Scan barcode
lwalker77's review against another edition
4.0
Another good entry in the Dewey Andreas series from Ben Coes. I have really enjoyed all of these books. Couldn’t recommend more!
topdragon's review against another edition
5.0
This being the third book in a contemporary action series, I was a little concerned going in to it. I had been amazed with the first novel, "Power Down" due to its unique and intriguing plot and was equally impressed with the second novel, "Coup D'état" because the author refused to follow a templated, formulaic plot and had once again provided a fantastic read. So how would this third one stack up?
To tell the truth I was a little worried through the first 1/3rd of the book. Don't get me wrong; it was well written, and I enjoyed getting to see some of the major returning characters fleshed out a little more. But I was concerned about the plot cruising along on "neutral". Book marketers for this type of fiction like to say their plots are "ripped right from today's headlines". This story would seem to be the same as it involves Iran and their emerging nuclear weapons program and our protagonist, Dewey Andreas, would obviously and predictably be in the middle of whatever happened.
I have come to rely on this author to provide new slants on overused plots and this novel turned out to vindicate my belief in him. The story soon turned everything on its head and nothing was predictable. The supporting cast is well drawn and Dewey himself showed that he is not the perfect, untouchable, hero that I've seen in so many similar novels and does, in fact, have vulnerabilities. The pacing is spot on and the characters (whether politicians, terrorists, good guys or bad guys) were well rounded and believable. Thankfully, the author relies on good storytelling techniques and not an inundation of tech terms that are unnecessary. (One of my pet peeves is when an author spends more time on the intricacies of a particular gun or weapons system than on his/her characters, like he/she has to somehow prove their authorship by providing their credentials). The ending was spectacular and satisfying.
Ben Coes has made the transition from "new" author to one of my go-to authors for a great read. If you like Vince Flynn or Brad Thor, I suggest you give Ben Coes a try.
To tell the truth I was a little worried through the first 1/3rd of the book. Don't get me wrong; it was well written, and I enjoyed getting to see some of the major returning characters fleshed out a little more. But I was concerned about the plot cruising along on "neutral". Book marketers for this type of fiction like to say their plots are "ripped right from today's headlines". This story would seem to be the same as it involves Iran and their emerging nuclear weapons program and our protagonist, Dewey Andreas, would obviously and predictably be in the middle of whatever happened.
I have come to rely on this author to provide new slants on overused plots and this novel turned out to vindicate my belief in him. The story soon turned everything on its head and nothing was predictable. The supporting cast is well drawn and Dewey himself showed that he is not the perfect, untouchable, hero that I've seen in so many similar novels and does, in fact, have vulnerabilities. The pacing is spot on and the characters (whether politicians, terrorists, good guys or bad guys) were well rounded and believable. Thankfully, the author relies on good storytelling techniques and not an inundation of tech terms that are unnecessary. (One of my pet peeves is when an author spends more time on the intricacies of a particular gun or weapons system than on his/her characters, like he/she has to somehow prove their authorship by providing their credentials). The ending was spectacular and satisfying.
Ben Coes has made the transition from "new" author to one of my go-to authors for a great read. If you like Vince Flynn or Brad Thor, I suggest you give Ben Coes a try.
jacki_f's review against another edition
4.0
This is a fast moving thriller which is big on action and low on credibility. Thankfully there's enough of the former to override most problems with the latter. It's a page turner in the Vince Flynn mould.
This is the third book to feature former SEAL and Delta officer Dewey Andreas. I had not read the others in the series and this didn't really matter except that I may have had more affinity with the characters if I knew their back stories better. All you need to know is that Andreas has previously been involved in covert ops for the US Government but is trying to withdraw from taking on more assignments. However when an Israeli Mossad friend to whom he owes an enormous debt is abducted by the Iranians, he develops a plan to bust his friend out of Iran's most secure prison and to steal a nuclear warhead at the same time.
This is the kind of book where all the women are voluptuous, Dewey's girlfriend is the 36 year old (stunning) National Security Advisor and the US President says things like "Iranians are the most dishonest people on the planet". American scientists are the smartest in the world and all US enemies are sloppy and/or dishonest. Israel is a US ally but will react to any attack on any one of their people by wanting to bomb Tehran back to the Stone Age. I found all this pretty irritating, to be honest.
So for realism, I'd rate this 2 stars. Nevertheless, I tore through it and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a mindless thriller, and if you expect nothing more you will enjoy it.
This is the third book to feature former SEAL and Delta officer Dewey Andreas. I had not read the others in the series and this didn't really matter except that I may have had more affinity with the characters if I knew their back stories better. All you need to know is that Andreas has previously been involved in covert ops for the US Government but is trying to withdraw from taking on more assignments. However when an Israeli Mossad friend to whom he owes an enormous debt is abducted by the Iranians, he develops a plan to bust his friend out of Iran's most secure prison and to steal a nuclear warhead at the same time.
This is the kind of book where all the women are voluptuous, Dewey's girlfriend is the 36 year old (stunning) National Security Advisor and the US President says things like "Iranians are the most dishonest people on the planet". American scientists are the smartest in the world and all US enemies are sloppy and/or dishonest. Israel is a US ally but will react to any attack on any one of their people by wanting to bomb Tehran back to the Stone Age. I found all this pretty irritating, to be honest.
So for realism, I'd rate this 2 stars. Nevertheless, I tore through it and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a mindless thriller, and if you expect nothing more you will enjoy it.
alumaman's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lwalker77's review against another edition
4.0
Another good entry in the Dewey Andreas series from Ben Coes. I have really enjoyed all of these books. Couldn’t recommend more!
dburley37's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This is an easy and fun read. I loved the relationship story between Dewey and Jessica. I also enjoyed two new characters of Rob and Katie. The plot is also strong and the ending was great.
scott_a_miller's review against another edition
4.0
Another excellent story, if only a tiny bit impossible to believe. Sometimes ones like this are the most fun though.
Dewey gets better with each book and assuming he’s going back to work for Uncle Sam things could get even more interesting. Iran was a perfect foe. Can’t wait to see who’s next, someone new or an old bad guy still on the board.
Dewey gets better with each book and assuming he’s going back to work for Uncle Sam things could get even more interesting. Iran was a perfect foe. Can’t wait to see who’s next, someone new or an old bad guy still on the board.
ncrabb's review against another edition
3.0
I suspect current events have overtaken some of the material in this book, but it’s a decent read just the same.
The Iranians have developed a nuclear weapon, and the country’s leaders plan to detonate it in Tel Aviv. In this book, Kohl Meir is the great-grandson of former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir. He’s in charge of the country’s elite military group, and he is in New York hoping to enlist the help of his friend, Dewey Andreas. (He saved Andreas’s life once.) Iranian operatives kidnap him in Brooklyn and take him to the most evil of Iran’s prisons where they plan to execute him.
But that’s before Dewey gets involved. This is a hair-raising suspense-filled book that places Dewey in a seemingly impossible position: How does he get into Iran? And more specifically, how does he get inside that prison to free his friend?
You can read this without reading the first two books in the series, but it may not be a bad idea to start with them if you like these kinds of books.
The Iranians have developed a nuclear weapon, and the country’s leaders plan to detonate it in Tel Aviv. In this book, Kohl Meir is the great-grandson of former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir. He’s in charge of the country’s elite military group, and he is in New York hoping to enlist the help of his friend, Dewey Andreas. (He saved Andreas’s life once.) Iranian operatives kidnap him in Brooklyn and take him to the most evil of Iran’s prisons where they plan to execute him.
But that’s before Dewey gets involved. This is a hair-raising suspense-filled book that places Dewey in a seemingly impossible position: How does he get into Iran? And more specifically, how does he get inside that prison to free his friend?
You can read this without reading the first two books in the series, but it may not be a bad idea to start with them if you like these kinds of books.
tanyarobinson's review against another edition
3.0
I accidentally read some of these Dewey Andreas books out of order, and I liked the later one much better than #3. I had forgotten feeling that #2 was gratuitously violent, but The Last Refuge reminded me of that. I do believe that terrorists have to be dealt with differently than your average American citizen, but Dewey et al seem to think they have carte blanche to brutally kill anyone on the way to stopping the bad guys, in this case Iranians with a nuclear bomb. That bothered me. But...I'll probably keep going with the series since I did really enjoy #6.
Note: this was a bad choice for an audiobook because of language!
Note: this was a bad choice for an audiobook because of language!
stricker's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0