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The Mozart Conspiracy - Scott Mariani
by SWSt
A while back, I read The Alchemist's Secret, the first Ben Hope book by Scott Mariani. It turned out to be one of those books that was disposable, but fun. It seems a lot of other readers felt the same since The Alchemist's Secret did well enough to spawn a sequel: The Mozart Conspiracy.
When his friend Oliver Llewellyn ... apparently commits suicide, Ben Hope thinks things don't really add up. Investigating further, he uncovers a very odd tale which includes a new theory behind the sudden death of the compose Mozart, a long hidden secret organisation and some deadly killers. It also brings him back into contact with Leigh Llewellyn, Oliver's sister and Ben's one time girlfriend.
The Mozart Conspiracy is a slightly odd book. It gets many things right, but it also gets several things wrong. The things it gets wrong are not enough to derail it completely, but they are sufficient to prevent it from being quite as enjoyable as the first book.
For a start, there is the character of Hope himself, who is a lot less likeable in this outing. In the original, he was capable of sudden and extreme violence, but this was always done to protect himself or others. When not killing people, he was a rather likeable everyman, someone you could happily spend some time with.
In this sequel, he is much colder and more remote. Although he thaws a little towards the end for the most part, he is not a particularly sympathetic character. Books with unsympathetic main characters are always up against it, particularly ones like this, where some sort of empathy with the main character is essential, since they are generally pretty underdeveloped in all other respects.
In the original book the shallow characters weren't too much of a problem, because the plot was stronger. The plot in this sequel is not as engaging and at some points is actually a problem in itself. Whilst there have long been questions raised about the nature of Mozart's death, it's not exactly a burning issue on everyone's lips and Mariani's own take on it is not particularly convincing or interesting. Moreover, it feels tacked on, as if it is there for no other reason than to justify the existence of (yet another) secret organisation.
The first part of the book really offers nothing new - yet another "hunt the treasure" adventure, where the heroes race around deciphering clues until they uncover a big secret. This part of The Mozart Conspiracy felt curiously flat and at one point, I thought it might be heading for two stars.
Thankfully, things pick up considerably once Hope stops messing around with hidden secrets and lost letters and starts hunting down the bad guys. It's here that his cold, calculating attitude and readiness to kill becomes more relevant. In the early part of the book (when he is investigating) his casual attitude to human life creates an emotional vacuum; in the second part it's more understandable because the situation becomes one of kill or be killed, so the reader can cheer as he dispatches yet another villain without feeling too bad.
The pace also increases massively once he's on the trail of the bad guys. The curious stodginess that characterised the first part disappears and the reader is caught up in the endless fights, daring escapes and rescues. It's still nothing new here; but at least it has some flair and a greater sense of drama.
Like all too many modern books, The Mozart Conspiracy outstays its welcome and tighter editing would not have gone amiss. In particular it suffers from the modern literary blight of multiple endings. It ends... then it ends again... then there is a third ending. Unfortunately, this just meant that I started to get frustrated again and was willing it to finish properly. It also meant that when the real ending finally did occur (with what should have been a big emotional impact), I was past the point of caring.
At least the book dares to introduce a couple of plot developments that many other writers would never have the courage to use and it keeps the reader guessing, unsure exactly what is going to happen next. At one point, I thought Mariani had blown one of the big shocks with a cop out ending, but he did have the courage of his convictions, even riffing on one of the Bond films (I'll not say which one to prevent a spoiler), which provide an obvious source of inspiration for the book as a whole.
The Mozart Conspiracy is definitely a book of two halves. The first section is a stodgy, uninspiring affair, the second the sort of non-stop, rip-roaring thriller you expect from this type of book. I wasn't bowled over by Ben Hope's second adventure but there was enough to persuade me to give the third instalment a go before writing the series off completely.
This is very much a one-read wonder so not worth the £6.99 cover price. I'd even think twice about the Kindle edition at just £1.99. I got it on Kindle when the price dropped to 99p and, to be honest, I think that's about the most I would have liked to have paid for it.
Basic information
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The Mozart Conspiracy
Scott Mariani
Avon, 2011
ISBN: 978-1847563415
(C) copyright SWSt 2013
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Chasing Harry Winston - Lauren Weisberger
by jade1517
I was drawn to this book as i absolutely love the front cover of the book, i love girly reads and thought this would make a perfect addition to my collection. It was only when i got it home i realised it was written by the same author as Devil Wears Prada. I could not wait to get started.
We follow the lives of three women in ... persuite of the men of their dreams. It is a very fun book and a great read for holidays or a relaxed afternoon. The three main characters are Leigh; young business women at the height of her career engaged to someone she does not really love, but the one man she really wants is married. Emmy; Recently dumped by her boyfriend and makes a promise to herself and her friends to sleep with one man in every continent she visits. And then there is Adriana the life of the group who loves to party, but wants to settle down and break her self away from her wealthy partner. The three friends make promises to one another which changes their view on life completely.
I love this book as we attach ourselves to one character, as each and everyone of us can see a bit of us in one of them. We are pulled in as we want to find out how the girls friendship and lives change through the course of the book and ultimately whether they find happiness in themselves.
Overall i would definitely recommend this book, it a good feel good story, which allows you to escape to the lives of three different characters, daring to do things we would not. Fantastic easy ready and very girly. I loved it
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