Star of Africa

Star of Africa
Scott Mariani

THE FIRST PART OF A SENSATIONAL NEW TWO-BOOK SEQUENCE THAT WILL BE THE BIGGEST AND MOST EPIC BEN HOPE ADVENTURE YET!TO POSSESS IT HE WILL PAY IN BLOODWhere ex-SAS major Ben Hope goes, trouble always follows…Ben Hope is trained to identify danger. So when he finds out that someone very important to him is working on a US container ship in the treacherous seas off the East African coast, he fears the worst.Within days the ship is hijacked by pirates. Taking matters into his own hands, Ben embarks upon the most daring rescue mission of his career … because this is no ordinary hostage situation.There is something on board the ship that’s more precious than life itself – and a bloodthirsty tyrant will kill to possess it.As events spiral out of control, Ben Hope’s skill and resourcefulness will be tested like never before. Ben would die to protect those close to him, but in a hostile environment, against ruthless warriors, even the ultimate sacrifice might not be enough…BEN HOPE is one of the most celebrated action adventure heroes in British fiction and Scott Mariani is the author of numerous bestsellers. Join the ever-growing legion of readers who get breathless with anticipation when the countdown to the new Ben Hope thriller begins …

SCOTT MARIANI

Star of Africa

Copyright (#u7b1b3698-45f3-5025-b1af-fe4af8b05d22)

Published by Avon

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins 2016

Copyright © Scott Mariani 2016

Cover design © Henry Steadman 2016 Photography: Man © Roy Bishop / Arcangel; Ship © Benoit Stichelbaut / Nature Picture Library; Lightning sky © John Lund / GalleryStock; Waves foreground © Todd Gipstein / Getty Images; Dakota Plane © Graham Bloomfield / Shutterstock.com (http://www.Shutterstock.com)

Scott Mariani asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780007486205

Ebook Edition © May 2016 ISBN: 9780007486397

Version: 2016-03-30

Join the army of fans who LOVE Scott Mariani’s Ben Hope series … (#u7b1b3698-45f3-5025-b1af-fe4af8b05d22)

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

Andy McDermott,bestselling author of The Revelation Code

‘Slick, serpentine, sharp, and very very entertaining. If you’ve got a pulse, you’ll love Scott Mariani; if you haven’t, then maybe you crossed Ben Hope’

Simon Toyne, bestselling author of the Sanctus series

‘Scott Mariani’s latest page-turning rollercoaster of a thriller takes the sort of conspiracy theory that made Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code an international hit, and gives it an injection of steroids … [Mariani] is a master of edge-of-the-seat suspense. A genuinely gripping thriller that holds the attention of its readers from the first page to the last’

Shots Magazine

‘You know you are rooting for the guy when he does something so cool you do a mental fist punch in the air and have to bite the inside of your mouth not to shout out ‘YES!’ in case you get arrested on the train. Awesome thrilling stuff’

My Favourite Books

‘If you like Dan Brown you will like all of Scott Mariani’s work – but you will like it better. This guy knows exactly how to bait his hook, cast his line and reel you in, nice and slow. The heart-stopping pace and clever, cunning, joyfully serpentine tale will have you frantic to reach the end, but reluctant to finish such a blindingly good read’

The Bookbag

‘[The Cassandra Sanction] is a wonderful action-loaded thriller with a witty and lovely lead in Ben Hope … I am well and truly hooked!’

Northern Crime Reviews

‘Mariani is tipped for the top’

The Bookseller

‘Authentic settings, non-stop action, backstabbing villains and rough justice – this book delivers. It’s a romp of a read, each page like a tasty treat. Enjoy!’

Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author

‘I love the adrenalin rush that you get when reading a Ben Hope story … The Martyr’s Curse is an action-packed read, relentless in its pace. Scott Mariani goes from strength to strength!’

Book Addict Shaun

‘Scott Mariani seems to be like a fine red wine that gets better with maturity!’

Bestselling Crime Thrillers.com

‘Mariani’s novels have consistently delivered on fast-paced action and The Armada Legacy is no different. Short chapters and never-ending twists mean that you can’t put the book down, and the high stakes of the plot make it as brilliant to read as all the previous novels in the series’

Female First

‘Scott Mariani is an awesome writer’

Chris Kuzneski, bestselling author of The Hunters

Table of Contents

Cover (#ub6bcc11a-8dc5-5d69-8914-b5f1c8542320)

Title Page (#u27b26541-594d-59ef-8798-1cca2163f596)

Copyright (#ua1612cab-ca6c-5342-b423-7531cee477c3)

Join the Army of Fans Who Love Scott Mariani’s Ben Hope Series … (#u22c0a2f9-311e-504e-a804-1f095a449c56)