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....

Yes, Scott is a big ‘dog person’ and his canine friends play a big part in his life. He was even once interviewed in the UK’s top dog magazine, Dogs Today, where he spent a lot more time discussing dogs than books! He’s been blessed with the companionship of many different kinds of dogs in his life. One of the most special was a Pekingese named Yoda – and yes, he really was just like Master Yoda of Jedi fame. Staffordshire Bull Terriers and Rottweilers are also among his favourite breeds. But his all-time top choice is (like Ben Hope) the German shepherd. The real-life Storm is Scott’s own dog, but doesn’t get up to as many adventures as his fictional namesake! People also really enjoy the “Matt Drake Series” by David Leadbeater. Matt Drake is a former SAS Operative who runs around the world engaging in adventures involving mythical artifacts and seemingly supernatural mysteries. What Is The Next Book in The Ben Hope Series? 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. The Heretic’s Treasure: The fourth book in the Ben Hope series centers on an ancient treasure that has been protected for thousands of years but which one man will seek to unearth.Mariani was born in St Andrews in Scotland and studied Modern Languages and Film Studies at Oxford University. [3] He now resides in west Wales, where he first got the idea for the character Ben Hope when out walking. Prior to becoming a full-time writer, he worked in various jobs, including as a translator, professional musician and freelance journalist. He has cited his interests outside of writing to be shooting, archery, photography and astronomy; he is a supporter of the Woodland Trust and the World Wide Fund for Nature. [4] [5] [6] Bibliography [ edit ] Ben Hope [ edit ]

The so-called Heretic’s treasure was hidden away by three high priests. They wished to save it for future generations, scattering clues all over that could be used to locate it when the time came. In the present day, Ben Hope starts out looking for the murderer of his friend’s son. It isn’t long before he is pulled into the hunt for the Heretic’s Treasure.Ben Hope is fairly typical as far as action heroes are concerned. Like many protagonists in the thriller genre, Ben has a military past. As a former SAS operative, Ben Hope is a pretty capable combatant. More importantly, like his many counterparts in the genre, Ben cannot seem to stay out of trouble.

Mariani discovered the character of Ben Hope when he was out walking one day in the Welsh country side near his home. Scott wanted to develop a character that had all the accessories and virtues of the traditional action-adventure hero, but he wanted them to be a unique character and a little bit deeper than other characters in the genre. Hope has all the training and exceptional abilities, but he is an imperfect guy who goes through the same ups and downs that everyone does and is someone that anyone can empathize with.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 “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. Akhenaten is a prominent figure in Egyptian history. He considered the Sun god to be the one true deity and he forced his people to abandon all their gods as a result. The actions did not sit well with his people who branded him a heretic.

His books are written in English and have also been translated into more than twenty of the world’s languages. Mariani’s Ben Hope series has been described as “James Bond meets Jason Bourne with a historical twist.”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.