Avon paperback original - 2020
Scott Mariani has written twenty-one thrillers since 2007, all published in paperback. I have every one of them, purchasing the first few in a matter of months in 2013 and then as they came out from that year onwards. Even allowing for the mutual 'Boys' Club' back-slapping and review puffing, Mariani is clearly respected by his fellow writers: Deadly conspiracies, bone-crunching action and a tormented hero with a heart...Scott Mariani packs a real punch (Andy McDermott); Scott Mariani is an awesome writer (Chris Kuzneski); If you've got a pulse, you'll love Scott Mariani; if you haven't, then maybe you crossed Ben Hope (Simon Toyne).
Scott Mariani (1968 - )
The thrillers are good and, very often, quite exciting! A major reason is the character of Major Benedict Hope, ex elite rank of 22 SAS. The early books concentrate on one reason for his walking away from his service career - to use his acquired expertise as a hostage rescue operative to find and bring home kidnapped children. This quickly widens into helping other victims of the kidnap and ransom industry. Moving from the Irish west coast of Galway, he establishes a special Tactical Training Centre at Le Val in Normandy, with an old friend Jeff Decker, ex-Special Boat Service. Over the years, and books, Mariani skilfully weaves a realistic 'back-story' to Hope, including his early wish to become a cleric and his relationship with a variety of women - mainly strong-willed and brave characters. This most recent tale, set in the Highlands of Scotland, brings him into contact with a feisty police constable, Grace Kirk.
Other reasons for Mariani's success are: he tells spell-binding stories set all over the world - Africa (two of his best, Star of Africa and The Devil's Kingdom); Indonesia and India (The Nemesis Programme, Valley of Death); South America (The Armada Legacy); The USA (The Doomsday Prophesy, The Rebel's Revenge and The Forgotten Holocaust); and most European countries. His description of the scenery is so good that one can only assume he has visited the areas in question, with a good camera and memory for detail; or his use of the Internet is very productive. I found his two books set in Africa particularly vivid. He also manages to have villains who are not too type-cast or close to caricatures. As far as I can tell, he is pretty accurate when it comes to describing weaponry. Two further reasons are: what red-blooded (well, pink-blooded armchair) male doesn't secretly identify with the action-man hero - the James Bond/Jason Bourne syndrome - to end up alive, if battered and bloodied, and successful at the end. Secondly, particularly in this unique and awful period of a pandemic, one can still travel the world and have exciting adventures in safety.
I can think of only one (and I am not saying which) book which fell below the level of his usual standards. Certainly, the recent Scottish tale was another showcase for Mariani's (and Hope's) strengths. The novels now end with a 'sneak preview', or Prologue, of the next book (Mariani has settled down to publishing two a year). In November, this will be The Demon Club and I have already signed up to Amazon for a copy.
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