Ben Hope at his best, but a little let down by this being the first of a two book story. This has all the hallmarks of the Scott Mariani that I like - taut, action packed, inventive. Ben continues to seek the lost, something at which he is very good, but in this case it is his own son, Jude who has decided to test himself by working on a container ship. Unfortunately it is one that becomes hijacked, although these do not turn out to be ordinary pirates by any means.

The book has a number of twists and turns that bring challenges and disappointments, a truly megalomaniac character in Jean-Pierre Khosa, and a wild ride at sea and into Africa where Khosa has dreams of greatness.

Ben is reunited with his great friend Jeff Decker from the training grounds of Val, and a new recruit, Tuesday, becomes heavily involved. We get to see how Jude has grown up, but we also see some of his values causing problems for his father and friends.

It is such a great, fast-paced read, that I must now race on to the subsequent novel to find out exactly how the group are going to extricate themselves from a potentially lethal situation. Bring it on! ( )

This book differs from Scott Mariani's usual Ben Hope formula due to the lack of historical reference - no ancient conspiracies or lost manuscripts here. For me personally, that makes it much less compelling. That said, it's still a good read.

Also note that for the first time, this is actually a two-book story - Star Of Africa is part 1, and The Devil's Kingdom is part 2. ( )