The Pretender’s Gold

The new Ben Hope thriller in the series which has sold millions of copies around the world

When things get rough, we should all have a friend like Ben Hope…

Retired army sergeant Boonzie McCulloch travels to the wintry Highlands of Scotland to help a relative in danger, but is soon deeper in it himself than he’d bargained for. Ruthless, controlling thugs are running amok across the region and will kill anybody to get their hands on a historic hoard of lost gold treasure.

But the villains haven’t reckoned on what’s coming their way. Because when you mess with an old comrade of ex-SAS major Ben Hope, you’re bringing a whole world of trouble down on yourself. Once he gets started he won’t stop until he gets the job done. With Hope on the war path, the snowy Highland wilderness is about to warm up considerably…

A gripping must-read for fans of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher and Mark Dawson’s John Milton series.

Whilst the Ben Hope thrillers can be read in any order, this is the twenty-first book in the series following House of War.

People can’t get enough of Ben Hope’s adventures:

‘Compelling from the first page until the last, Mariani and his fabulous protagonist Ben Hope entertain in a gripping tale that will have you turning the pages well into the night’ Mark Dawson

‘Like the father of the modern thriller, Frederick Forsyth, Mariani has a knack for embedding his plots in the fears and preoccupations of their time … the action scenes come thick and fast, each one choreographed with painful authenticity’ Shots Magazine

‘Thrilling. Scott Mariani is at the top of his game’ Andy McDermott

‘History, action, devious scheming and eye-opening detail. Mariani delivers a twisting storyline’ David Leadbeater

Reviews

Praise for Scott Mariani:

‘Deadly conspiracies, bone-crunching action and a tormented hero with a heart . . . Scott Mariani packs a real punch’ Andy McDermott

‘James Bond meets Jason Bourne meets The Da Vinci Code’ J. L. Carrell

‘Fans of Dan Brown will love this thrilling adventure’ Closer

'Non-stop action – this book delivers’ Steve Berry

‘If you’ve got a pulse, you’ll love Scott Mariani; if you haven’t, then maybe you crossed Ben Hope’ Simon Toyne

‘Full of authentic detail and heart-stopping action – a real thrill ride’ Ed Macy

‘Establishes Scott Mariani as an author to watch’ M. J. Rose

‘Packed with dark intrigue, danger around every corner, bullets flying, sexual tension, and an endless assault of nasty villains . . . everything a thriller should be and more’ Joe Moore

‘Scott Mariani is an awesome writer’ Chris Kuzneski

About the author

Scott Mariani is the author of the worldwide-acclaimed action / adventure series featuring maverick ex-SAS hero Ben Hope. Scott’s books have topped the bestseller charts in his native Britain, with The Alchemist’s Secret, the first Ben Hope novel, having held the #1 Kindle position for a record-breaking six straight weeks. The Ben Hope series is translated into over twenty languages worldwide.

Scott was born in Scotland, studied in Oxford and now lives and writes in rural west Wales.