Ben Hope

Ben Hope, a former elite member of the SAS, now devotes his time to finding kidnapped children. When Ben is approached by a businessman to trace an ancient manuscript whose secret could save a dying girl, he teams up with beautiful American scientist Dr Roberta Ryder to crack the code. The trail leads Ben and Roberta to ancient Languedoc, where an astonishing secret has hidden for centuries...

A centuries-old mystery. An "accidental" death. A conspiracy that may end in murder. Former British Special Air Service officer Ben Hope is running for his life. Enlisted by Leigh Llewellyn – the beautiful, world-famous opera star and Ben's first love – to investigate her brother, Oliver's, mysterious death, Ben finds himself caught up in a puzzle dating back to the 1700s. At the time of his death, Oliver was working on a new book about Mozart. Though the official report states that Oliver died in a tragic accident, the facts don't add up. But as Ben and Leigh dig deeper, they find that Oliver's research reveals that Mozart, a notable Freemason, may have been killed by a shadowy and powerful splinter group of the organization. The only proof lies in a missing letter, believed to have been written by Mozart himself. When Leigh and Ben receive a video documenting a ritual sacrifice performed by hooded men, they realize that the sect is still in existence today and will stop at nothing to keep its secrets. From the dreaming spires of Oxford and Venice's labyrinthine canals to the majes­tic architecture of Vienna, Ben and Leigh must race across Europe to uncover the truth behind the Mozart conspiracy before they become its next victims. In the tradition of Robert Ludlum and Dan Brown, Scott Mariani's The Mozart Conspiracy is an electrifying thriller and the start of an exciting new series.

From the author of The Mozart Conspiracy, Scott Mariani's newest international thriller raises the stakes as Ben Hope returns to prevent an attack of biblical proportions. Still reeling from a devastating personal loss, ex-SAS operative and hero-for-hire Ben Hope has decided to put down his gun for good and return to the theology studies he had abandoned years ago. When his professor and friend asks him to help find his missing daughter, archeologist Zoë Bradbury, Ben declines, but puts his former SAS buddy, Charlie Palmer, on the case. But when Charlie runs into trouble on the Greek island of Corfu, Ben reluctantly joins him to find out what might have happened to Zoë. Ben has no idea he's just embarked on the most dangerous mission of his life. As Ben investigates on Corfu, he realizes that Zoë's most recent archeological discovery of an artifact related to the Book of Revelation is at the heart of her disappearance. What is the ancient secret that Zoë uncovered? And just who is willing to do anything to protect it? The investigation leads Ben from the Greek islands to Savannah, Georgia, and the holy city of Jerusalem, and he soon discovers that it's not just Zoë's life on the line, but those of millions. Listeners will be on the edge of their seats as Ben Hope battles to prevent a deadly end-of-days attack, staged by those hell bent on gaining political power at any cost.

Ex-SAS operative Ben Hope is living a peaceful life - until a phone call from an old army comrade turns his world upside down. Eminent Egyptologist Morgan Paxton has been brutally murdered while working on the mysterious 'Akhenaten Project' in Cairo, and Colonel Harry Paxton wants Ben to find his son's killer.

Ex-SAS soldier Ben Hope is enjoying life at Le Val, the facility in Northern France where he trains others in the art of hostage rescue, until a chance incident forces him to take on the role of bodyguard to the Swiss billionaire, Maximilian Steiner. The victim of a recent abduction attempt, Steiner believes that a neo-Nazi terror group are bent on seizing a prized document from his personal collection. Ben finds himself embroiled in a sinister project that has lain dormant since 1944.

Whilst visiting a former SAS comrade in Italy, a distracted Ben nearly runs over a young boy — and unwittingly walks into his deadliest mission yet. Ben's involvement with the boy's family runs deeper as he witnesses their brutal murder at a gallery robbery. A seemingly worthless Goya sketch was the principal target in the bloodbath heist. Now it's up to Ben to find out the truth behind the elusive painting. Wrongly accused of murder and forced to go on the run, he must get to the heart of the conspiracy while he still has the chance. . .

AN ANCIENT SWORD. A LONG BURIED SECRET.ONE MAN WILL UNCOVER THE MYSTERY. It's Christmas, and on a trip back to the UK to try to sort out his stormy personal life, ex-SAS soldier Ben Hope runs into two old friends. Simeon and Michaela were once his fellow students at Oxford—now they are the Reverend and Mrs. Arundel. Ben senses that Simeon is deeply troubled and frightened, but before the truth can emerge about his secretive research project concerning a mysterious, ancient 'sacred sword', both he and Michael are wiped out in a devastating road crash. Convinced that his friends' deaths were no accident, Ben is propelled on a global quest to unlock the enigma of the sacred sword. At every step, he is pursued by ruthless agents of the sinister organization that will stop at nothing to acquire it. In the course of his investigations, Ben will discover an incredible secret, not just about the history of Christianity but about his own past.

Ben Hope, ex-SAS soldier is searching for peace, but trouble soon appears when Kirsten Hall, a young journalist, is murdered right in front of him. Unable to prevent it, Ben is driven to hunt down the killers. Ben's quest leads him across the world and finally to Oklahoma, where a deadly secret awaits. What connects the journals Kirsten was researching, a wealthy American politician and an intrigue surrounding the Irish famine?

Ex-SAS major Ben Hope has found sanctuary in a remote monastery in the French Alps. But when a team of merciless killers slaughter the innocent monks Ben's revenge quest draws him into a bewildering mystery of stolen treasure, deception and murder. As he works to unravel the clues he is confronted with a terrifying reality that threatens to cruelly reshape the future of humanity. What is the significance of an ancient curse dating back to a heretical burning?

Ex-SAS major and kidnap recovery specialist Ben Hope is looking for peace in a quiet Spanish town. Raul Fuentes can't accept that his sister, Catalina, took her own life. Ben isn't convinced, but ghosts from his own past compel him to help Raul discover the truth. What connects Catalina's apparent suicide to the suspicious fate of three of her fellow scientists? And why do a gang of professional killers follow Ben and Raul wherever they go?

Ben Hope is trained to identify danger. So when he finds out that someone very important to him is working on a US container ship in the treacherous seas off the East African coast, he fears the worst. Within days the ship is hijacked by pirates. Taking matters into his own hands, Ben embarks upon the most daring rescue mission of his career. There is something on board the ship that's more precious than life itself — and a bloodthirsty tyrant will kill to possess it.

Ex-SAS major Ben Hope is in the most desperate situation of his life. General Khosa wants to use Ben's superior military skills to turn his rabble of inexperienced boys into an army of lethal soldiers. If Ben refuses, Khosa will kill the person he loves most. If he cooperates, he'll bring more death and devastation to the world's most violent, war-torn nation. Either way, Ben will have blood on his hands, unless he can defeat Khosa.

When ex-SAS major Ben Hope is urgently recalled to the UK from his base in France to assist with a family crisis, little does he know that he's about to be drawn into one of the most dangerous missions of his career: his son Jude has been accused of a brutal murder, and all the evidence points to his guilt. To prove Jude's innocence Ben embarks on a wild chase, facing up against mysterious killers and piecing together a fragile web of clues. What connects an all-female criminal gang from the early 1900s called the Forty Elephants, a century-old vendetta and a shadowy government conspiracy that claimed millions of innocent lives? Along the way Ben teams up with his former acquaintance, rugged Detective Tom McAllister. They're heading for a showdown in the wilds of Cornwall, and the villains have no intention of letting Ben come out of it alive . . . 'Compelling from the first page until the last, Mariani and his fabulous protagonist Ben Hope entertain in a gripping tale that will have you turning the pages well into the night' 'Thrilling. Scott Mariani is at the top of his game' 'A high level of realism ... the action scenes come thick and fast. Like the father of the modern thriller, Frederick Forsyth, Mariani has a knack for embedding his plots in the fears and preoccupations of their time' 'James Bond meets Jason Bourne meets The Da Vinci Code' 'History, action, devious scheming and eye-opening detail. Mariani delivers a twisting storyline' 'Non-stop action — this book delivers'

Compelling from the first page until the last, Mariani and his fabulous protagonist Ben Hope entertain in a gripping tale that will have you turning the pages well into the night ”Thrilling. Scott Mariani is at the top of his game” A high level of realism... the action scenes come thick and fast. Like the father of the modern thriller, Frederick Forsyth, Mariani has a knack for embedding his plots in the fears and preoccupations of their time”James Bond meets Jason Bourne meets The Da Vinci Code ”History, action, devious scheming and eye-opening detail. Mariani delivers a twisting storyline” Non-stop action — this book delivers.

Some wars are destined to be fought forever… They call it 'The Graveyard of Empires' for good reason. For thousands of years, Afghanistan has been the rock that generations of would-be conquerors have perished on. What chance does one man stand in this place? So when ex-SAS major Ben Hope hears former bounty-hunter, Madison Cahill, needs his help he knows it will test him to his limits – and beyond. As the borders slam shut, he must trace his friend before the new regime does. His only lead? An ancient lost city founded by Alexander the Great and rediscovered by Madison's archaeologist father. The mission will take Ben back to a place he thought was firmly in his past, back to someone he can never leave behind – and back to some old comrades. Among these is SAS man turned assassin, Jaden Wolf. Wolf has come to Afghanistan with his own agenda and knows as well as Ben that the conditions they face may prove as lethal as their enemies. As they uncover old secrets, they find modern ones are just as dangerous. Who is the mysterious 'Spartan' that the British officials are so desperate to extract from behind enemy lines? And outnumbered and outgunned at every turn, is the pressure of being the last hope of the innocent too much to bear when surviving past sundown seems impossible?

It's 2005: Ben Hope, recently retired from the military, is living in Ireland and using his SAS skills to find and rescue missing children. But when asked to take on the case of two boys who disappeared centuries ago, he walks away, little realizing he's lit a fuse that will not only destroy the life of someone he cares about, but also lead him on a journey that proves old secrets come with a very modern price. Ben must follow the trail across Europe, unravelling the mystery and dodging bullets as only he can. As the death toll ramps up, what is the connection between a murdered history professor, an English lord and a pretender to the Tudor throne—and can Ben find out the truth before the killers make him their next victim?

The 25th Ben Hope thriller, from the Number One bestseller. Some legends lie buried for a reason… To fight extraordinary odds, you need an extraordinary man. Under the fierce heat of the Australian outback, the laws of nature serve a rough justice. When a man vanishes deep in the Northern Territory, local police write it off. But his family suspect otherwise – and when the call for help goes out, Ben Hope and Jeff Decker are there to hear it. Ben's instincts, honed by years of Special Forces missions, soon see the story told by a trail of bullet casings, rumours of a missing map and a lethal cocktail of greed, power and money. This savagely beautiful land holds a secret it won't give up easily – and for Ben, discovering the truth will mean not only going up against a small army of hired guns and their twisted paymaster, but also surviving a place where the wilderness is as powerful as the weapons his enemies have trained on him.

IN THE GAME OF KINGS, THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE VICTOR. When a devastating attack on billionaire Auguste Kaprisky leaves the old man clinging to life, a trail of bodies and no clues, his last surviving relative calls the only person she can trust to step up. With precious few leads, ex-SAS soldier Ben Hope must first switch from action hero to detective in order to unravel the mystery. His international quest soon attracts the attention of the faceless plotters, who swiftly make Ben their target. As Ben moves between Miami and the Bahamas, Rome to Berlin, his investigation seems only to bring him ever closer to death. And as he fights the odds, all questions lead back to one thing: the historic chess set, stolen by Auguste's attackers, which once belonged to Napoleon. What is the secret this chess set holds, and who are the all-powerful people who will seemingly stop at nothing to silence anyone who threatens to uncover their terrifying plan? Your move, Ben Hope…