Author & Independent Publisher

Stories Rooted in
History & Mystery

Welcome to the home of author Mark Hale — stories that flow through history, mystery, and the enduring human spirit.

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Mark Hale

Mark Hale

Some stories wait decades to be told.

Mark Hale has a background in psychology and has spent a lifetime fascinated by the stories humans live by — the myths, beliefs, and ancient narratives that shape how we interpret the world and our place in it.

His love of Egyptology began in the early 1970s, when a visit to the Tutankhamun exhibition at the British Museum left a mark that never faded. The story behind his debut novel lived quietly in his imagination for decades, finally coming to the page one evening on the rooftop terrace of the Nile Sunrise Apartments in Luxor — overlooking the very banks of the river that inspired it.

Outside of writing, Mark is a private pilot, a medieval jousting enthusiast, and an avid 3D designer and maker. He lives in Cardiff with his family, which includes four cats and a dog — the cats, utterly fascinated by the book (unsurprising given Egypt’s ancient reverence for their kind); the dog, however, remains largely unimpressed by both the book and the cats.

Book Details
The Opener of the Ways by Mark Hale

The Opener
of the Ways

Some secrets are meant to stay buried.

Three thousand years ago, a secret was buried beneath the sands of Egypt. Now someone will kill to find it.

From the crowded souks of Cairo to the sun-scorched temples of Luxor, the trail leads back to a single name lost to history – the Vizier Paser - and to an artefact of extraordinary power, whispered about in ancient papyrus, hunted by the Crusaders, coveted by Napoleon, and catalogued in Allied intelligence files simply as Object P-21. None of them found it.

Now someone believes they finally can.

Max Halligan is a semi-retired MI6 agent – selective about the work he takes and never quite able to resist pulling on a loose thread. Alongside him, Alex Duarte: ex-US military freelance operative, working largely within British intelligence circles but strictly on her own terms these days. Together, they are pulled into something that neither tradecraft nor training ever prepared them for.
Rival factions close in from every direction. And in the shadows of Egypt's ancient stones, something far older than any of them seems to be watching – and nudging them forward.

The Opener of the Ways is a fast-paced adventure thriller where ancient mythology collides with modern espionage – perfect for fans of high-stakes treasure hunts, conspiracies that span millennia, and operatives who know when to ignore the rulebook.

Pre-Order Kindle Version

Paperback coming soon.


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Author Mark Hale
Imprint Red Nile Press
Status Coming Soon
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General Enquiries

mark@markhale.co.uk

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info@rednilepress.co.uk