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Ben Hope #19
Valley of Death
This time it’s personal…
People going missing in the remote wilds of India is not unusual. But when the son of a wealthy Delhi businessman is kidnapped just weeks after his brother fell victim to an alleged bandit attack in the mountains of Haryana, it raises eyebrows.
With the local police doing close to nothing, there’s only one man for the job: ex-SAS major Ben Hope. But for Ben, this is no ordinary rescue case. Because this plea for help is coming from a special person from his past, who now has nobody else to turn to.
Ben’s mission will take him into the heart of the arid Indian wilderness, pitting him against ruthless gangs and desperate men. But Ben is determined to save the day. Whatever it takes.
People going missing in the remote wilds of India is not unusual. But when the son of a wealthy Delhi businessman is kidnapped just weeks after his brother fell victim to an alleged bandit attack in the mountains of Haryana, it raises eyebrows.
With the local police doing close to nothing, there’s only one man for the job: ex-SAS major Ben Hope. But for Ben, this is no ordinary rescue case. Because this plea for help is coming from a special person from his past, who now has nobody else to turn to.
Ben’s mission will take him into the heart of the arid Indian wilderness, pitting him against ruthless gangs and desperate men. But Ben is determined to save the day. Whatever it takes.
480 pages, Paperback
First published May 16, 2019
466 people are currently reading
580 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
June 5, 2019
Scott Mariani is back with another explosive novel in the Ben Hope series. Having recently returned from America’s Deep South, Ben is forced to come to terms with the fact that his helpful vibe seems to be an inherent aphrodisiac to women all over, causing him much distress in his romantic relationships. However, he soldiers on while working at his training facility in France. When a woman appears with a message, he takes notice. The sister of his former love interest, Brooke Marcel, has come to beg for Ben’s help. Brooke’s husband, Amal Ray, was kidnapped in plain sight while the couple was visiting India. Brooke is distraught, but her past with Ben has kept her from asking directly for his help. Ben is unable to fight off the powerful feelings that come bubbling back to the surface and agrees to help, flying immediately across Asia. When he arrives, Ben sees just how different policing is in India, as well as experiencing a significant culture shock. After connecting with Brooke—a harrowing adventure for mind and body—Ben begins piecing things together, which includes that Amal is aware of an ancient civilization and some of the riches it is said to have buried around India. Aware that a gang has focussed its attention on the Ray family, Ben does all he can to save Amal and learn about the treasure that may be waiting in the ground. No adventure would be complete without some blood shed and bones snapped, which is precisely what Ben Hope has in mind, should the need arise. Time is running out and Ben Hope must show that he can still be a hero, even if he is not Brooke’s active love interest. Mariani does well this deep into the series to keep the action fresh and the ideas current. Recommended to those who have long enjoyed the Ben Hope series, as well as readers who like a good thriller in parts of the world not utilised as much by Western writing.
The Ben Hope series has been one that I have long enjoyed and I am pleased to see that Scott Mariani is still able to develop something with substance and action, rather than riding on the coattails of his past work. Nineteen novels is a lot to expect much development with characters or story arcs, but Ben Hope is always one to surprise, be it with his sentimental side or the grit and determination he shows. Always able to adapt, Hope takes himself into India, where the rules differ and the fighting is a lot less calculated, or so it would seem. Mariani mixes this off the cuff fighting mentality with a definite spark in his heart to show that Ben Hope can use many things to fuel his desire for justice. With few other characters from past novels making an impact, it is Brooke Marcel that keeps series readers interested, as they try their best to decipher what has Hope so dedicated. Marcel does her best not to be the distraught woman, but there are times when it is impossible not to see her as swooning and begging for Hope’s assistance. Mariani also uses some of his one-off characters to depict the Indian mentality, essential for the reader to better understand what’s going on. The plot of the book was well-developed, taking the story out of Europe (or America) and focussing much of the attention in India, a vast expanse of land, culture, and differing mentalities when it comes to handling the criminal underbelly. Mariani offers up something for everyone as the story forges ahead and takes no prisoners, though is keen to keep the series fan wondering if Ben Hope will remain professional until the bitter end. A great addition to all that Mariani has written with his scarred protagonist and one can only hope there are at least a few novels left before Hope decides to give it all up... again!
Kudos, Mr. Mariani, for another wonderfully entertaining piece. I hope you keep you fans on the edge of their seats for a while to come.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
The Ben Hope series has been one that I have long enjoyed and I am pleased to see that Scott Mariani is still able to develop something with substance and action, rather than riding on the coattails of his past work. Nineteen novels is a lot to expect much development with characters or story arcs, but Ben Hope is always one to surprise, be it with his sentimental side or the grit and determination he shows. Always able to adapt, Hope takes himself into India, where the rules differ and the fighting is a lot less calculated, or so it would seem. Mariani mixes this off the cuff fighting mentality with a definite spark in his heart to show that Ben Hope can use many things to fuel his desire for justice. With few other characters from past novels making an impact, it is Brooke Marcel that keeps series readers interested, as they try their best to decipher what has Hope so dedicated. Marcel does her best not to be the distraught woman, but there are times when it is impossible not to see her as swooning and begging for Hope’s assistance. Mariani also uses some of his one-off characters to depict the Indian mentality, essential for the reader to better understand what’s going on. The plot of the book was well-developed, taking the story out of Europe (or America) and focussing much of the attention in India, a vast expanse of land, culture, and differing mentalities when it comes to handling the criminal underbelly. Mariani offers up something for everyone as the story forges ahead and takes no prisoners, though is keen to keep the series fan wondering if Ben Hope will remain professional until the bitter end. A great addition to all that Mariani has written with his scarred protagonist and one can only hope there are at least a few novels left before Hope decides to give it all up... again!
Kudos, Mr. Mariani, for another wonderfully entertaining piece. I hope you keep you fans on the edge of their seats for a while to come.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
October 14, 2020
Korma?
Having read all of this series to date, I have been a big fan of the authors phenomenal ability to produce very fast paced novels that still managed to teach you about some ancient civilisation or historical artefact.
This one still has the lessons, but the pace for most of it is considerably slower. Only 60mph, for first 60% anyway, not the usual 100 mph plus. The remaining 40%, moves more like his best. Having said that, this is still a lot better than the two African books.
The body count is as high as ever. Wonder if anyone has ever counted how many people Ben has killed.
It was nice to see Brooke back on the scene, let's hope she returns soon.
Overall I scored this 3.5 rounded up to 4.
Having read all of this series to date, I have been a big fan of the authors phenomenal ability to produce very fast paced novels that still managed to teach you about some ancient civilisation or historical artefact.
This one still has the lessons, but the pace for most of it is considerably slower. Only 60mph, for first 60% anyway, not the usual 100 mph plus. The remaining 40%, moves more like his best. Having said that, this is still a lot better than the two African books.
The body count is as high as ever. Wonder if anyone has ever counted how many people Ben has killed.
It was nice to see Brooke back on the scene, let's hope she returns soon.
Overall I scored this 3.5 rounded up to 4.
January 2, 2020
Valley of Death might just be best of the Ben Hope series.
Action and intrigue never end.
Ben and Brooke meet and are hunting for her missing husband.
Set in India, the reading gives a sense of some of the countries problems as well as history.
I have a little hope that we haven’t seen the end of Ben and Brooke.
Action and intrigue never end.
Ben and Brooke meet and are hunting for her missing husband.
Set in India, the reading gives a sense of some of the countries problems as well as history.
I have a little hope that we haven’t seen the end of Ben and Brooke.
June 11, 2019
Never fails to bring fast paced action and enjoyment.
April 18, 2022
Entertaining with straight forward plot and good battle at the end.
January 12, 2020
Another action-packed Ben Hope novel, this time in India. I really enjoy the series where our hero has a real loyalty to his friend, persistence in finding his targets and a code of personal honour in how this story ends.
July 7, 2020
Bleak outlook
Most of the book is set in desert areas of India, where the scenery is very bleak. At times the future of a number of people, including Ben and the family of his former love Brooke are very bleak indeed. His name, however, is not Hope for nothing, and he manages to resolve a number of very difficult situations with his usual flair and outright determination. The book involves local police hunting bandits in the wasteland, villagers leading very simple lives, and of course those who are out to make their fortune by any means necessary. The plot belts along and the author has become very adroit at finishing one chapter with a hook to the next one that stops you putting the book down!
A great addition to the series.
Most of the book is set in desert areas of India, where the scenery is very bleak. At times the future of a number of people, including Ben and the family of his former love Brooke are very bleak indeed. His name, however, is not Hope for nothing, and he manages to resolve a number of very difficult situations with his usual flair and outright determination. The book involves local police hunting bandits in the wasteland, villagers leading very simple lives, and of course those who are out to make their fortune by any means necessary. The plot belts along and the author has become very adroit at finishing one chapter with a hook to the next one that stops you putting the book down!
A great addition to the series.
April 30, 2019
I love this series and have read and adored each one of them. They always go straight to the top of my reading pile. Valley of Death is fantastic! Every bit as good as the best of the rest and good to see Ben Hope spending time (ie, fighting baddies, righting wrongs, rescuing the good guys, unearthing archaeological mysteries, drinking single malt, wrecking cars) with an old friend. This time the action takes place in India. Excellent! review to follow shortly on For Winter Nights.
July 8, 2019
I felt that this book was slightly lacking the brisk pace during the first half compared to what we have come to expect from this legendary thriller writer, however the second half more than made up for it. This series is so phenomenal that we expect excitement on every page with the storyline always travelling at a hundred miles an hour, so a more sedate pace in the early chapters helping to build the background story of this particular escapade for Major Ben Hope should be expected. This story is still brilliant, set in India and involving an old flame of Ben Hope's, one he almost married, but he left waiting at the altar whilst he went off on one of his adventures. She sends her sister to ask for Ben Hope's help when his husband is knapped in India and the police and a private detective are gaining no traction in finding his whereabouts. The story then unfolds in the north of India and the author has used all his skill to craft the story around the cultural heritage of the region whilst giving us readers the heroism of Ben Hope against the bad guys. A must read for all Ben Hope fans but with a slower first half.
November 22, 2021
Una de mis series favoritas y como en cada entrega Mariani no defrauda, y lo mejor es que el personaje de Ben Hope va adquiriendo mas y mas capas, siempre dejándonos ver que es un hombre bueno que siempre se ve envuelto en cosas malas. Muy bueno como siempre.
November 14, 2019
I have been a fan of the Ben Hope series of novels since the beginning, and Valley of Death did not disappoint. Set in India, he must find out what happened to an old friend. This puts him in the path of some very ruthless people. While this could be read as a standalone thriller, I would recommend starting with the first one (The Alchemist’s Secret) to get a better picture of how this character has evolved. This series is all about Ben Hope; the details may change, but he is always the same – you can depend on him to go the extra mile, and do what he does best. You will travel the world, and get a history lesson into the bargain, but ultimately Ben Hope will save the day. Sometimes it’s easy to forget he’s a fictional character as he is so well written, flaws and all. What makes him different is that he does not glorify the violence, but simply uses it as a means to an end. This is the nineteenth book in the series, and I hope Scott has no plans to retire Ben Hope any time soon.
August 26, 2019
Not only is this a well written action drama with a historical plot, the plot has a twist, it's classic Ben Hope, but there's a face from the past (or two) and a twist or two there also. Things are left open - making the next book just as enticing.
September 30, 2019
He's getting better and better as he goes... less Washington political stuff, and more good action!
October 2, 2019
Another adventure for Ben Hope, this time in India responding to a cry for help from his former fiancee. As usual, fast-paced and violent.
January 9, 2020
Valley Of Death is book nineteen in the Ben Hope action thriller series. This story takes place mainly in India.
Ben is an ex-SAS major and his latest adventure involves a kidnapping and disappearance of two brothers from a wealthy Indian family.
Kabir Ray, a leading archaeologist in the continued search for answers about the Bronze Age Indus peoples, recently went missing in a remote area. When his concerned brother Amal returned to India to help find Kabir, he was kidnapped from a city street. With no ransom notes and the police investigations frustratingly inconclusive, Amal’s wife Brooke puts aside her past conflicts with Ben and seeks his help. See here for full review https://wp.me/p2Eu3u-fb5
Ben is an ex-SAS major and his latest adventure involves a kidnapping and disappearance of two brothers from a wealthy Indian family.
Kabir Ray, a leading archaeologist in the continued search for answers about the Bronze Age Indus peoples, recently went missing in a remote area. When his concerned brother Amal returned to India to help find Kabir, he was kidnapped from a city street. With no ransom notes and the police investigations frustratingly inconclusive, Amal’s wife Brooke puts aside her past conflicts with Ben and seeks his help. See here for full review https://wp.me/p2Eu3u-fb5
Read
May 30, 20193.5*
February 21, 2025
Like putting on a comfortable pair of slippers. You know what you're going to get when Ben Hope is on a mission. I do enjoy this series and come back every now and again to check that Ben can still react in less than half a second to that villain trying to punch him.
August 23, 2019
19th installment of my most fav hero Ben Hope series. Ben is in Le Val and suddenly out of blue he gets a visitor asking for his help. He can't able to refuse as it's from someone very special to him. Finally Ben lands in my country INDIA... Yeh.... Welcome to INDIA Ben hope... He has to save a person who may or may not be dead already. He takes us through the busy Delhi city areas to remote arid areas of Rakhigarhi. Once again Brooke enters into his life and we can feel the Ben's suffering well in this story. One of the most emotional and suspense filled book from Scott. I was awaiting for a long time to see Ben in India. Finally it happened. Thank you Scott.
December 30, 2021
VALLEY OF DEATH (BEN HOPE #19) BY SCOTT MARIANI
PLOT
An Indian archeologist named Kabir Ray and his associates are attacked by a gang of dacoits in a hilly area in India that leaves Kabir missing and his friends dead.
Meanwhile ex SAS sniper Ben Hope is spending time with his buddies at his training facility in France when a distraught woman visits him. She is the sister of his former significant other Brooke Marcel and has come to ask him for help. Brooke’s Indian husband Amal Ray, who is also Kabir Ray’s brother, has been kidnapped while the couple was in India.
Brooke is crestfallen but she didn’t ask Ben for help directly because of their past history together. Ben cannot keep the powerful emotions of the past at bay and agrees to immediately fly off to India.
When he arrives there he discovers how different the policing there is and gets a massive culture shock. Ben meets with Brooke and begins connecting together the information regarding Amal being aware of an ancient civilization in India and some treasure buried there.
We also get introduced to Samarth Ray who is the elder brother of Kabir and Amal and Esha Ray, Samarth’s wife.
Ben becomes aware that a criminal gang is eyeing the Ray family which is filthy rich. Ben does his best to save the brothers from the criminals and learn everything about the treasure buried in the grounds.
PERSONAL THOUGHTS
There is a lot of bloodshed and bone snapping action. Western writing hasn’t utilized parts of the world like India much and Mariani does a good job at that. Though Ben knows that he is not Brooke’s current love interest, he is determined to show that he can save the day.
Ben shows a lot of grit, determination and his sentimental side. He finds that the rules in India differ greatly. The fighting is not so dexterous in those parts of the world but surely it is deadly and brutal. They have offbeat fighting mentality and a lot of gruesome acts are performed by them.
Ben has an obvious spark in his heart and the want for justice. Brooke Marcel makes a reappearance in the book after appearing as his love interest in previous novels. Brooke tries not to be so crestfallen but most of the times the reader notices that she is swoony and begging for her former lover’s help.
Mariani captures the Indian mentality perfectly. This he does by using a few dynamic characters like Samarth who is really enigmatic and sophisticated and Amal who puts up a brave front in the end despite projecting the aura of a dweeby and scaredy cat nerd all the time. This was necessary for the reader to completely grasp the story.
The plot is well planned. Mariani directs the story out of Europe and focuses the attention on India which is a massive expanse of land with vast diversity in culture and mentality and rules to handle the criminal underbelly.
Mariani leaves readers wondering if Ben will continue to be the same truly tragic hero for the rest of the series. The book is a fabulous addition to his Ben Hope franchise that portrays the scarred protagonist in a manner which provokes you to root for him. Fans can only hope Mariani generates a few more novels before deciding to finish off the series.
PLOT
An Indian archeologist named Kabir Ray and his associates are attacked by a gang of dacoits in a hilly area in India that leaves Kabir missing and his friends dead.
Meanwhile ex SAS sniper Ben Hope is spending time with his buddies at his training facility in France when a distraught woman visits him. She is the sister of his former significant other Brooke Marcel and has come to ask him for help. Brooke’s Indian husband Amal Ray, who is also Kabir Ray’s brother, has been kidnapped while the couple was in India.
Brooke is crestfallen but she didn’t ask Ben for help directly because of their past history together. Ben cannot keep the powerful emotions of the past at bay and agrees to immediately fly off to India.
When he arrives there he discovers how different the policing there is and gets a massive culture shock. Ben meets with Brooke and begins connecting together the information regarding Amal being aware of an ancient civilization in India and some treasure buried there.
We also get introduced to Samarth Ray who is the elder brother of Kabir and Amal and Esha Ray, Samarth’s wife.
Ben becomes aware that a criminal gang is eyeing the Ray family which is filthy rich. Ben does his best to save the brothers from the criminals and learn everything about the treasure buried in the grounds.
PERSONAL THOUGHTS
There is a lot of bloodshed and bone snapping action. Western writing hasn’t utilized parts of the world like India much and Mariani does a good job at that. Though Ben knows that he is not Brooke’s current love interest, he is determined to show that he can save the day.
Ben shows a lot of grit, determination and his sentimental side. He finds that the rules in India differ greatly. The fighting is not so dexterous in those parts of the world but surely it is deadly and brutal. They have offbeat fighting mentality and a lot of gruesome acts are performed by them.
Ben has an obvious spark in his heart and the want for justice. Brooke Marcel makes a reappearance in the book after appearing as his love interest in previous novels. Brooke tries not to be so crestfallen but most of the times the reader notices that she is swoony and begging for her former lover’s help.
Mariani captures the Indian mentality perfectly. This he does by using a few dynamic characters like Samarth who is really enigmatic and sophisticated and Amal who puts up a brave front in the end despite projecting the aura of a dweeby and scaredy cat nerd all the time. This was necessary for the reader to completely grasp the story.
The plot is well planned. Mariani directs the story out of Europe and focuses the attention on India which is a massive expanse of land with vast diversity in culture and mentality and rules to handle the criminal underbelly.
Mariani leaves readers wondering if Ben will continue to be the same truly tragic hero for the rest of the series. The book is a fabulous addition to his Ben Hope franchise that portrays the scarred protagonist in a manner which provokes you to root for him. Fans can only hope Mariani generates a few more novels before deciding to finish off the series.
Read
May 17, 2019Unputdownable - as always.
August 21, 2019
What did the military do before the SAS came along? Another novel with an ex special forces hero saving the day. Fast paced, but predictable; I'll look out for one of his earlier novels to see how the author's style has evolved.
June 8, 2019
I loved that this book brought back familiar characters and explored some of Ben and Brooke's pain and residual feelings towards one another, it made my interest peak. The action itself is one you can expect when Ben gets involved, a lot of shots being fired, vehicles getting utterly wrecked and many moronic bad guys. I do enjoy the way Scott Mariani manages to describe the environment thoroughly and gives you the sensation that you're almost there, egging Ben on. The only thing that slightly disappointed was the very last lines of the book, which I had hoped would go differently, but that was just a personal preference. Can't wait to get my hands on another book in the Ben Hope series!
December 16, 2019
4.5 stars
As usual this was an excellent book and had everything I've come to expect from this author.
It was action packed from start to finish, a real page Turner.
As usual this was an excellent book and had everything I've come to expect from this author.
It was action packed from start to finish, a real page Turner.
September 25, 2024
I think this is the nineteenth book in this series I have read as well as a couple of novellas from the Ben Hope canon. This is my UK-Reacher. Loved this latest, for me, episode.
August 12, 2019
This book was so cool. I just love this thing about thrillers - they make you suspect something, pushing you in a concrete direction on purpose only to prove you entirely wrong. A bit annoying on one side because I'm so eager to be correct but the element of surprise in everything, as Ben Hope surely knows. He is my most favourite bookish character for sure. I just love everything about his personality and he's not a bad looking guy either. Ben has a very intriguing sense of humour, meaning he's so sarcastic and has absolutely no filter to what he's saying makes a precious end result. Every time I read a Ben Hope novel, I know I'm in for quite a laugh here, no joke. Anyway, to the book itself.
Valley of Death started in a complete mystery. Two accidents somehow connected to each other but with no clue whatsoever how and why. Another reason to love thrillers - they make every little part of your brain work in order to solve the puzzle because it mystifies you and you just need to know the answer. Once again, Ben had to pick the trace and solve the puzzle, making the reader follow his steps on the way to unsolving the whole mystery.
Honestly, the first time I saw the title I thought of the Death Valley in the USA, no less deathlier than it's counterpart in India for other reasons. Personally, I thought the valley would be really deadly in some way but oh well, it was deadly for the people who lived there long ago due to other reasons but the title is still pretty accurate. They died in this valley so...
I do love the historical parts in a thriller and I was hoping to get a little more so here but the ending... it just sounded so logical and so right. I knew that this treasure wouldn't be in the form of well, the treasure anyone might think about. It all made sense for this civilisation to be lost dying in this very same Indus Valley.
I liked that Scott decided to include a different country in Ben's endless list of adventure places, aka India. I have a mixed opinion of the country just like itself is a combination of very rich and very poor people. The culture is unique and different but at the same time, so far behind in some of their belief and traditions. Personally, as a woman, I don't feel safe travelling to such not so developed destinations because let's face it, many parts of the world are yet to introduce even the minimal equality and rights for women and I hardly trust a door I locked myself, so I'd check it twice, trusting anybody in going to such a country? Nope. No way. Still, it's impressive how the authors get all the knowledge and information they need for their books, especially thrillers without visiting the places themselves. It's hard to visit war-thorn Middle-East or African regions after all, even for a man the risk is huge, so it's all up to the imagination and very in-depth research.
I'm so hyped for book 20, House of War, it's a milestone on top of that, so I'm expecting something special. After I read the sneak peek here I'm so eager to read more, it just fueled my interested to the edge and I have a good few months to wait. Yeah, the worst part of following unfinished series with new books coming up in the future.
Valley of Death started in a complete mystery. Two accidents somehow connected to each other but with no clue whatsoever how and why. Another reason to love thrillers - they make every little part of your brain work in order to solve the puzzle because it mystifies you and you just need to know the answer. Once again, Ben had to pick the trace and solve the puzzle, making the reader follow his steps on the way to unsolving the whole mystery.
Honestly, the first time I saw the title I thought of the Death Valley in the USA, no less deathlier than it's counterpart in India for other reasons. Personally, I thought the valley would be really deadly in some way but oh well, it was deadly for the people who lived there long ago due to other reasons but the title is still pretty accurate. They died in this valley so...
I do love the historical parts in a thriller and I was hoping to get a little more so here but the ending... it just sounded so logical and so right. I knew that this treasure wouldn't be in the form of well, the treasure anyone might think about. It all made sense for this civilisation to be lost dying in this very same Indus Valley.
I liked that Scott decided to include a different country in Ben's endless list of adventure places, aka India. I have a mixed opinion of the country just like itself is a combination of very rich and very poor people. The culture is unique and different but at the same time, so far behind in some of their belief and traditions. Personally, as a woman, I don't feel safe travelling to such not so developed destinations because let's face it, many parts of the world are yet to introduce even the minimal equality and rights for women and I hardly trust a door I locked myself, so I'd check it twice, trusting anybody in going to such a country? Nope. No way. Still, it's impressive how the authors get all the knowledge and information they need for their books, especially thrillers without visiting the places themselves. It's hard to visit war-thorn Middle-East or African regions after all, even for a man the risk is huge, so it's all up to the imagination and very in-depth research.
I'm so hyped for book 20, House of War, it's a milestone on top of that, so I'm expecting something special. After I read the sneak peek here I'm so eager to read more, it just fueled my interested to the edge and I have a good few months to wait. Yeah, the worst part of following unfinished series with new books coming up in the future.
May 25, 2019
This is Scott Mariani (and his character, Ben Hope) at the top of the game.
Ben Hope is running a course at his training centre in Le Val when the sister of his ex-fiancee comes to ask him to help her. Her brother-in-law has been kidnapped in India, his older brother is also missing in the same area and is presumed dead.
The brothers are tow of three brothers born to an Indian couple who seem to have almost immeasurable wealth, power and influence. The eldest son works in the family firm, the middle son (who is missing) is an archaeologist and the youngest is an aspiring writer.
Ben flies out to India and meets up with his ex, Brooke Ray, formerly Brooke Marcel. She is married to Amal, who has been kidnapped after his brother told him of a vast treasure in Rakhigarhi, where an ancient civilisation lived and then died out.
After discovering who was behind the kidnapping of Amal Ray, Ben leaves Brooke in the city with her brother-in-law so that he can go and rescue the missing brothers.
There follows the inevitable violence, with the situation arising where Ben appears to be running out of luck. He then gets a lucky break and the ending is not as bleak as it could have been.
I'm looking forward to the next Ben Hope book. November seems a long way off at the moment.
Ben Hope is running a course at his training centre in Le Val when the sister of his ex-fiancee comes to ask him to help her. Her brother-in-law has been kidnapped in India, his older brother is also missing in the same area and is presumed dead.
The brothers are tow of three brothers born to an Indian couple who seem to have almost immeasurable wealth, power and influence. The eldest son works in the family firm, the middle son (who is missing) is an archaeologist and the youngest is an aspiring writer.
Ben flies out to India and meets up with his ex, Brooke Ray, formerly Brooke Marcel. She is married to Amal, who has been kidnapped after his brother told him of a vast treasure in Rakhigarhi, where an ancient civilisation lived and then died out.
After discovering who was behind the kidnapping of Amal Ray, Ben leaves Brooke in the city with her brother-in-law so that he can go and rescue the missing brothers.
There follows the inevitable violence, with the situation arising where Ben appears to be running out of luck. He then gets a lucky break and the ending is not as bleak as it could have been.
I'm looking forward to the next Ben Hope book. November seems a long way off at the moment.
November 1, 2019
I think this was the book about the Irish Potato Famine and all the subsequent events, I found there was too much detail about the issue, and at times I got bored with it and was about to give it a miss, but it took a turn for the better and the story began to make more sense, there were two leading ladies which confused things, and as always Ben was on a mission to sort out the bad guys, which he did very successfully. He is a thinker and a does and everybody loves Ben, he is an enduring person, but he can fight too and he is able to sort out a problem with chatting and persuasion, but if that does not work then he will have to warn them that he will have to use force and when they laugh at him and say "well there are 6 of us?" Ben simply says, "And" he has a lovely way with words and Scott Mariani has brought this character to life, but less info about the Irish Famine would have been a great help, it was too long and too drawn out if there was an element of truth in the soil be contaminated it was only mentioned once but at times I could see this book being very political and I think it spoilt the story, whilst we needed to know about various points I think they were too laboured. I read that the contents were hearsay but I found the book hard going. Ben hope it my only reason for continuing to read this book, he is the good guy.
July 27, 2025
Ben Hope is always coming to the rescue of someone and usually at the request of someone else. In this book he is coming to the rescue of Amal Ray at the request of his wife Brooke, the woman Ben was meant to marry many years ago but went off to rescue someone else. Ben is shocked that Brooke has married but he still drops everything to rush off to India where her husband has been abducted. The strange thing is that his brother has also gone missing while on an archeological dig only weeks earlier where the bodies of two undergraduate students were found. Ben has to confront his past and the woman he loved and still does.
A simple story but one I found to be padded and thus longer than it needed to be. It could have been more enjoyable if it wasn't so wordy in places. It was not as sharp and succinct as I've found with other books in the series.
A simple story but one I found to be padded and thus longer than it needed to be. It could have been more enjoyable if it wasn't so wordy in places. It was not as sharp and succinct as I've found with other books in the series.
May 30, 2019
Valley of Death Scott Mariani
An esteemed professor and archeologist in India is kidnapped. He manages to escape from his kidnappers after they brutally murder two of his students. His kidnappers knowing he is wounded leave him after assuming him to be dead or dying. Then his brother is kidnapped. The reason. A lost treasure the professor knows the location of. Now, the kidnappers believe his brother knows. Their knowledge of this is based on a traitorous family member and a trusted family employee. The problem the kidnappers will soon have? The didn't expect Ben Hope to intervene. Magnificent read!Enjoyed immensely!
An esteemed professor and archeologist in India is kidnapped. He manages to escape from his kidnappers after they brutally murder two of his students. His kidnappers knowing he is wounded leave him after assuming him to be dead or dying. Then his brother is kidnapped. The reason. A lost treasure the professor knows the location of. Now, the kidnappers believe his brother knows. Their knowledge of this is based on a traitorous family member and a trusted family employee. The problem the kidnappers will soon have? The didn't expect Ben Hope to intervene. Magnificent read!Enjoyed immensely!
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