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Ben Hope #0.6

The Tunnel

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From the #1 Kindle and Sunday Times best-selling thriller writer comes the taut and controversial new short story featuring ex-SAS hero, Ben Hope, THE TUNNEL.

ONE MAN
Christmas Eve, 2004. Ben Hope has quit the SAS, but now he's back in full swing and embarking on a deadly one-man operation in the remote winter wilderness of the Scottish Highlands.

ONE MISSION
His target: a man he once respected and served under. His purpose: to seek out the hidden truth about a black-ops mission so covert that not even the SAS knew about it . . . and a secret so shocking that it could never be revealed to the world.

ONE CHANCE
When you're up against the best in the business, there's no surrender, no room for compromise. If Ben's suspicions are proved right, he will have no option but to kill. That's if his enemies don't get him first.

51 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 3, 2015

86 people are currently reading
488 people want to read

About the author

Scott Mariani

74 books1,169 followers

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5 stars
485 (42%)
4 stars
347 (30%)
3 stars
203 (17%)
2 stars
69 (6%)
1 star
42 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
Profile Image for Matt.
4,858 reviews13.1k followers
July 27, 2017
Continuing on what is sure to be an interesting journey, I am slowly making my way through the works of Scott Mariani, particularly those involving Benedict ‘Ben’ Hope. In this short piece, Hope has recently left the SAS behind and is a freelancer. Having dabbled a little in the world of Kidnap and Ransom, Hope stumbles upon a former colleague, whose drunken stupor leads him to spill the beans on Operation Solitaire, a highly-covert operation from seven years before. Hope begins to explore Solitaire and those who were involved, learning that many chose to end their lives prematurely, though the circumstances do not entirely add up. All this leads to Liam Falconer, head of the Operation and former superior to Hope himself. After stalking him to his home in Scotland, Hope confronts Falconer with the information he has in his possession, soon learning not only the details of the Operation, but also some of its justification. Now it is up to Hope to make a major decision, with Falconer standing before him. It’s Christmas Eve, 2004. How much cheer does Hope have left? A wonderful piece, short though jammed with wonderful information to keep fans of Ben Hope excited while serving the purpose to lure new fans, such as myself, deeper into this complex series. A great read for beach or rainy day alike.

As I still try to hash out the premise of the Ben Hope character, this piece has done a great deal. Providing the reader with context and backstory, Hope’s past comes alive as Mariani lays out some of the groundwork to present a man that will push through many an adventure in the years to come. Hope’s military background and attention to detail will come in handy as his sleuthing skills are sharpened, but it's the character himself that keeps the reader wondering. The premise of the story was great, set before the backdrop of a snowy Christmas Eve, though the contents of the plot are anything but joyous. I have a much better understanding of Hope and how he portrays himself, but this one-man sleuth will surely have many interesting angles to explore as I find myself deeper into the series and more connected to all those who appear in the stories.

Kudos, Mr. Mariani for another early gem. I can only hope that you have more in store for us and that the Ben Hope character continues to evolve on the written page and in your mind while to place him in numerous adventures.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
74 reviews
May 26, 2016
Jaw dropping!!

For anyone who gets sucked into cover-up stories you'll love this short story.
I on the other hand have a great passion for Scott Mariani books so I was always going to like this book, I was right to it was a great story, Ben Hope doing what he does best with a surprising storyline, which I don't believe just so you know!!
So anyone who like short stories, cover - ups, action or just Ben Hope books will surely adore this.
Profile Image for Steve.
515 reviews18 followers
June 6, 2021
A delightful little short from Scott Mariani as we continue with the introduction of his hero Ben Hope, At just under 50 pages we get a fully fleshed out story and some fabulous action set pieces.
I have only just been introduced to this series of books so I have started right form the beginning with the three short stories I still have Bring Him Back to read before I dive into the first book.

This already feels like it is shaping up to be a great series in this genre and I am very much looking fwd. to the rest of his books.

Well worth your time and hard -earned cash is just loads of fun.
597 reviews
July 16, 2017
Too short

Wish this had been a full length book. Didn't figure out who the "she" was til the end. Would have been better if this had been longer. Raises new ideas as too what really happened in the tunnel.
Profile Image for Annette Gisby.
Author 23 books115 followers
January 8, 2018
Gripping novella about one of Ben Hope's earliest missions - one he gave himself after finding out about a secret operation working within the higher echelons of the establishment.

It gives a bit more backstory to his character and is an engaging story in its own right too.
Profile Image for Jan van Es.
343 reviews2 followers
December 6, 2020
I loved reading more about Ben’s past. This one also had action scenes and another small mission so actually two short missions. This is so far the shortest book in the bunch of 25 (22 plus counting these three BEN HOPE ORIGINALS) having only 5 chapters but I still enjoyed myself with this one
Profile Image for Elliot Savage.
54 reviews5 followers
December 29, 2024
Hahahahahahaha, I did not realize what this was until it mentioned that specific date, and I audibly groaned. For some reason, I thought it was going to be about trains 🤣 lmao a mistake, but at least it was over quickly.
899 reviews
July 6, 2018
A very short Ben Hope ebook.

A conspiracy theory which gives the reader food for thought.
Profile Image for Trevor.
1,450 reviews2 followers
July 9, 2018
A look back a Ben's life, just after leaving the SAS. A quick read following a well known conspiracy theory.
Profile Image for Tamil.
124 reviews5 followers
January 1, 2019
Not bad. A very short read of Ben hope. We can't expect more action and adventure from a short story of about 40 pages.
Profile Image for Mr Michael R Stevens.
479 reviews1 follower
March 12, 2019
Surprise, Surprise

In always a little dubious about 'chief's stories but this was good with the twist not revealed until the last couple of pages.
Loved it
11 reviews
May 13, 2019
Fact or Fiction

This story about the crash in the tunnel is what a lot of people believe is true. It's a good thing that Ben is on our side, he will find the truth.
1 review
August 28, 2019
Not the best

The book looks st the conspiracy surrounding the death of peoples princess. Not the usual suspense I was disappointed. The book is also very short
16 reviews
November 12, 2019
R.I.P Diana

Unexpected end. Thrilling as usual and recommended for quick read. Always holds readers attention from first page to last page
16 reviews
September 7, 2020
Always the best.

Again a book you cannot put down.Have not yet read one of his books which wasn't tops.Trust thre will be many more.
2 reviews
December 26, 2020
Intrigue

This book had a long drawn out until phase which eventually lead to an intriguing completion with more than a ring of possibility to it.
61 reviews
January 22, 2023
Scott Mariani short story

Scott Mariani triumphs once again ! His hero, Ben Hope , never disappoints and this story is no different . I recommend this to all Ben Hope fans.
70 reviews2 followers
April 3, 2023
Interesting

Interesting conspiracy theory for the dreadful events in the Paris tunnel all those years ago, Ben Hope is always a good read though, well done Scott.
Profile Image for Russ.
4 reviews
August 7, 2021
Brilliant short story from Scott. Excellent prequel to the Ben Hope series. And fantastic reveal at the end.
Profile Image for Sarah.
13 reviews1 follower
May 29, 2016
I like a good conspiracy theory storyline based on real events and August 31st 1997 was one of those days that you know exactly where you were when you heard the news.

All of that mixed in with Ben Hope, a hot summers day and a couple of hours to relax in the garden with a short book - perfect!

I really enjoyed it, I wasn't sure whether a Ben Hope book could be made in to a short, but I thought it worked really well. Some of the storyline could have been expanded and could easily be made in to a full length book, but I found this length and format perfect.

Still got plenty of books to read in this series so I am now off to make a start on another one!
Profile Image for Marian Pandera.
70 reviews
February 10, 2025
The Tunnel este o lectură captivantă care oferă o privire intrigantă asupra universului lui Ben Hope. Deși scurtă, nuvela reușește să livreze o poveste intensă și bine structurată, ideală pentru fanii seriei și pentru cei care apreciază thrillerele militare cu accente de conspirație. Pentru cei familiarizați cu evenimentele din Paris și anumite personalități, povestea poate oferi o perspectivă interesantă.
Profile Image for Laurence.
94 reviews1 follower
January 25, 2016
I usually love Ben Hope novels but this was strangely lacking as a short story. It's a conspiracy story that doesn't really sit well from the presentation to the end of the story, the story was far too short and didn't really coalesce into a coherent story. I am slightly disappointed by an underwhelming showing from a usually brilliant author
1,477 reviews25 followers
September 14, 2015
The tunnel. Scott Mariani

A short novella in which Ben Hope, discovers a secretive group of elite SAS soldiers who are assassin's, cold blooded killers....who answer to no one. They will never be arrested or prosecuted for there crimes. But Ben Hope will...a short but great read!
Profile Image for Nigel.
559 reviews7 followers
September 18, 2015
Yet another winner from Scott Mariani. A short story based on Ben delivering justice to someone he once respected. An interesting view on the events in Paris and a certain lady I'll say no more. Bring on the next full length adventure.
Profile Image for Paula Howard.
845 reviews11 followers
January 31, 2016
The Tunnel is a Ben Hope short. The problem.....it is too short. Love Ben Hope.

In The Tunnel Ben finds an elite group of SAS soldiers that answers to no one. That alone causes them to be dangerous. They are assassins and Ben plans to stop them.

2 reviews
July 19, 2016
Disappointing and very short not worth the cost

Disappointing and very short, not worth the money . what went wrong Scott.. Will still read his books.
First disappointment from him.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews

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