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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
This is my first Scott Mariani book, and my first of his Ben Hope series and I can't wait to read more!
In an interview at the end of the book the author mentions being a fan of Grisham and Child. The reviews on the back cover mention fans of Dan Brown will love it. I totally agree, having been a fan of all three authors mentioned.,.
The story is fast-paced,full of interesting lead and supporting characters and the "conspiracy" that lends its name to the title doesn't disappoint.
I'll be back for a more detailed review, but I should mention Mariani is a big fan of movies (as he says in the interview) and it shows. You visualise everything clearly, but he doesn't waste words.
The lead character is in the league with Liam Neeson's badass movie characters (albeit younger), and if he and Jack Reacher ever had a disagreement, they would both probably be dead.:)
In an interview at the end of the book the author mentions being a fan of Grisham and Child. The reviews on the back cover mention fans of Dan Brown will love it. I totally agree, having been a fan of all three authors mentioned.,.
The story is fast-paced,full of interesting lead and supporting characters and the "conspiracy" that lends its name to the title doesn't disappoint.
I'll be back for a more detailed review, but I should mention Mariani is a big fan of movies (as he says in the interview) and it shows. You visualise everything clearly, but he doesn't waste words.
The lead character is in the league with Liam Neeson's badass movie characters (albeit younger), and if he and Jack Reacher ever had a disagreement, they would both probably be dead.:)
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"A centuries-old mystery. An “accidental” death. A conspiracy that may end in murder. Former British Special Air Service officer Ben Hope is running for his life. Enlisted by Leigh Llewellyn—the beautiful, world-famous opera star and Ben’s first love—to investigate her brother, Oliver’s, mysterious death, Ben finds himself caught up in a puzzle dating back to the 1700s.
At the time of his death, Oliver was working on a new book about Mozart. Though the official report states that Oliver died in a tragic accident, the facts don’t add up. But as Ben and Leigh dig deeper, they find that Oliver’s research reveals that Mozart, a notable Freemason, may have been killed by a shadowy and powerful splinter group of the organization. The only proof lies in a missing letter, believed to have been written by Mozart himself. When Leigh and Ben receive a video documenting a ritual sacrifice performed by hooded men, they realize that the sect is still in existence today and will stop at nothing to keep its secrets."
At the time of his death, Oliver was working on a new book about Mozart. Though the official report states that Oliver died in a tragic accident, the facts don’t add up. But as Ben and Leigh dig deeper, they find that Oliver’s research reveals that Mozart, a notable Freemason, may have been killed by a shadowy and powerful splinter group of the organization. The only proof lies in a missing letter, believed to have been written by Mozart himself. When Leigh and Ben receive a video documenting a ritual sacrifice performed by hooded men, they realize that the sect is still in existence today and will stop at nothing to keep its secrets."
another good solid fast-paced action-filled Ben Hope story. These make a very good escape from reality and are very easy to get in to. Even when you only have a few minutes the story keeps driving forward so you still make progress.
In this installment, Ben ends up protecting a former love, Leigh, after her brother Oliver dies in unusual circumstances and people have started coming after her. It is believed, that Oliver's work researching Mozart's death is the cause of it all and Ben must find out what he knew and who was after him and now Leigh.
In this installment, Ben ends up protecting a former love, Leigh, after her brother Oliver dies in unusual circumstances and people have started coming after her. It is believed, that Oliver's work researching Mozart's death is the cause of it all and Ben must find out what he knew and who was after him and now Leigh.
I really enjoyed this book in a don't-think-too-deeply, Da Vinci Code-esque kinda way. There are several problems with the plot line and characters, mostly to do with believability, but if you can shut your rational brain down enough to let those pass, it's a good, rattling read.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was great fun
This is a read alike for The Da Vinci Code, but with a classical music setting.
this ending pissed me off so bad the book went from a 2.5 star to a 1 star
This hero of this book was exactly as advertised--James Bond + Jason Bourne + Robert Langdon--albeit with more flaws and, in some ways, even less conscience. I'm still trying to decide whether or not I liked him as a character. The book reads very quickly, and at a level that isn't sophisticated enough to be more than an action thriller. It's not the worst way to pass the time, by any means, but neither is it mentally or intellectually taxing. You can read and enjoy it without having to work too hard to figure out what's going on.
If Dan Brown and James Patterson wrote a book together, I think this is close to what they'd write.
Sadly I didn't think this was as good as The Alchemist's Secret, which wasn't as good as the prequels, but I'll continue in the faith that the later books get better... at some point. I think the romance elements need knocking off, at best they just get in the way of the investigating, like we get the description of how beautiful a woman is but the actual investigation is done "off screen"??, and at worst they are just really badly written and read like Fanfiction, with doses of inappropriate timing. It's all very ~James Bond~ but I hate James Bond, so it's not what I'm here for.
But ultimately, the good bits were good and I'm happy to carry on to the next one.
Sadly I didn't think this was as good as The Alchemist's Secret, which wasn't as good as the prequels, but I'll continue in the faith that the later books get better... at some point. I think the romance elements need knocking off, at best they just get in the way of the investigating, like we get the description of how beautiful a woman is but the actual investigation is done "off screen"??, and at worst they are just really badly written and read like Fanfiction, with doses of inappropriate timing. It's all very ~James Bond~ but I hate James Bond, so it's not what I'm here for.
But ultimately, the good bits were good and I'm happy to carry on to the next one.