Ben Coes

The Russian

This is the beginning of a new thriller series with Rob Tacoma as the lead character from Ben Coes. The Russian mafia has overtaken a lot of the criminal world especially in the United States. Following misdirection and treachery, the United States must deal with tragic moments throughout the country. Rob Tacoma is tasked with a huge uphill climb. You get to know Rob a little more, especially why he has an issue with the Russians.

The villains in The Russian are very formidable and wealthy. They also create quite the hurdle for Rob to climb. You see a brief appearance by Coes main man Dewey Andreas, but it’s good that his role was marginalized so Tacoma could highlight his skills. I was thoroughly pleased with Coes newest drop and couldn’t put it down. It went extremely fast and I was hooked from the start. 5 stars here!

While I'm aware that this is a prepublication copy, due to the formatting, I was unable to read this book. The copy that I received, had no paragraphs and the sentences were broken mid-word. However, I look forward to reading it in it's published version as Ben Coes has become one of the authors I read religiously. The rating is due to the formatting and not the content

First and foremost, a thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Ben Coes has written another high-octane thriller., but with a twist.... it is NOT a Dewey Andreas one! How disappointing...NOT!

THE RUSSIAN is the first in a new series featuring CIA assassin extraordinaire Rob Tacoma. Tacoma is such a dynamic, multi dimensional character, I hardly missed Dewey! The new series still incorporates the old favorites: President Dellacourt, , CIA DIRECTOR Hector Callibrisi, CIA , Analyst Katie, to name a few. It has a a credit to Mr. Coes that his characters are winsome and likable ( even if they are spies!)

The plot is eerily prophetic - Russian mafia disrupting America through rampant greed and corruption. Layers upon layers of the Russian mafia’s plan in creating utter chaos in the USA is pealed away exposing the oligarch responsible. The resulting domestic war between the USA and the Russian mafia is thrilling and chilling, holding my interest throughout! The climax is intense and explosive! Subdued but satisfying denouement, setting up interest for the next installment. Do we have to wait another year?!

Highly entertaining! Highly recommended if you like political intrigue and espionage!
Psst: Dewey does make an appearance!

THE RUSSIAN
Ben Coes
St. Martin’s Press
ISBN 978-1-250-14079-1
Hardcover
Thriller

The publication of THE RUSSIAN heralds the beginning of a new series by Ben Coes. Those who are familiar with Coes through his work on the Dewey Andreas have a good idea what to expect from Coes, and he meets and exceeds those expectations in this real-world thriller which is jammed to the brim with everything that thriller readers love and, with Coes, always get: well-defined and memorable characters; multiple plot twists; and enough explosions, gunfights, and hand-to-hand combat to fill three novels. Or more.

THE RUSSIAN begins with the near-simultaneous assassinations of a Florida governor and a United States senator. Though the elected officials were on opposite sides of the aisle politically they had a common cause, that being the combatting of the aggregation of families known collectively as the Russian Mafia. As is noted late in the pages of THE RUSSIAN, the collapse of the Soviet Union near the end of the twentieth century resulted in the takeover of the criminal underworld in the United States by the Russian mob in at the dawn of the twenty-first. To say that the mob will not go down without a fight is not accurate. The mob isn’t planning to go down at all. The President of the United States, who is a scrapper himself, isn’t about to let the assassinations of two elected officials go unanswered. He puts together an off-the-books team to deal with the matter, which includes hitting the Russian Mafia at both their home base and our own. That team includes former Navy Seal Rob Tacoma, who has his own personal score to settle with the Russian Mafia. What is quickly revealed is that the assassinations are the work of one of the Russian crime families who are interested in starting up a war among the other major players from which they hope to emerge alone as a major player. Tacoma is dead set against that happening. Tacoma, as is revealed in the early pages of THE RUSSIAN, co-owns a major security consulting group (and who is very much a working foreman, if you will) and is more than capable of dealing with whatever is thrown at him by the powerful crime syndicate. Much of THE RUSSIAN is a cat-and-mouse hunt between Tacoma and the very dangerous players he is up against, with both sides trading the roles of Tom and Jerry. There is quite a bit of high-tech investigation running through THE RUSSIAN, but at its rapidly beating heart is a series of up-close-and-personal battles of the deadliest sort. While much is resolved by the book’s conclusion, there are more than enough plot threads left over to keep old and new fans of Coes’ work waiting impatiently for the next installment of this series. As for those who were hoping for another Dewey Andreas novel instead of THE RUSSIAN...believe me when I say that you won’t be disappointed on any level.

THE RUSSIAN is a breath of fresh air. Make that a gust. It is refreshingly free of the scales that seem to cover the eyes of more and more genre fiction these days and is written without a whiff of the virtue-signaling that stops many books dead in their collective tracks. Those two qualities would make THE RUSSIAN --- and all of Coes’ other work --- worth your time and money all by themselves, but its other superlative qualities noted earlier here will keep you coming back and reading throughout the night in order to finish what you started in one sitting. Strongly recommended.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
© Copyright 2019, The Book Report, Inc. All rights reserved.

In the book The Russian, author Ben Coes writes about a brutal Russian mafia assassinating American politicians. The President receives approval for the CIA to put together a hit-squad to strike back. But before they can start, Rob Tacoma is the only operative left standing to strike back. Can he take out the targets and find out who is behind the plot to cripple the government? This was frantic paced book that had a lot of holes in the plot and story. The book seemed very rushed at times and very unbelievable. A lot of language and gory. I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second Ben Coes book I have read, after Bloody Sunday (#8 in the Dewey Andreas series). The Russian is a spinoff of that series, the first to launch a new protagonist, Rob Tacoma.

The Russian is better than Bloody Sunday, but it suffers from some of the same flaws. Superficial physical details and glowingly-described material possessions stand in for character development. Also, when I enjoy action-adventure books, there are actually three essential qualities: Action and adventure (which are in plentiful supply in both books); and accuracy (which is not.)

The biggest annoyance to me, though, were the implausible details, with Tacoma taking off in jeans, t-shirt and flip-flops and running into difficulty, which he gets out of by having the ideal piece of spy gear at hand. Once he did an ocean swim (in street clothes) before a home invasion, and -- whaddaya know! -- his lockpick gun was right there with him. Or when the bad guys find him and spirit him away in a private jet, bound and blindfolded -- but they conveniently leave his comms earbud in his pocket for later use.

There is suspense and drama, and the geopolitical data was better here than in Bloody Sunday, but it's just not enough for a reader who wants real, live, complex, grown-up people placed in thrilling situations. This feels more like adolescent male fantasy.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance readers copy.

I received a free copy of this book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.

A really exciting read. Rob Tacoma is a killer. He works for a private firm and is extremely well paid. When the Russian mob assassinates an elderly statesman and an up-and-coming young politician at the same time, the FBI Director, Hector Calibrisi, looks for help from Rob. But he refuses. He only agrees to talk to a fellow operator, Billy Cosgrove, to salve Calibrisi. When Rob enters Cosgrove’s home he is confronted with death. Cosgrove is hanging from the upstairs rafters with a railroad spike in his chest, and a badly beaten face. Rob cuts Billy down and then realizes the assassins are still in the house. He goes after them, a male and a female. Rob manages to kill the male, but not the female. She escapes

Rob’s reluctance to take on the mission requested by Calibrisi is changed. He accepts the job and goes after the people responsible with a vengeance. The non-stop action takes Rob into more and more danger. But Rob is clever, insightful, and extremely skilled. He fights using all his senses and draws upon his inner strength. When confronted with some of the bad actors, Rob takes them down with no regrets. When caught in terribly dangerous situations he uses whatever means to survive. It is in one of the most dangerous positions that Rob finally finds out who is really behind all the chaos and killings of Americans. He is Kaiser, the Russian. And Kaiser is coming for him. The question is, can Rob survive the Russian and his hired killers?

Ben Coes’s writing is exciting, his characters are well-developed, his tale is vivid with emotions and highly descriptive scenes. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definitely read more of them. Grab this book and grab a comfy chair and enjoy.

This is the first time I've read anything by this author and if his previous series is as good as The Russian then I've got to read it! A page turner from the start, I fell in love with Rob Tacoma and his lethal skills. The plot had so many twists and turns it made my head spin, but don't get me wrong, I never got lost in the story. A nail biting, breath taking, sit on the edge of your seat story to the very end!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin Press for an arc of this copy, although my review is not influenced in any way.

The Russian by Ben Coes is the first book he's written that I've read. I enjoyed it a lot and was pleased to see that this is the first book in a series featuring Tacoma and his support team. This is an action packed novel that has very current concerns and stress how much our country is at risk from Russia. Tacoma ,can be violent when he needs to be but I find him a warm hearted hero fighting to keep his friends and country safe.

If you like James Bond, you will love The Russian.

Rob Tacoma, ex-SEAL and former CIA operative, is called back to the CIA for a highly confidential and dangerous mission. The Russian mafia has killed Florida Governor Blake and New York senior Senator O’Flaherty within two minutes of each other. President Dellenbaugh is angry. He convenes a Senate panel that allows him to use the CIA on US soil and give the operative, Rob, a full pardon in advance. Basically, it’s a license to kill.

If you like action and don’t mind some graphic gore, you will love The Russian. The descriptions of the weapons, cars and planes are very detailed making you feel part of the action. However, the characters were not well developed. While Rob had some of his motivations explained, most of the other characters did not. They were only briefly described physically as a beautiful brown haired woman with great legs or an ugly and buff Ukrainian man. Great action with minimal characterizations equals 3 stars from me.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a great fast past page turner! I have never read this author before but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I am excited for the next book to come out! Thanks for a great read!

First book in a new series by this author. Fast-paced with lots of action and excitement. Complex plot involving the Russian mob.

The plot here is actually very interesting, and the book could have been good if it wasn't written like a very low budget action movie. It's actually incredible how much nonsense there is, and everything is very far from the real world. If you shut off your brain you may enjoy this book.

Rob Tacoma is a fierce operative on a mission to avenge wrongs. He is ruthless, fierce and thorough. The story is fast paced and filled with action. He is coloring outside the lines and must depend only on a few people he trusts. The story is detailed and gives great insights into the depths of corruption that can take place in the US government. The story is just beginning and will continue as he continues to root out the evil ones.

Good full out action from the first page. My heart was in my throat for much of the book. Tacoma was a great character. I thought the book was well done. I liked it.

I’ve read several books by Ben Coes and have enjoyed them all. They are all easy to read and fast paced. I highly recommend this book.

The Russian is a fast paced heat seeking missile of a novel with explosive force. Coming from Ben Coes, the author of Dewey Andreas novels, The Russian puts the spotlight on Rob Tacoma who readers know and love from the Dewey Andreas series. With an intriguing and interesting plot of a newly sanctioned blacker than black ops team by the President of The United States of America with the objective of dismantling the Russian Mafia responsible for acts of mayhem and terror within the country, the narrative feels like a great combination of realism and adrealine fueled thriller!

The action is fast paced, almost nonstop with brutal hand to hand combat, stunning gunfights, and Rob Tacoma's cool demeanor in taking out his targets down fast and hard. I enjoyed the brief but appropriate weapons-systems descriptions that gave another edge to the realistic vibe of the action sequences. I had to remind myself to breathe in the gritty pulse pounding situations of combat in The Russian. The action felt fantastic.

Most of the characters were familiar from the Dewey Andreas novels. But instead of feeling stale, the characters felt even more fresh which made the characters all the more interesting to read. Rob Tacoma, even though was established in earlier Dewey Andreas novels, was described effectively for fresh readers aboard the Ben Coes train, and was endowed with a there dimensional character depth, making Tacoma a strong lead. His backstory felt fresh and I felt compelled to want to know more about Tacoma. This narrative is just as much of a treat for long time fans of Ben Coes novels as Tacoma and his allies from the Dewey Andreas series feel familiar and easy to get back to. The interactions between characters flowed naturally and smoothly within their contexts.

My only quibble was that there could have been some more descriptions of situations within the combat theatres to allow for a more visually immersive experience such as mentioning if a shoulder holster fell off during the fight or how a cut appeared on a character. Another quibble for me was some situations in the book felt a bit unsatisfying when I thought about them, ( no spoilers ) but despite those, this is a great thriller.

The Russian is a story of no holds barred , cut-through-red-tape-of-politics, action-thriller with a strong and lethal lead with the potential to have many more novels centered on him especially since the book ends with at a note that hints at atleast one more adventure stemming from the events of this novel . Even though I haven't caught up on the latest Dewey Andreas novels, I still found it easy to dive into the world of The Russian. A definite recommendation for action thriller fans.

For Dewey Andreas fans, there is a fantastic surprise towards the end!

At this point, I am only 16% of the way into the book and I find it hard to believe that the man who wrote this is an international bestselling author.

The writing is amateurish, and for multiple reasons. First, the author has a tendency to use short, clipped sentences that he strings together, beginning each sentence with the same pronoun. This results in a sing-song description of a character that jars us out of the story rather than drawing us in (such as “He studied the growing pool of crimson. He felt paralyzed. For several seconds, he had a hard time breathing. He remained still…”). Second, the tech descriptions read more like a catalog listing the qualifications of the gun or gear, compelling me to think that the author knows little about the items he includes in his book. Lastly, cursing and dropping f-bombs can work if used appropriately. Foul language never strengthens weak writing.

The final piece is the over-the-top, suspend-disbelief-to-infinity plot items Mr. Coes asks us to believe. Main hero Tacoma “…pushed the Ducati to 156.7 mph, screaming into turns no sane man would take at 80.” A sniper purchases his rifle less than an hour before his lethal shot to his victim’s forehead from over 2000 feet away (that’s about seven football fields). This amazing shot apparently happened without bothering to sight in the rifle (to be fair, the author doesn’t say where it was bought or who sold it or if he had permission to sight in the rifle to hit a small target that’s almost a half mile away, so maybe this happened and we just aren’t told…or maybe the useless detail that the sniper just purchased the gun shouldn’t have been mentioned). There are more, including an amazing unknown codicil to the U. S. Constitution that allows the President to act almost like a monarchy, even more amazing when you consider all the Founding Fathers signed it.

And this all happens during the first 50 pages or so.

Though the writing gets a little better after that, the unbelievable continues to happen, including the conversations involving high ranking politicians. Discussions between other characters descend from dramatic to melodramatic on several occasions. I was expecting much more, based upon the author’s reputation and string of bestsellers. To say the least, I was disappointed.

Fans of Mr. Coes will probably love this book. There is plenty of action and little time to waste on delving into the different characters and what makes them tick. If you like riveting spy stories that get you involved with the characters and keep you on the edge of your seat, I recommend you pass on “The Russian.” Two stars.

4 stars
Oh, how the government can make a special team to neutralize a deadly force. Russia breaks up and their brutal Mafia comes to the States to do profound harm. Ben Coes takes this idea and runs with it.

Two American politicians and one CIA recruit are dead. The President of the United States has no choice but to declare war on the Russian Mafia and Rob Tacoma is on his own to find and kill the Russian mastermind behind the deaths.

"La Cosa Nostra, for all of its killing and violence, was more humane than the Russians. El Chapo and the Mexican cartels could be almost as brutal as the Russians, yet in every city controlled by the cartels that the Russian mafia entered, they destroyed their competition, leaving piles of corpses in their wake."

Rob Tacoma is told to not wait and act immediately. He is given no rules and has total immunity for his actions. Will he use this job for revenge for his father’s death?

This is my first Ben Coes book and it really impressed me. Rob Tacoma is a bad ass who has a large number of kills under his belt, but he has a compassionate side and donates millions of dollars to the Red Cross to assist veterans. It also looks like there is more to his work relationship with his colleague, Katie Foxx, so I suspect there will be more later in the series.

A fast-paced political thriller with lots of action and corruption. Recommend highly!