Editorial Content for The Hope Vendetta

He turned from the window and walked across to the low table. He put down his empty glass and reached out for the pistol. He picked it up and weighed the heavy steel in his hand. He stared at the weapon a long moment as the moonlight glimmered down its length. He clicked off the safety. The desolation that Benedict Hope felt at that moment was complete and all encompassing. He had lost his will to live, and nothing seemed to be able to pull him out of the morass that engulfed him. Yet, somewhere in the depths of his being, strengthened by his years of experience as a Secret Agent and buoyed by his faith, he decided to meet the challenges that faced him. He would leave the SAS and return to Oxford to complete his theological studies. Somehow, he would learn to live without his beloved wife.

"If you love a good adventure mystery with a bit of Biblical history thrown in, THE HOPE VENDETTA will not disappoint."

Vowing to get some peace and tranquility in his life, Ben is not eager to assist Professor Bradbury when he asks for help to find his missing daughter. Zoe Bradbury is not a child but a grown woman and professional archaeologist, despite the fact that she has an overactive libido and an addiction to the wild side of life. Nevertheless, her parents are worried about her and turn to Ben for help. Ben engages his former colleague, Charlie Palmer, to take on the task, but Charlie soon runs into a snag and insists that Ben join in to lend a hand. There on the Greek Island of Corfu, the simple missing person case turns into a heart-stopping case of Biblical proportions.

As Ben begins to investigate the people and places involved in Zoe's life prior to her disappearance, he finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy that will risk the lives of millions of people if it is not uncovered and exposed. This is not an easy task when the conspirators are part of the power structure and famous for their ability to hide in plain sight. What becomes apparent is that Zoe has discovered an important artifact during her last expedition that promises to throw the Christian community into spiritual chaos and the Middle East into flames.

While Ben is an extremely capable investigator, his findings can sometimes lead him to false conclusions, as in the case of televangelist Clayton Cleaver. Certain that he is behind Zoe's disappearance, Ben goes to Savannah, Georgia to confront the man. Cleaver's claim to fame was writing a book that revealed how John the Revelator had appeared to him and verified all the information that is contained in the book of Revelation. He admitted to Ben, under some duress, that this was not true, but he could not afford to have evidence come forth that would prove anything new about the book of Revelation or it would blow his gig.

Upon further investigation, Ben uncovers a plot much more sinister than a greedy televangelist's schemes. While it does not seem possible that people would go to such extremes to secure their evil goals, we need only look at the headlines for proof that they do. In this case, they are willing to start a war between Iran and Israel to prove that the prophecies in Revelation are correct. Of course, they fail to realize that those outcomes are not meant to be in the hands of man but in the hands of God.

If you love a good adventure mystery with a bit of Biblical history thrown in, THE HOPE VENDETTA will not disappoint.