Scott Mariani Collection Ben Hope Series 1 : (1 To 5) 5 Books Collection Set (The Alchemist'S Secret, The Mozart Conspiracy, The Doomsday Prophecy, The Heretic’S Treasure, The Shadow Project)

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The villains he comes across would definitely fit perfectly into the James Bond universe. However, Ben Hope is a little more aggressive and bombastic in his approach to dealing with his opponents, which invites comparisons to Jason Bourne.

An ancient fortune has lain hidden for thousands of years, one so powerful that men will kill to protect it. And only one man can unearth it… Upon graduation, Scott decided that writing was the only real career in which he was interested. Despite having attended such a grand university, Scott took the brave decision to not hunt down some high-paying corporate position, but to earn money through less high-profile, high-stress work, such as playing music, working in a burger bar, teaching music, accepting translation jobs, and doing freelance journalist work. He’d always been drawn to… The author, Scott Mariani, was a student of Film and Modern Languages. A graduate of Oxford University, Scott worked in music, did some translating and pursued numerous other odd jobs before he finally became a full-time writer.The author was walking in West Wales one day when the idea of Ben Hope came to him. Scott wanted to create a traditional action-adventure that had a little more depth to his character. Best Ben Hope Books

Opinions surrounding the Ben Hope books tend to vary mostly because the series tends to remind readers of Dan Brown’s novels, with some of the best books including: Scott Mariani was born on the 1 st of January in 1968, which was a Monday. For those readers interested in all things astrological, that makes him a Capricorn, which is one of the Earth signs.

The trail leads Ben and Roberta from Paris to the ancient Cathar strongholds of the Languedoc, where an astonishing secret has lain hidden for centuries.... As a small child, Scott used to love creating stories and getting his friends to act them out in the school playground. After he’d completed his schooling, Scott relocated to study Modern Languages and Film Studies at world-renowned Oxford University, where he attended Christ Church college. He studied French and German, though today, he is far stronger in French, his German having fallen into disuse. The first book in the Ben Hope series is called The Alchemist’s Secret. The Alchemist’s Secret introduces our hero, Ben, as a former elite SAS soldier. He is highly skilled, but tortured by catastrophe from his past. He’s put that life behind him as best he could and now devotes his entire life to rescuing kidnapped children. However, when Ben is recruited to locate an old manuscript that could help in saving the life of dying child. He is inspired to change his mind and ends up embarking on the deadliest quest for his life. The document is alleged to contain the formula for the elixir of life, discovered by the brilliant alchemist Fulcanelli decades before. But it soon becomes apparent that others are hunting this most precious of treasures - for far more evil ends.

There is no question of being inactive or sitting idly in front of the TV in this author’s down-time! Scott has many other interests, which he tries to pursue when he can. Nature photography often takes him out to the beautiful wild places he loves so much. He is a keen archer, and has built his own archery range. Scott also likes to have a blast now and then with his Brown Bess musket, and has a lifelong interest in medieval longsword fighting. When he’s in a more contemplative mood, he will spend time with his astronomical telescope studying the night sky. He loves walking with his dogs. And he’s also a big movie fan, with a very eclectic DVD collection that ranges from Quentin Tarantino to John Ford and absolutely everything in-between. Aside from all that, of course, there’s his lifelong passion for good food and wine. Scott has to admit that he isn’t quite as Spartan in his gastronomic tastes as his character Ben Hope – though Ben could drink him under the table any day…These are the mysteries facing the ex-SAS soldier Ben Hope in his quest to unravel the murderers of his best pal, Oliver. In the middle of the mystery, there is an old letter that was rediscovered after many years which may or may not have been written by Amadeus himself. Dogs often seem to feature in Scott’s writings. Is he a dog lover personally, and if so, what’s his favourite kind? Ben Hope doesn’t always seek out trouble. Most of the time, he is just in the wrong place at the wrong time, or he simply happens to know the wrong people. People have described the character as a cross between James Bond and Jason Bourne. That includes becoming a consultant that spends his days helping children that have been kidnapped. It isn’t always obvious that Ben has a soft spot, not with his relatively rough demeanor. He’ll end up teaming up with a good-looking American scientist, Dr. Roberto Ryder. Ben is directed on a dangerous trail from Paris to the Cather strongholds of the Languedoc, where an astounding secret has been hidden for many years.

In the course of his career and retirement, Ben has been involved in a few relationships with Roberta Ryder, Leigh Llewellyn and Dr. Brooke Marcel. Ben also has a sibling named Ruth who stays in Switzerland, and a son named Jude Arundel. Ben Hope is a man of solitude and peace. He likes to live a private life with tranquility and has a liking for sea shores, countryside and dogs. He has a Storm, German Shepard and a Scruffy from Oxfordshire. Ben likes to listen to the music f the Hungarian composer Bela Bartok along with some jazz music. He is totally against injustice exploitation of the weak and innocent ones, corruption, cruelty on animals, etc. Generally, he sees most of the politicians and police officers and corrupt people, except a few who he trusts and has a deep faith in. Theses include Commissioner Luc Simon, Detective Markus Kinkski, Commander Darcey Kane, and a few others as well. The thing that he hates the most is the disturbance of his private life, his past life, personal questions and the nature of work. Ben has the habit of getting overindulged in alcoholic beverages. He always carries a bottle of his favorite alcohol brand, the Laphroaig. He also likes to smoke French Gauloises cigarettes, by lighting them with his favorite lighter, the Zippo petrol lighter. Ben possesses a number of highly efficient skills such as the armed and unarmed CQB combat skills, rifle shot range upto 1000 meters and beyond, high speed and defensive pursuit driving, efficient use of explosives, etc. He is also trained in hostage extraction, covert entry and infiltration. Despite his addiction to cigarettes and alcoholic beverages, Ben maintains a fit body. He is fluent in multiple languages, including Spanish, French, German and Italian. His habit of sensing the human psychology with the help of his instinctive understanding has allowed him to excel as a rescue negotiator. Ben possesses a special Hi-Power, semi automatic 9mm Browning pistol, however, he is efficient in using all forms of weapons available at the time of crisis. When Ben learns that he could save a child by locating an ancient manuscript, he gladly undertakes the task. He doesn’t realize that the manuscript in question has the formula for the elixir of life and that some really bad men want it. The Tudor Deception– 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, unraveling the mystery and dodging bullets as only he can. Scott was born in St Andrews, a city in Scotland with a population of around 17,000 and which is famous for being the birthplace of modern golf. (I say ‘modern’, but it was actually played here as early as the 1400s.) His surname is Italian, yet his ancestry is actually French. The “James Ryker Series” by Rob Sinclair is another great one. Carl Logan was a member of the Joint Intelligence Agency for two decades. He abandoned his violent past, took the James Ryker identity and went into seclusion. However, James’ past won’t let him live the idyllic life he seeks.

What Is The Next Book in The Ben Hope Series?

Ben definitely doesn’t realize that he is about to start a whole new chapter of his life, one that will find him saving the world by keeping ancient secrets, tools, and artifacts out of the hands of some very nasty people. Ben Hope lives on the edge. A former élite member of the SAS, Ben is tortured by a tragedy from his past and now devotes his life to finding kidnapped children. When Ben is recruited to locate an ancient manuscript which could save a dying child, he embarks on the deadliest quest of his life. As one might expect from an action hero, it is the sort of tragedy he doesn’t talk about; sufficing to say, Ben has skeletons in his closet and they have defined the decisions he has taken since leaving the SAS.