The Martyr's Curse

I enjoyed this one more than the last few Ben Hope books. It felt a little less formulated, less predictable. Fast-paced, not too predictable and all the usual action and historical references you'd expect from Scott Mariani.

Also, a word about the "Ben Hope universe" - others have said that it's not necessary to read them in order, and strictly speaking that's true in the sense that each book is a self-contained story.
However, Mariani does tend to reference earlier incidents in all of his books. Thus, reading them in order allows you to understand those references - this, along with the deeper understanding of the Ben Hope psyche, provides a greater reading experience in my opinion.

In this one Ben Hope doesn’t actually kill anyone until page 177. Of course, he does threaten to kill people in the run up to it. And he beats a few people up and mutilates a corpse. The reason for this good behaviour is that Ben Hope has become a monk. This might seem like an odd artistic choice on Mariani’s part, but it does give him an opportunity for some character pr

Sorry, I am still here. For a minute there I couldn’t stop laughing.

This instalment has the usual fare: monks with a buried secret, a baddie with an underground lair. Thematically there’re lots of things with are hidden or concealed or underground in some way, but you needn’t pay too much attention. You also don’t have to notice the gaping plot holes if you show more don’t want to. It’s noticeably not as good as most of the series. Most glaring is the episode where Ben Hope follows a wrong lead. I think this must have been inserted to bring the book up to length. I suppose it was written immediately after The Forgotten Holocaust which I thought was particularly good, so maybe Mariani was a bit tired. It’s a 400 page entertainment and good for when you want to read but don’t have your brain switched on. show less

It was great to see this book get back to the high quality of many of the earlier ones in the series (I just felt one or two of the recent books, although very good, were not at the standard of the earlier ones). If you haven't got the message - I loved reading this book and read it almost non-stop! This book had a quite modern theme that I don't want to give away as a spoiler. There was great contrast in the book from the early parts where we had Ben in great crisis, to Ben at peace and then Ben at his best as avenging angel! However, I do worry about what is next for Ben! This became fast pace, high octane stuff that rivals the likes of Jack Reacher, Mitch Rapp, John Puller and Gabriel Allon. If you enjoy any of these books and show more characters I am sure you would enjoy this series, especially if you like a historical connection to your books that these always provide. What have you got to lose! show less

SWEDISH REVIEW

Martyrens förbannelse är den andra boken jag har läst i Ben Hope serien och jag tycker storyn i denna bok är snäppet bättre än i den förra boken jag läste (Dolda). Men så finner jag begravda hemligheter väldigt fascinerande. Sedan är det så att man kan ju inget annat än tycka synd om Ben Hope som äntligen har funnit den frid han har sökt så länge ska tvingas ta itu med onda människor igen. Denna gång en man som är ute efter något som kan innebära världens undergång. För Ben Hope är detta uppdrag personligt, han är ute efter hämnd. Munkarna som dog var hans vänner och han stoppar inte för något eller något förrän de har fått upprättelse.

Martyrens förbannelse är en snabbläst thriller, show more perfekt för en mörk vinterdag när man vill tillbringa dagen i soffan under en filt. Jag gillar Ben Hope, han är inte en opersonlig mördarmaskin utan en man som har fått utstå mycket men som nu verkar ha funnit ro. Men så krossas det och än en gång måste han stoppa en galning. Jag fann att handlingen i första halvan av boken tilltalade mig mest, när man ännu inte hade svar på alla frågor. Slutstriden kändes en aning förutsägbar men boken är helt klart underhållande.

Tack HarperCollins Nordic för recensionsexemplaret!

ENGLISH REVIEW

The Martyr's Curse is the second book I have read in the Ben Hope series and I think the story in this book is slightly better than in the previous book I read (The Forgotten Holocaust). But I find buried secrets very fascinating. I don't you can feel anything but sorry or Ben Hope who has finally found the peace he has sought so long to be forced to deal with evil people again. This time a man who is looking for something that could mean the end of the world. For Ben Hope is this mission personal, he's out for revenge. The monks who died were his friends and he does not stop for anyone or anything until they have been vindicated.

The Martyr's Curse is a fast read thriller, perfect for a dark winter day when you just want to spend the day on the sofa under a blanket. I like Ben Hope, he is not an impersonal killing machine, but a man who has suffered much, but who now seems to have found peace. But then it's crushed and once again he must stop a madman. I found the first half of the book appealed to me the most when you have not yet had all the answers. The final battle felt a little predictable, still, the book is certainly entertaining.

Thanks to HarperCollins Nordic for the review copy! show less

Ben is a very determined person, determined to drink himself into oblivion at the start, then determined to dedicate himself to a monastic existence, and finally determined to avenge the deaths of his friends, murdered for a secret buried deep in the monastery.
That secret involves the development of a bio weapon that could obliterate a significant proportion of humanity.
This is a crackingly paced read that l took only a few days to complete, and made me want to move on to the next in the series. Ben takes on cause that most of us would definitely shy away from, in each case with little regard to himself, but reflecting that deep determination to put things right. His methods are not pretty, but can be very effective.

Scott Mariani has done it again! Fantastic book, a few twists and turns, plenty of action and had me gripped from the first chapter. It was hard to put the book down. Ben Hope is kind of like James Bond 007 but a lot more rougher so if like the action/adventure mixed with a rough diamond then this book is for you.