The Martyr's Curse by Scott Mariani

The Martyr's Curse
By Scott Mariani
Published by Avon Books (4 June 2015)
ISBN: 978-0007486182

Publisher's description
AN ANCIENT CURSE. A SHOCKING MASSACRE.
A THREAT TO UNLEASH THE ULTIMATE DISASTER.

Ex-SAS major Ben Hope has found sanctuary in a remote monastery in the French Alps. But wherever Ben goes, trouble is not far behind.
When a team of merciless killers slaughter the innocent monks, Ben's revenge quest draws him into a bewildering mystery of stolen treasure, deception and murder.
As he works to unravel the clues, he is confronted with a terrifying reality that threatens to cruelly reshape the future of humanity. What is the significance of an ancient curse dating back to a heretical burning? What are the real ambitions of the enigmatic 'Army of the Prepared'?
The race is on to prevent global devastation, and there's only one man who can do it.

My verdict
The Martyr's Curse is the 11th book in Scott Mariani's Ben Hope series. I would advise that you read the other 10 books first if you can, as this will help you to understand more about Ben Hope and his professional and personal background.

In this book, we meet action hero Ben Hope as he recovers in the peace and tranquility of a remote French monastery. Living a simple existence among the monks, he is regretting his often-violent past and looking towards a far more peaceful future. But his current life is destroyed after a vicious attack on the monastery. Ben Hope vows to find the perpetrators of massacre and avenge the deaths of his friends.

Ben Hope books never disappoint. These fast-paced thrillers are filled with action and adventure, as well as a hint of romance and intrigue. Ben Hope is a great action hero with an interesting background. He is ready to help out the underdog but merciless when he needs to be. In The Martyr's Curse, he is fighting against the odds to save the world from a terrifying, but very real, threat.

In The Martyr's Curse, Ben Hope is far more on his own than in the previous books, as he isn't in contact with his old friends and colleagues. This didn't affect my enjoyment of The Martyr's Curse, but it would be great to get some of that camaraderie back again, as this is what makes him different from other more-solitary action heroes.

As with all Ben Hope books, The Martyr's Curse is ideal for fans of action thrillers. And it makes a change from Jack Reacher, especially for anyone who prefer an action hero with a sensitive side.

Thank you to Avon Books for my copy of the book (won in a Twitter competition).

Click here to read my review of the previous Ben Hope book, The Forgotten Holocaust.