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zu94's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
witchqueen5's review against another edition
5.0
I can't think of many books that have captivated me the way the Ben Hope series has. It has pretty much every ingredient necessary to keep my eyes glued to the pages; adventure, conspiracies, history, treasures, and plenty of interesting fight scenes. Loved it!
tandemjon's review against another edition
4.0
Silly bit Great fun, usually Mariani stuff for action hero Ben Hope and just a touch too predictable burning looking forward to the next one.
samharnold's review against another edition
3.0
REVIEW
Why don't many women read men's books? Because they get upset when the romance does not work out the way they want it to. Why can't the hero be happy for once?
Having finished the book I have to admit I am disappointed. Disappointed that the hero did not have a happy relationship and disappointed at the book itself. Having said that I also enjoyed it especially towards the end. This book was not as fast pacing as his others. The guide to writing a good book I once read was have 2 or 3 good characters. At one point this book had several and it was hard to keep up with them all. There was also no real link with The Lost Relic until the last 150 pages and this was disappointing. Scott Mariani normally teaches me something about history and the facts were lacking from this book. The book was also predictable in places.
Having said all this at the end of the book despite finding it hard to get into I actually had enjoyed it and finished the last section of the book in my normal record speed. I have not been put off picking up the next Ben Hope book but just hope it has a little more substance than this one.
QUICKIE LOOK
8% Already this is hotting up. Shame Ben isn't happy and having relationship problems though
18% Action at last I was beginning to wonder whether it was ever coming
34% Not good I am already finding myself skim reading please just get on with it
37% Lots of twist and turns still no relevance to the starting plot of the story though and the theft.
60 % Excellent my attention has been grabbed again with this book. Need to sleep though so have had to put it down
Why don't many women read men's books? Because they get upset when the romance does not work out the way they want it to. Why can't the hero be happy for once?
Having finished the book I have to admit I am disappointed. Disappointed that the hero did not have a happy relationship and disappointed at the book itself. Having said that I also enjoyed it especially towards the end. This book was not as fast pacing as his others. The guide to writing a good book I once read was have 2 or 3 good characters. At one point this book had several and it was hard to keep up with them all. There was also no real link with The Lost Relic until the last 150 pages and this was disappointing. Scott Mariani normally teaches me something about history and the facts were lacking from this book. The book was also predictable in places.
Having said all this at the end of the book despite finding it hard to get into I actually had enjoyed it and finished the last section of the book in my normal record speed. I have not been put off picking up the next Ben Hope book but just hope it has a little more substance than this one.
QUICKIE LOOK
8% Already this is hotting up. Shame Ben isn't happy and having relationship problems though
18% Action at last I was beginning to wonder whether it was ever coming
34% Not good I am already finding myself skim reading please just get on with it
37% Lots of twist and turns still no relevance to the starting plot of the story though and the theft.
60 % Excellent my attention has been grabbed again with this book. Need to sleep though so have had to put it down
balthazarlawson's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Ben Hope is contemplating his future and travel to Italy to contact an old friend to discuss his situation. While there he avoids an accident which ultimately turns events around, putting him on the run from the police and agents from Britain.
There is lots of action in this book and Ben's good intentions only get him into trouble as he tries to avoid it. It's a fast pace book with fast pace action all leading to face down with the ultimate enemy. I enjoyed this for most of the book, but towards the end it felt as if it was drifting a bit from the original path. The ending was a bit anti climatic with a cliche "return from the dead event", which should not have happened. Overall it was enjoyable, if you don't mind death and destruction.
There is lots of action in this book and Ben's good intentions only get him into trouble as he tries to avoid it. It's a fast pace book with fast pace action all leading to face down with the ultimate enemy. I enjoyed this for most of the book, but towards the end it felt as if it was drifting a bit from the original path. The ending was a bit anti climatic with a cliche "return from the dead event", which should not have happened. Overall it was enjoyable, if you don't mind death and destruction.
thekinkykid's review against another edition
4.0
Lleno de adrenalina y acción, Scott Mariani otra vez no decepciona. Lo único que no me gusto fue la subtrama de su vida amorosa, que nunca llega una conclusión, y solo se lle como de relleno, pero aparte de eso el libro es entretenidisimo y lleno de acción.
canada_matt's review
4.0
Mariani presents his sixth novel in the Ben Hope series, filling it with action and excitement while also stoking the fires of mystery and intrigue. While his training facility has continued to function effectively, Ben Hope is looking to get out of the business once and for all (have we not heard that before?!). Preferring to hand the reins over to a feasible candidate rather than sell, Hope visits a former military colleague in Italy to propose a business opportunity. Unable to garner the expected excitement, Hope meanders through the Italian countryside and stumbles upon a small art gallery. When a gang of Russian thugs attack, Hope goes into combat mode, helping to keep the casualty count low. Heralded as a hero, Hope tries to dodge the limelight, but remains curious as to why only a single piece of art was sought, surrounded by countless other items whose values are exponentially higher. Meanwhile, as the thieves lick their wounds back in Russia, Hope’s name is bandied about as the one who cost them much and orders to have him killed are sent down the line. Additionally, there seems to her an issue with the stolen artwork, an apparent forgery. It is soon understood that there is a connection with the actual sketch and a priceless item from Imperial Russia, the Dark Medusa. While still adjusting to his hero status, Hope is fingered in the murder of a popular Italian and begins life on the lam. Were that not enough, an organization by the name of SOCA is targeting Hope as well, in hopes of luring the Russians out once and for all. As pandemonium erupts and the Dark Medusa remains hidden, Hope must dodge all those who seek his head while preventing this lost relic from falling into the wrong hands. Set in various locales around the globe, Mariani keeps the thrills coming and thrusts the reader into yet another Ben Hope adventure where nothing can be completely predicted. Series fans and thrill seekers alike will enjoy this piece, which exemplifies Mariani’s writing abilities.
Mariani continues to impress those who have taken the time to follow the Ben Hope series with a number of well-paced novels. The continued evolution of the Hope character, both in his present life and through many pieced of backstory, proves effective in entertaining the reader while allowing the plots to educate on matters of history. Ben Hope remains that man that the reader seems to know well, while always producing new and exciting aspects to add to his already complex nature. In this piece, Hope is not summoned into a dangerous mission by a patron, but seems to stumble upon it, which only goes to support my sentiment that he has some Jack Reacher luck. Both men seem to be full of backstory that is slowly revealed and prove to be a draw to various women who cross their paths as their respective series progress. Mariani extends the story a little by creating a subplot involving Brooke Marcel, the psychologist who sometimes works with Hope in his training courses and holds out a flickering flame for the man, even if he is too dense to pick up on the signals. Marcel’s own personal struggles weave their way into the story and leave me to wonder if there might be more to come with this woman in the next book or two, as she has already remained on the periphery. Looking to the larger story, I have often commented that Mariani uses a ‘hinged narrative’ approach, building two stories in the background and taking the readers on an adventure before a literary right angle turn at some point to focus on a secondary thread. This is readily apparent here and it works out so well. There is talk of the Dark Medusa, but it is buried behind all the Italian manhunt storyline that it takes much of the novel to develop and switch while building significant momentum. The reader will revel in this dual plot development and find much excitement as the chapters build effectively. I know the series has much yet to come, but I have seen so much great writing to date that I can only guess where things will go in the coming novels.
Kudos, Mr. Mariani, for another wonderfully developed and executed novel in the Ben Hope series. I can see you have a firm grasp on where things are going without tipping your hand as to how we’ll get there.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Mariani continues to impress those who have taken the time to follow the Ben Hope series with a number of well-paced novels. The continued evolution of the Hope character, both in his present life and through many pieced of backstory, proves effective in entertaining the reader while allowing the plots to educate on matters of history. Ben Hope remains that man that the reader seems to know well, while always producing new and exciting aspects to add to his already complex nature. In this piece, Hope is not summoned into a dangerous mission by a patron, but seems to stumble upon it, which only goes to support my sentiment that he has some Jack Reacher luck. Both men seem to be full of backstory that is slowly revealed and prove to be a draw to various women who cross their paths as their respective series progress. Mariani extends the story a little by creating a subplot involving Brooke Marcel, the psychologist who sometimes works with Hope in his training courses and holds out a flickering flame for the man, even if he is too dense to pick up on the signals. Marcel’s own personal struggles weave their way into the story and leave me to wonder if there might be more to come with this woman in the next book or two, as she has already remained on the periphery. Looking to the larger story, I have often commented that Mariani uses a ‘hinged narrative’ approach, building two stories in the background and taking the readers on an adventure before a literary right angle turn at some point to focus on a secondary thread. This is readily apparent here and it works out so well. There is talk of the Dark Medusa, but it is buried behind all the Italian manhunt storyline that it takes much of the novel to develop and switch while building significant momentum. The reader will revel in this dual plot development and find much excitement as the chapters build effectively. I know the series has much yet to come, but I have seen so much great writing to date that I can only guess where things will go in the coming novels.
Kudos, Mr. Mariani, for another wonderfully developed and executed novel in the Ben Hope series. I can see you have a firm grasp on where things are going without tipping your hand as to how we’ll get there.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
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