Eight stars
Ben Hope is back for another adventure that will keep series fans enthralled. Scott Mariani has been able to keep the intensity high in this latest piece, pulling Hope out of his comfort zone and into America’s Deep South. It would seem that even on vacation, Ben Hope cannot escape trouble. Upon his arrival in Louisiana to attend a jazz concert, Hope trips upon a crime at a backroad establishment. Unable to stand down, he flexes his muscles while trying to remain anonymous, putting him on the radar of the local sheriff. When the proprietress of the establishment in which Hope is staying is slashed and left for dead, he rushes to her aid, listening to a cryptic message she has before she succumbs to her wounds. With only a brief glimpse of the suspected killers, Hope is unable to catch them. Knowing that he will likely be sought for questioning—and not wanting to make any more of an impression than he has—Hope flees the scene, trying to piece together some of the news he’s recently learned. While Hope becomes an apparent fugitive, he learns of the Garretts, a family well-established in this neck of Louisiana for many nefarious reasons. Staying one step ahead of those who seek him, Hope learns that the mystery of his acquaintance’s murder has ties to local history that dates back to the American Civil War, where another Garrett sought vindication. With the authorities on his tail, Hope refuses to stand down until justice is done, even if that means peppering his trail with a few more bodies, Garretts or not. Mariani does a masterful job in this thriller, pushing his protagonist in new directions while keeping the story strong. Series fans will likely want to get their hands on this, while those new to Ben Hope’s mysteries will want to start with the first novel, to relish in the strong writing style.
I undertook a binge of the Ben Hope work a few years ago and was so impressed that I have tried to stay up to date with Scott Mariani’s writing ever since. The stories span not only various geographic locales, but place Hope in a number of employment positions that flavour his actions throughout the novels. Deep into this series, there is little expectation of backstory and Mariani does not offer much, but does remind the reader of some threads from past pieces that help justify Hope’s place in the United States. Rather, the reader is able to see Hope’s steel resolve as he seeks to right wrongs done to those around him, not worried about personal consequences. His grit is not lost in this piece, though it is balance nicely against a compassionate side that series fans will recognise. Others in the book offer an especially interesting flavour to the narrative, with most of them capturing the local Louisiana culture. Mariani effectively presents them, both through their characteristics and unique dialogue, to pull the reader from wherever they find themselves into the bayou parishes of the state. The story is strong and while it is away from the big city, there is no shortage of action. With a strong narrative that binds a mix of short and longer chapters, the reader is able to lose themselves in this piece that stretches Mariani well outside of where he’s dropped his protagonist in novels past. One can hope that other series readers will be as impressed as I was with this piece, which kept me wanting more with each turn of the page.
Kudos, Mr. Mariani, for such a wonderful novel. I don’t want to go to the well too many times, but I hope you have more in store for Hope before too long.
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons
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