut fiction novel and the first installment in the Black Box series. The author has an impressive bio, including military service as a Navy Seal (is every Seal an author?), roles in movies, and a memoir named Transformed. I first recall seeing him as one of the coaches on a reality television show, Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.

Kali Kent is a member of the CIA’s top-secret Black Box Program. He and his team are called upon when a South African former soldier, Lucas van Groot, begins kidnapping the children of wealthy businessmen and manipulating the world’s financial markets for profit. Kali’s team are known as chameleons because they transform into different characters to achieve their objectives.

In time, the Black Box team realizes that the kidnappings are just the beginning of Van Groot’s devious plans. They chase him throughout the world to try and stop him from selling a futuristic weapon that will cause international upheaval. Kali is also forced to face trauma from his childhood in Nigeria as the present and past collide.

The protagonist, Kali Kent, appears loosely based on the author. They both had childhoods in Nigeria as part of wealthy upper-class families who lost everything and were forced to move penniless to New York. Remi’s military background gives him credibility in this genre, and he writes well. The main character is solid, and the supporting characters are interesting. There are several bad guys and some good twists at the end.

Several nights, I stayed up reading a little later than I wanted, which is my sign of a good thriller. If you are a fan of Brad Thor, Jack Carr, and Mark Greaney, you will enjoy Chameleon.

CHAPTER 2 – EAT

Lime Shrimp & Avocado Salad (Printable recipe)

The Black Box Team tracks Lucas Van Groot to the Caribbean island of Barbados. They’ve enticed him to a dinner date using the beautiful Samantha Winston as bait. Instead, Kali enters the Fairmont Royal Pavillion luxury hotel and sits with the villain.

The ploy does not go as planned, and Kali eats alone. He ordered a glazed shrimp salad, which sounded like a nice light dinner for us to prepare. Unfortunately, a key ingredient is mayonnaise, which is near the top of my “yuck” list.

Instead, I pivoted to a refreshing lime shrimp and avocado salad, which I imagined enjoying while staring out at the blue waves of the Caribbean Sea. It is fast, easy to prepare, and delicious. It is also versatile. You can eat it on tortillas or lettace wraps, as a salad, or even as a dip.   

Ingredients:

  • a dash or two of hot sauce
  • 1 lb. jumbo cooked shrimp
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 avocados
  • 1 jalapeno
  • 1/4 red onion
  • 1 medium tomato 
  • Salt and pepper
  • Juice of 3-4 limes
  • 1 tbsp EVOO
  • corn tortillas

Instructions:

  1. Make sure the shrimp are clean and chop them into bite-size pieces.
  2. Dice the red onion and jalapeno and place them in a bowl. Add lime juice and allow it to marinate. Drizzle in the EVOO and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Dice the tomato and add it to the bowl. Dice the avocado into slightly larger pieces and add it to the bowl as well.
  4. Add the cilantro, shrimp, and hot sauce. Toss the mixture gently.
  5. Put the bowl in the fridge to chill.
  6. Enjoy!

If you try this recipe, let me know what you think and send a pic to ChrisKneerAuthor.com. Once a month I will have a drawing for a great prize (well… maybe not great, but a prize 😊). 

CHAPTER 3 – DRINK

Tanqueray Martini with a Lemon Twist

As mentioned in Chapter 2, EAT, the Black Box Team tracks Lucas Van Groot to the Caribbean island of Barbados. Kali has taken the seat of Van Groot’s fictitious date. Despite being off-put, the villain orders a gin and tonic, specifically Tanqueray with a twist. Kali  mentions that it sounds like a taste of summer and orders one for himself. I agree and thought it would go great with our salad.

Tanqueray with a twist is a variation of the classic gin and tonic. Instead of gin and tonic water, you mix gin with vermouth for a martini. Tanqueray has been around for over 100 years and is a top-selling gin.   

The best glass to serve the drink in is a chilled cocktail glass or Martini glass. These glasses have a V-shaped bowl and a long stem.

Instructions:

  1. Pour 1.5 oz Tanqueray London Dry Gin and .5 oz Dry Vermouth into a mixing glass over ice. You can also use Tanqueray No. Ten Gin, which will include more citrus notes.
  2. Stir with a bar spoon.
  3. Strain and serve in a chilled cocktail glass.
  4. Garnish with a lemon peel. You can also rub the rim of the glass with the citrus skin or squeeze it over the drink.
  5. You can store the gin and glasses in the freezer beforehand.
  6. To health, happiness, and sunny days.