The Moscow Cipher

This is the seventeenth book by Scott Mariani about an ex-SAS major named Ben Hope. You don't need to have read any of the previous novels to read this one. The book is well-written with short chapters.

A thrilling plot, the storyline flows well from beginning to end - I love how Scott uses the Prologue to mould historical intrigue into his stories. People, places and events are so well described you can visualise them clearly in your mind. The adrenalin rush I felt whilst reading the book made it difficult to put down!

If you love fast-paced action and being kept in suspense, this is the book for you.

When twelve-year-old Valentina fails to return from a visit to her father in Moscow, alarm bells start ringing. Her rich and powerful family know there's one man they can depend on to bring her back safe - Ben Hope. But what starts off as an apparent case of parental child abduction quickly takes on more sinister dimensions as Ben travels to Moscow and starts to investigate the whereabouts of Valentina and her father, Yuri - a man with a hidden past not even his ex-wife knows about.

The story follows Ben as he tries to rescue Valentina and return her to her family. The past life that Yuri has been hiding from has caught up with him with his old boss ordering him, against his will, to decrypt the secret introduced in the Prologue.

The contents of this message are enough for him to go into hiding taking his daughter with him - knowing that what he has discovered puts both his and Valentina's lives in danger.

On finding them Ben realises that things are not as straight forward as first thought and neither are the people involved. However, Ben's not a man to run away from anyone or anything. Being chased by military forces whilst trying to keep both father and daughter safe, capture was inevitable. It's up to Ben to do what he does best to save the day.

At times, I found myself wondering how on earth he was going to get out of some the situations he got into.

Submitted by Kathy