The Pretender’s Gold

Ben Hope #21

by Scott Mariani

When things get rough, we should all have a friend like Ben Hope…

Retired army sergeant Boonzie McCulloch travels to the wintry Highlands of Scotland to help a relative in danger, but is soon deeper in it himself than he’d bargained for. Ruthless, controlling thugs are running amok across the region and will kill anybody to get their hands on a historic hoard of lost gold treasure.

But the villains haven’t reckoned on what’s coming their way. Because when you mess with an old comrade of ex-SAS major Ben Hope, you’re bringing a whole world of trouble down on yourself. Once he gets started he won’t stop until he gets the job done. With Hope on the war path, the snowy Highland wilderness is about to warm up considerably…

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Adventure, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

405 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2020

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A longtime fan of Scott Mariani’s work, I turned to this latest novel in the Ben Hope series, which has never let me down when it comes to excitement. With some new twists and great characters, the story gained momentum throughout and kept me hooked until the final pages. Ross Campbell came across quite the discovery one day in the Scottish Highlands, locating a large cache of gold coins dated back to the middle of the 18th century. He’s smart enough to hide them away, but not to keep his mouth shut about their existence, as he brags around town. Campbell is found days later, floating in a body of water, possibly a freak accident that did him in. His business partner, Ewan McCulloch, is left to handle everything and receives an odd call late into the night about having seen a band of men drowning Campbell. The mystery caller refuses to identify himself, though tips his hand that he is a local poacher. Ewan reaches out to his uncle, Boonzie McCulloch for some help, as he is not sure how to handle things. The elder McCulloch has some time on his hands and travels from his home in Italy to offer some assistance. Ewan stumbles upon some of the coins before his uncle arrives and tries to forewarn him with an email and an attached photo. Ewan’s attacked and put in hospital before Boonzie arrives, which only makes things all the more mysterious. When Boonzie himself fails to alert his wife, the plot thickens even more. Enter Ben Hope, who receives a frantic call from Boonzie’s wife and agrees to make a trip up to the Highlands to sort it all out. When Hope arrives, he thinks this might be a simple case of peeling a Scot away from his single malt bottle, but soon learns that there is more to the story. Working with a local police constable off the books, Hope learns that Boonzie’s disappearance and the beating that Ewan took might be tied to one another. When he sees a photo of the coin, he’s sure that it is all part of a larger and more sinister scheme. As the hunt progresses, Hope learns of a man who claims he is part of the bloodline of a Scottish monarch and wants the gold for himself, thinking that it might have been hidden away to keep it safe. In a game of cat and mouse, Hope must battle his henchmen and try to find Boonzie alive, all while trying to make sure the coins don’t fall into the wrong hands and leave him with nothing. There will be danger and Hope has everything to lose, including a dear friend and a young woman who’s come to mean a little something to him. A great addition to the Ben Hope series that proves Scott Mariani still has it. Recommended to those who like a good thriller set away from the big city, as well as those who have followed and enjoyed Ben Hope from the beginning.

I cannot remember who pointed me in the direction of these books by Scott Mariani, but once I started, I could not get enough. The stories are quite good and the series builds effectively, with strong characters and an equally captivating set of plots that are different enough so as not to appear cookie cutter. Ben Hope has long outlasted a backstory, but he continues to forge ahead and uses the past to his advantage as he finds himself in hew and exciting adventures. His determination to help others remains strong, even though it has cost him a great deal in the past. He is gritty, hard working, and never one to shy away from a fight. Mariani uses a strong cast of secondary characters in this piece, as usual, all of whom help build a stronger plot and provide the reader with something on which they can be well pleased. Offering a number of perspectives, the story is flavoured with the banter and interaction of all those who grace the pages of the book. A strong story that, admittedly, opens with a few tangential aspects, gets stronger as it finds its legs, permitting the reader to find their pace and enjoy it from there. Mariani jam-packs a great deal of history and information into his piece, but the reader is never left scrambling, as it almost seems natural in how it is delivered. With a mix of chapter lengths, the reader is lulled into a sense of comfort, then dropped a cliffhanger and they push onwards in hopes of learning more, only to find themselves lost in the strong narrative and superior storytelling. That this is the 21st novel in the series does not faze me, as I have come to enjoy them all!

Kudos, Mr. Mariani, for another winner. I am eager to see where you will take the series next, as it seems you are never out of ideas.

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/...

[Alan Cotterell · Rating 4 out of 5]

My usual genre is crime fiction or psychological thrillers, but every now and again I enjoy picking up action adventure books, for a break. The Ben Hope series is pretty much guaranteed a good read, this is book 21, and all but 2 have been highly rated.

Once again Ben Hope delivers bucket loads of thrills, a little bit of history all set in the remote beautiful Scottish Highlands. A captivating story with intriguing characters, as usual loads of blood and gore. Action packed, pretty much all the way through.

Having read the first chapter for book 22 The Demon Club, at the end of this book. I can’t wait

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore the Ben Hope series - Ben is undoubtedly my favourite action hero and I've read and loved every single one of these 21 books over more years than I care to name. The Pretender's Gold is, I'm delighted to say, one of the very best of the series. A really excellent story. I loved the Scottish setting (full of little local details) and Ben is on top form. Review to follow shortly on For Winter Nights.

[John Paxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. As a long time fan of Mariani's Hope series I have to write that I was very underwhelmed by this one. It started off with the usual intrigue and tension but quickly became way too predictable. Ben Hope is now so invincible it has way too much tell.
You know he's coming (because Mariani keeps telling you like a fairy tale) and he'll blitz every enemy without batting an eyelid. It's way too easy now for Hope to rock up and save the day finding 'way to obvious' clues.
Picks up the hot lady on the way who he starts liking too much then at the end dumps her.
I gave this 3 out of respect but it's really a 2.5. I hope the next Hope tale (excuse the pun) returns to his earlier writing standard.

[David Highton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ben Hope gets drawn into a Scottish drama after his old SAS mentor goes missing during a Highland visit to his nephew. Fast paced and violent as usual.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Formula thriller novel with loads of implausible things but some how I love a bit of Ben Hope. Finished in about 1.5 days

[Andra Nicoara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this one, once again Ben Hope delivered some much needed thrills. Without giving spoilers, I found the characters intriguing and the whole setting of the story captivating. It was nice seeing Ben soften a little and at the same time once more prove how fierce he can be in order to help his friends.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mariani fires on all cylinders in The Pretender's Gold. In the cold, winter climes of the Scottish Highlands, Ben Hope ventures into ancient pine forests, up unforgiving mountains, through the desolate wilderness and down into the bowels of hell to save an old SAS mentor, Boonzie McCulloch, who, in turn, proceeded him to avenge his broken & battered nephew. The bad guys are truly despicable, led by a narcissistic rich asshole. Aided by PC Grace Kirk, Hope discovers an obsession with old gold coins and fantasies of royal lineage to be the motives behind a wave of brutal violence. Both his aged SAS mentor and newly endeared female police friend find themselves in grave danger. Ben must focus and unleash horror on his deserving enemies. Mariani throws a couple surprises the reader's way, making this book better than his average fare. While The Pretender's Gold doesn't have the atmospheric Cold War & diabolical quality of The Moscow Cipher, it does not disappoint.

Although Mariani has a tried & true formula for constructing a successful series, he needs to be bolder and go off reservation more to attain his true potential. If you are seeking adventure, mystery and some good old-fashioned prescribed violence, the Ben Hope series is the remedy. I have read a number of his books and they are always good. Thus far, The Moscow Cipher and The Pretender's Gold are a step above the others.

Four and-a-half stars.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Pretender’s Gold is the twenty-first action-packed thriller featuring Ben Hope. I have loved this series right from the start, and this one does not disappoint.
Boonzie McCulloch, Ben’s old friend and mentor, has gone to Kinlochardaich in northern Scotland to rescue his nephew from a bit of bother. When his wife has not heard from him for a few days, she calls Ben Hope. Not knowing much about what he is getting into, he sets off in search of Boonzie.
What follows is a character-driven, fast-paced action thriller (with a historical element) that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. Ben Hope is definitely the one you want on your side in a crisis.
I really enjoyed that The Pretender’s Gold was set mainly in my home country of Scotland; Scott Mariani really brings the beauty and remoteness of the highlands to life. Not long to wait now until the next Ben Hope adventure, The Demon Club, is published in November.

[Georgie · Rating 4 out of 5]

very standard for scott mariani, which means i enjoyed it as always. i had some trouble getting through the climax as i found it a little boring this time around.

boonzie was cool, but the way all of his words were spelled to exaggerate his accent was a little jarring and kept pulling me out of it. for some reason, mariani only did this for boonzie, despite ewan and grace having the same accent… i guess he knew it was goofy, so he didn’t do it to grace as she was the love interest and needed to be taken seriously.

[Rosalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always ben hope does not fail to give you a good read and one that you do dont want to put down

[frazer livingstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Recommend.

[Ray O'Hare · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good, believable storyline.
edge of seat from start to finish.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, escapist book with likable heroes and a predictable but satisfying storyline

I like picking up action thrillers as a break from my usual crime fiction reads, and this is my first experience reading a Scott Mariani novel. This book is similar to others in the Bourne-Bond action sub-genre, featuring a Super ex-SAS agent and his older, yet still Super ex-SAS mentor. Lorry-loads of blood and gore; a yuuuuge array of guns and explosives; bent cops and a kick-ass female cop.

All appropriate tropes of the sub-genre are satisfactorily represented—including stereotypical heroes and nasty bad guys, overly wealthy evil villain, horrible winter weather conditions, weepy female significant other, etc. Quick, stand-alone read for this “bunker-girl” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[Keshav Nair · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first experience reading a Scott Mariani novel and I really enjoyed reading it. A great story set in Scotland about a crazy millionaire hunting for historic gold coins stashed away in the pine forest of Lochardaich with the help of ex-military turned mercenaries. The plot picks up the pace with the entry of protagonist and an ex-SAS agent, Ben Hope who reaches Lochardaich in search of his missing friend and mentor, unsure if he is alive or dead. Together, with a local cop, the duo dwell into the enigmatic happenings in the remote village to unveil the truth. The author has created a brillaint visual imagery of the places and situations such it made me feel a part of the squad. The climax of the machination was intriguing with loads of blood, guns and explosives, typical of Bourne and Jack Reacher action genre. A fast-paced and heart-pounding action thriller that could be read as a stand-alone althougb this is the 21st book in the series. Waiting eagerly for the next one in the series and hoping to read some of the earlier books by Scott Mariani featuring Ben Hope.

[gillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb

I have just finished this after reading the whole series of the Ben Hope books so far from start to finish. Wow what a rollercoaster I have been on. Absolutely loved everyone of them. You could read each of them as stand-alone, however to get the best out of these books I would highly recommend that you read them in order as apart from the individual stories they take you through Ben's life and you live through his life choices with him. I love the historical angle to the stories and you can not help liking the main character, he is also complemented by an assortment of other characters that come and go throughout the books. I do not like giving away any of the plot, if you like fast paced, historical events good guy chasing the bad guys a lot of action then this is a fantastic read. Superbly written, the author knows how to keep the reader gripped from start to finish. As soon as I finished this one I pre-ordered the next one, just gutted I need to wait until the end of November.

[Grace]

This was everything that you have come to expect from Scott Mariani. It had action and adventure and everything in between.
Ben Hope goes to the aid of an old friend who is missing at the request of his wife. What follows is a gripping tale that keeps you turning the pages to find out what happens next. If you're a fan of Scott Mariani then you'll love this book.

[Carl · Rating 5 out of 5]

FastMoving Plot

Great read with familiar characters and story, yet it never fails to entertain. If you like the Ben Hope stories then you will like this one. If you haven’t read them yet, then I would thoroughly recommend them.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Scott Mariani's Ben Hope books to the extent that I always look to the back of the one I'm about to read to find out if there's another one and I then preorder it.
Ben is at home in Le Val, where he and his colleagues train groups of people in tactical weapons use, etc. Archibald 'Boonzie' McCulloch, a tough Glaswegian Sergeant, is at his home in Italy with his Italian wife Mirella. Life is about to drastically change for both men.
Boonzie receives a call from his nephew Ewan in Scotland. Ewan's business partner has been found dead in the local loch. The official line is suicide, but the man was a non-swimmer, so Ewan asks his uncle for help. Especially after Ewan finds three hundred year old gold coins in the company van his partner had been using.
Boonzie goes to the Highlands, but is too late to stop his nephew from being ayyacked and left for dead. The ex soldier decides to follow up on a phone call to Ewan from an unknown source, a person who claimed to have seen the death of the man at the loch.
Boonzie buys supplies, borrows his nephew's camper van and then goes missing.
Enter Ben Hope, who is contacted by Mirella, who is frightened for Boonzie. Ben learns that his old mentor has a heart condition that he's medicated for. Ben drops everything at Le Val and goes to Scotland.
He has minimal information to go on, so decides to follow in his comrade's footsteps. In doing so, Ben meets up with a local female police officer, who decides to help her new found friend, even though she may jeopardise her career by doing so.
Ben and Grace follow the trail and find out about a rich man living locally called Charles Stuart. Stuart has had a castle built on an estate in the Highlands and has almost limitless funds. He believes he is descended from Scottish Royalty and is hunting the long lost family gold buried in a nearby forest.
Eventually, Ben finds Boonzie and they go on a mission to free Grace and to eliminate the DD men (Dishonourable Discharge) who have been brought in to kill anyone who gets in the way.
This is a fast paced book and I couldn't put it down. I can't wait for the next one in November.

[Melly Dimitrova · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished the book about a week ago, again I forgot to make an update on my Goodreads. I simply can't get enough of Ben Hope. He's such an enigmatic character, I love him! I love his character - sarcastic, badass, very attractive and a one-man army.
The book was interesting, although I'd loved to have seen more about the coins, it was supposed to be the main issue in The Pretender's Gold, however they kind of disappeared entirely. Ben has had to do a lot of historical and archaeological stuff before, I would've loved if Ben had to do something like this again. But having Boonzie again was fun, he might be a bit old but he's a very tough one to crack and he's as crazy as Ben. Well, like teacher, like student. The way Boonzie went for the chase to help his nephew, it knew they would be hell to pay for sure.
This time the action takes place in Scotland, not the most of exotic or exciting places for sure. I live here(temporary, I'm studying here) and the truth is, it's quite boring. Let's say this mystery of sorts brought some change and dynamic into these super rural parts. Grace was a nice character, I liked her, she was Ben's type of women despite being a cop. I do get why Ben isn't so fond of cops, he does things his way, which is way more effective by the way.
I was a bit disappointed with the bad guys, there were so not a match for Ben. He's so strong and cocky, they were waaay under his league. This hurt the suspense and action, Ben could beat these with eyes closed. But the sneak peak for The Demon Club? Oh my, now that's something else. I just know it's going to be quite a gruesome one and the bad guys will be really, really nasty. Overall, just my type of book, I absolutely cannot wait for it to come out, it's gonna be awesome!

[Trevor Snape · Rating 5 out of 5]

Major Ben Hope is doing what he does best again, making the bad guys pay for their crimes usually with their lives. In this outing the major receives a phone call from the wife of one of his oldest friends, ex SAS sergeant Boonzie McCulloch, he has not been in touch with his wife as promised whilst on a planned trip to Scotland and she fears the worst. Ben drops everything and leaves France for Scotland to ascertain why Boonzie has become non-communitive. This novel is set in Scotland and apart from one trip by car into England, the whole story takes place in the wintry highlands of Scotland, no jet-setting off around the world as happens in many of these tales. Ben Hope also has a stirring of loins when he teams up with a young WPC, who seems to appreciate what makes Bens tick. Does anything develop from this? Read the book to find out. This story evolves around buried treasure, a man who believes he has almost the power of god and can command the destruction of anyone he wishes. Needless to say, Ben has other ideas. The action in this book is full on from the very first page and it doesn't give up. This is a wonderful addition to the series and may there be many more to come.

[Tamil · Rating 4 out of 5]

21st installment of Ben Hope series.

Charles Stuart a wealthy person madly interested in getting his hands on what he claims to be his ancestors gold treasure. In this process he kills Ross who stumbles upon the gold coins in pine forest by pure luck. Then he beats the crap out of Evan, Ross's buisness partner to know about the whereabouts of gold. Unfortunately he dug his own grave without knowing by laying his hands on Boonzie's nephew. Boonzie starts investigating and gets caught due to his heart problem.

Mirella Boonzie's wife requests Ben to find Boonzie.Ben has to return from his normal life at Le val to remote area of Lochardaich to find his missing old friend Boonzie who might be already dead or alive. Ben starts retracing the steps of Boonzie with the help of local PC Grace kirk. All hell breaks loose when old pals Ben and Boonzie join hands to mow the villains.

Action packed book from Scott mariani.

[Joe Geesin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always loved this series, from #1, and while some are better written than others, this is definately one of the best.
Partly less dependent on previous books (I love a series that connects things), it is equally readable as a stand alone, and is incredibly readable due to the perfect pace. Great re-intro of a former colleague, there's just enough action to keep you gripped until a good action packed build at the end. For a short period the story runs in stereo and the 2 segments of "x Days Earlier" are done really well.
One or two things left open too.
An excellent read, can't wait for the next one.

[Patricia Lines · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 2nd Scott Mariani novel in the Ben Hope series that I have read and I enjoyed it more than Nemesis. Set in Scotland and also featuring Boonzie McCulloch and Scottish policewoman Grace Kirk the main story hinges around the probable discovery of a large cache of gold coins hidden by Bonnie Prince Charlie and as usual in a Ben Hope novel the body count soon mounts up. The plot flowed call with only a few flash backs so it was easy to follow and kept my interest up. Great reading by the fire for a very wet and windy day outside so I did not feel guilty at sitting for a number of hours involved in the story.

[MR D J ALLMARK]

Another Ben Hope Masterpiece

Scott, once again has come up trumps. These Ben Hope books are addictive, from the very first page, right through to its conclusion. All the vast research into army, and criminality traits is incredable. The characters are all brought to life in his books. I have now read every Ben Hope book. Every read is exceptional. I would love to see the character of Ruth, Ben's sister feature in a future book. If I was to fit a Ben Hope character in a future film production, I would choose Liam Neeson as the head character. ( taken ). David

[dennis barron · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Pretenders Told. Scott Mariani

Charles Stuart, the pretender. He truly feels he is related directly to one of Scotlands heroic figures of the past Bonnie Prince Charley. Now he is obsessed with finding a cache of gold attached by the real Charles Stuart, one of the heroes of Scotland's past. His only problem is Ben Hope, a Scottish female police officer and Ben's mentor from the SAS Boonzie. This is a rip roaring action paced adventure thriller. Typical Scott Mariani!!! An excellent read!!

[Sue Morcumb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story from Scott Mariani and Ben Hope is on his usual form and doing great things to make a great story from start to finish and as always he is at the top of his game, he is not a ruthless hardened no conscience killer, he tries to avoid killing anyone unless it is necessary and I like his morals and conscience when dealing with his adversaries as they do not always treat him well. I love the stories with Ben Hope in as they seem plausible and dealt with in a correct fashion. I am an absolute fan of Ben Hope.

[Paul Elias · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read and enjoyed all of these novels , and while the authors writing has improved throughout these novels , I feel the last couple have lost that historical background that has been a big part of these novels . For me they have transformed into more of a Lee Child type thriller. Scott Mariani in my opinion , writes better novels than Lee Child , and Ben Hope is a great protagonist , but let's get back to the novels that had him involved in more adventure ,and historical background , to me this is what Scott Mariani does better than any other author in this genre .

[Balthazar Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ben Hope is contacted by the wife of an old SAS trainer begging for help to find him as he has gone missing in the Scottish highlands, where he had traveled to find out what had happened to his nephew. Ben quickly travels to Scotland and death, destruction and violence soon ensues.

This contains lots of action and is the usual sort of thing one expects from this series. There is no disappointment and is I really enjoyed.

The Ben Hope series has quickly turned into one of my favourite series of books. Mindless action entertainment.

[Rosee Macdonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe this is the 21st in the Ben Hope series. I adore this series and eagerly await the next book. In The Pretender's Gold, Scott Mariani, to my mind, has gone back to basics and stripped the number of characters right back, and it is brilliant. Being Scottish, and living in Scotland, I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, the setting and the weather! I think this is one of the best in the series. Although I gave it 4 stars, it should really be 4.5.