I've had a love/hate relationship with Ben Coes, Dewey (Douchey) Andreas, and Rob (even bigger Douche) Tacoma for about 10 years now. I have always hated both of these characters, but for the most part Ben is able to come up with a plot that overshadows the colossal douchiness of his creations and that's pretty much what I expected from The Island.

The Island, despite being close to 450 pages, is a surprisingly quick read...because you can skim through about half of it. Seriously, any of the chapters pertaining to Douchey's personal life and his special lady friend Jenna AKA, I know you're a psychopath and have killed hundreds of people, but my parents are going to love you because I'm a completely one-dimensional female character who loves bad boys, is not worth reading and adds nothing to the story.

Is it OK to root for terrorists? I was pretty much to that point...and then the ending happens. Ben really wants us to understand how well-trained and vicious these terrorists are. He goes to great lengths to remind us multiple times that these are the best soldiers Hezbollah has to offer. And their plan is actually pretty good and well executed. Until the main baddie all of a sudden turns into Dr. Evil. "No, no let's not kill them now, let's explain to them exactly why we're doing this and let's set-up a camera and stage all of this so the whole world can see what we've accomplished. Despite the fact that we've stated multiple times that this is not about ego, or glory or anything other than accomplishing the mission." That really ruined it for me.

Oh and I have three more words for you. Iodine Sheet Field. Yeah, Iodine Sheet Field. Don't know what that is? Me neither. Neither does Google. But be prepared to read the words Iodine and Sheet and Field about 100 times. I don't know if Mr. Coes invented this contraption and is really proud of it but he really wants you to know about his Iodine Sheet Field.

I typically read about 10-20 or so of "these kinds" of books a year, meaning military thriller/espionage/bad-ass special forces thwarting terrorists. But this is waaaaaaayyyy ridiculous. Two stars from me and that's only because I was actually able to finish it.

Probably be my last Ben Coes book. Thanks for the memories, best of luck, time for me to be on my way.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review The Island by Ben Coes.

LOTS of action as Iranians try to isolate Manhattan, kill the U.S. President, and destroy the Fed. To make this happen, they send a hit squadron to eliminate super operative Dewey Andreas. Too bad for them, three men isn’t enough, so when Dewey takes off for NYC with a co-worker, he just happens to be in the right place to come to the rescue. A great series just got better.

I was VERY excited when I was given the opportunity to review this ARC. I am a BIG fan of this series and it is hard not to "love" the character of Dewey Andreas. Imagine my surprise when I went to take a peek at my previous reviews and realized that I had not reviewed one book. Not. A. Single. Book.....

What the heck?

So, let me say here and now that I have enjoyed this series from the very beginning. We are now at book 9 in this series and it is still just as mind blowing and crazy as the books before it. I found myself holding my breath as the pages just seemed to turn themselves. While this book starts off fairly strong, it REALLY kicks up the action near the half point of this book. Honestly, there are things about this that are just terrifying in its possibility.

Dewey has had a very difficult personal life while protecting his country and unfortunately, he has lost people that he loves as a result. This book starts not too long after the ending of the prior book (in other words, not too much time has lapsed in Dewey's world) and we see the beginnings of something with Dewey and Jenna. I'm not going to summarize the plot - there is enough information given in the blurb - other than to say this attack on the US has many, MANY layers to it and when you finally realize all the implications....it is staggering.

I liked the fact that while Dewey is the main character, there is also a great deal of focus with two other Tier One agents. We have met Rob Tacoma already and he feels like a pretty established character to me. The other guy - Aaron Singerman - was a new character but his importance becomes apparent later in the book. We actually do not really see Dewey getting into this fight until later than usual, but there is still PLENTY of action occurring. I also LOVED the character of the President. He is a tough guy (a former athlete) but he is put in a pretty crazy situation and the fact that he continues to fight even when everything is falling apart made you want to root for him even more.

So...if you haven't started this series, what are you waiting for? No, you do not have to read the previous 8 books to understand what is going on, but should WANT to read the previous 8 books because they are awesome. This book is no exception.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The reviews above are mine and mine alone.

St. Martin's Press has recently send me a few of these Ben Coes books and I must say that for absurd paramilitary thrillers, they aren’t bad. Mr. Coes can't write women characters at all, but his big strong male hero Dewey Andreas is not an ogre and the books do not offend my excessively liberal sensibilities. The action sequences are terrific. But still there are the really truly lame women. Fortunately, there aren't very many of them.

Here we have the Batman plot of isolating Gotham taken a lot farther. The bad guys blow up the tunnels into New York City and block the bridges. They take hostages and make impossible demands. Dewey and his buds (male and female) act with great cunning and skill to save the day.

But hey Ben: Real women don't giggle.

OMG - just when you think nothing else can happen, Ben Coes pulls out all the stops on this page-turning thriller. It was, at times, difficult to keep up with all the action. I found myself saying "Really?" and then found myself thinking, as Coes lays out the scenario, "this might actually be feasible - and that's frightening." Excellent effort that will appeal, of course, to fans of Coes' other books as well as fans of Brad Thor, Vince Flynn, et al.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Ben Coes for an advance copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

This ninth in the Dewey Andreas series, The Island (St. Martin's 2021) is vintage Dewey Andreas. It’s as good as any in the series and better than many. The last few Dewey Andreas books, I enjoyed but didn't love. Dewey seemed off his game, fallible when I needed him to be infallible. Which he always has been. Here, in The Island, Dewey is back to the miracle worker my country needs, the guy we call when there's no one else.

That Dewey.

In this story, someone wants to assassinate the U.S. President but as a distraction from a more dastardly attack. I won't tell you what that is but it's big. The only hint I'll give you is about the geography of an island, specifically the island of Manhattan New York. This piece of land floating in the Atlantic is connected to the mainland by four fragile tunnels. You figure out the rest.

Coes as usual lays out the How so well that I believe it can happen. It's left to Dewey to once again do the impossible while surviving odds no one else can. The man has an enviable sixth sense but it doesn't necessarily bring him satisfaction. He may excel at being a super hero but is unable to run his own personal life.

This book and the entire series is highly recommend foe those who like superheroes with heart.

Absolutely fantastic read. One of the best books I’ve read in 2021. Thus should instantly be optioned for a blockbuster movie. Coes does it again.

Stunningly good, ninth boook in the Dewey Andreas series. I’ve read them all and I believe this to be the best one yet.. this is another in this series by the author that scares the hell out of me. If the Iranians read this, New York could be in serious trouble. The Iranian Quds force have managed to slip upwards of 500 seasoned fighters into the United States. They timed an attack to kill the President during an address at the United Nations. To accomplish this they want to destroy the four tunnels that access Manhattan and render all bridges unusable. They have a greater agenda in mind, an attempt to render the United States irrelevant by destroying the Federal Reserve. This book can be read as a stand-alone but, to get the full measure of former Ranger Dewey Andreas, do yourself a favor and READ THEM ALL!!!

This is the ninth book in the Dewey Andreas series. Like the others this is a fast paced book that is a quick read. The premise involves terrorists scenarios that are quite possible that interact in masking which one is the actual goal. The only drawback to these books from my view is the author’s fascination with describing the various weapons in great detail. Others may find this of interest, but it reads like unnecessary filler to me.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog.

The key feature of any good suspense novel is having suspense. This book is devoid of any.

The plot is good enough: Hezbollah attacks Manhattan and it’s up to the hero, Dewey Andreas, to save the world.

Here are the problems I had which caused me to struggle through this reading:
- it’s very cliche for a suspense novel. From the characters to the situations, there aren’t a lot of new ideas here (except inside the Fed)
- the hero, Dewey, appears in the first 1/3 of the book and sporadically in the last 1/3 but not at all in the middle
- there are too many characters to keep track of
- from about page 10 you can extrapolate everything that’s going to happen and not be wrong.
- the author cares more about details of weapons than I care to know

I wouldn’t exactly consider this a suspense novel since there’s none of that, maybe it’s just a theoretical invasion novel.

The bottom line is that there are a bunch of other authors out there that do better in this genre. Much better. I’m glad this book is done.

This book is a must read if you like Dewey Andreas just a little bit. Hezbollah and Iran are set to take the fight to the Great Satan on our own soil with a very sophisticated plan to decapitate the US government. Only Dewey can save the day. Dewey is aboard a luxury yacht with his sort of girlfriend and her family and several bombs take out the bridges and tunnels to New York City. A siege is underway and the US is helpless to stop it. This story has another big wrinkle I don't want to ruin in this review. Definitely a 5 star book even though we all sort of know how it will end. I do think this is one of the better Dewey books and hope the author keeps writing.
Thank you Netgalley, Ben Coes and St. Martin's Press for the ARC for my honest review.

Readers have been waiting three long years for Dewey Andreas to mete out another ass kicking and boy does Ben Coes deliver in a colossal way. Overflowing with total unadulterated carnage and unyielding hostilities, The Island is one of the bloodiest novels of all time and an instant classic!

Iran has been plotting against the United States for decades and now they’re ready to take the next step, hoping to cripple America by bringing the fight to their own soil. Catching the US with their pants down, Hezbollah operatives strike fast and hard, attacking New York and the United Nations at a time when President Dellenbaugh is about to give a speech, putting his life in mortal jeopardy. Enter Dewey Andreas, CIA operative and certified badass who just survived an attack on his own life, to infiltrate the war zone that New York has become and attempt to extract the President before the terrorists can capture and/or execute him. It’s a race against time to save the leader of the free world…and prevent the terrorists from launching the United States into unmitigated chaos.

The Island includes so much combat and death that you need a Masters degree from MIT and an elaborate spreadsheet to calculate the body count. Terrorists, law enforcement, politicians, civilians and more are all in the crosshairs and dropping like flies. But rest assured it’s not gratuitous violence. In fact, it seems terrifyingly realistic. Every action, shot and kill are a necessary part of providing vivid depictions of the hellscape that results from a well-organized and unthwarted terrorist attack. The overwhelming nature of the attack and response produce an emotional response and extreme sense of urgency that wouldn’t otherwise be present, propelling the reader forward like a MANPAD screaming towards its target at 750 meters per second.

And who do you call to stop a devastating terrorist attack? Dewey Andreas of course. And maybe a few of his friends as well, including the venerable Rob Tacoma and a financial tier one operator. Yes, you read that last part correctly. Finance nerds, our time has finally come! But the main focus is rightfully on Dewey and his unique set of skills that allow him to infiltrate the front lines of the battle despite being Iran’s public enemy number one with Hezbollah operatives looking to take him out. Then once he’s in the fight, there’s no stopping his relentless drive to use every tool at his disposal and every skill in his bag to kill anyone who stands in his way of mission success and saving the country he loves.

This book further elevates the legend of Dewey Andreas, positioning him near the top of the conversation on all-time great characters in the genre. And it confirms once again that Ben Coes is a hell of a great writer. Few authors, if any, can match his incredible pacing and ability to pack pages with massive amounts of action.

Simply put, The Island was worth the wait and an absolute must read. And now I sit here filled with anticipation and desire to find out what’s next for Dewey and America. I just hope and pray we don’t have to wait another three years to find out. But if it is, I’m willing to wait for it. Because no doubt it will be awesome.

THE ISLAND is one of author Ben Coes most thrilling and tightly created books yet in the Dewey Andreas series. There isn’t much mystery about how the conflagration with evil doers will begin, but rest assured, Dewey will save the day. Reading from beginning to end is an exercise in speed, thrills and manic adventure. I read the book straight through, unable to put it down, breathing a sigh of relief at the end: the world is safe again. Hopefully, we will meet our hero yet again, in another thrill ride of a book. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Number nine in the Dewey Andreas series is action packed. Hezbollah and Iran are out for revenge on the “Great Satan”, and they decide to take the the fight to the US. President Dellenbaugh is scheduled to give at speech at the United Nations, but before the speech is given Hezbollah turns Manhattan into an island. Cut off from the rest of the country, it is up to Dewey Andreas, Rob Tacoma, and friends to rescue the president and prevent further disaster.

The Island is action packed. It is has the most action of any book I have read thus far this year. After stetting up the premises, Mr. Coes turns the rest of the book into one battle scene after another as Hezbollah tries to overtake Manhattan. The premise of the novel is unique and different from the same old boring storylines told in today’s thrillers. There is a decent amount of Dewey Andreas in the story with a side of Rob Tacoma mixed in. Mr. Coes does a great job of weaving the different characters into the story with seamless transitions.

Overall this is an excellent thriller, well deserving of five stars. You can start the series at the beginning or pick up The Island to indoctrinate yourself into the Dewey Andreas saga. Either way you won’t be disappointed. The you to @NetGalley @authorbencoes and @StMartinsPress for a free Arc for an honest review.

The Island, the ninth Dewey Andreas book by Ben Coes, was absolutely worth the wait! It's been two-ish years since the last Andreas book and Coes gives fans of this series everything they wanted and more. Coes has surrounded Andreas with fantastic characters including Rob Tacoma, who may be a bigger badass than Andreas. The plot and "villains" in The Island are topnotch and the pacing is lightning fast. After the past few years, the last thing I want authors to do is push their politics on the reader, so I appreciate Coes leaving most of the politics out.

If you have never read a Dewey Andreas book before you can read this as a stand-alone. Coes uses an ingenious way to get the reader caught up on the previous exploits of Andreas. I can't stress enough how much of a fun read The Island was.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing The Island.

Dewey Andreas soars again! Author Ben Coes has a genius new novel where our hero saves the day....or is it Rob Tacoma who actually saves the day? Both are heroes in this novel of nonstop action. Author Coes has taken on a huge challenge, with an Iranian attack on Manhattan and the UN, where the President is set to give a speech. Coes compounds this with an unbelievably complex attack on the Fed. Even Dewey cannot solve both problems. It's a pretty bloody novel, and I doubt the author will be visiting Iran anytime soon. But Coes does make it clear that the Iranian people are not behind this massive attack.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the amazing ARC.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Ben Coes and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy of The Island.

A great read! The Island is a riveting, action-packed thriller. I was immersed immediately into the tense plot. Dewey Andreas is relentless and shows no mercy to the bad guys, as it should be. And not just Dewey, but a cast of characters ready to do what must be done to eradicate terrorists and save America.

Highly recommend The Island to fans craving intense, adrenaline fueled political thrillers.

Dewey Andreas is back! This is an intense thriller that will keep you up reading all night. While maybe a little unbelievable, the plot was well thought out and the action never lets up. Definitely a must read this summer!

The Island is an adrenaline rush from start to finish. Ben Coes is back with an action-packed narrative that pulls back no punches and propels an insane number of slugs flying in all directions as Hezbollah executes an audacious plan to take out the US President by isolating the entire island of Manhattan while fulfilling another nefarious agenda that has catastrophic consequences for the world. Dewey Andreas is not alone this time, teaming up with a select few Tier One specified NOCs, including the fan favorite Rob Tacoma, to infiltrate the Hezbollah cordon and save the day. Imagine a rendition of Transfer of Power by Vince Flynn but on a wider scale with more action and an even more nefarious endgame.

Ben Coes backs up the fictional aspects with the necessary facts about weapons, tactics, and technology to keep the scales from tipping too far into the region of unbelievable. There is no wasted moment in the story as each paragraph emphatically conveys the carnage and chaos of the attack. The storyline feels fresh and does a good job of breaking out of the cliched trope while tackling the same subject matter by focusing more on the action and the psychological consequences of the bloodshed, highlighting a brilliant epiphany that rings a bell with today’s worldwide headlines.

Dewey Andreas goes full Rambo and racks up a glorious body count with his MP7 and M1911. The action sequences are some of the finest in the series, keeping the adrenaline high throughout with active as opposed to passive shootouts along with detailing the weaponry precisely for a vivid reader to thoroughly enjoy the relentless action. Even knowing that Dewey Andreas cannot die as he is the formidable protagonist, Ben Coes does a commendable job of making Andreas more human than superhuman as he bleeds, weakens, and slows down over time but still managers to persevere through his expert training and survival instincts. The action is made even better with the deadly quips we have come to expect from Dewey right before he shoots a bad guy in the head.

The Island is a smart narrative that stands out with gruesome action, brilliant plotting, and lively characters. I’d say it is my favorite Ben Coes book yet!

First and foremost, my thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Ben Coes for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

My review will focus on my thoughts about The Island; the book’s promo describes the topic: Iran’s three prong terrorist attack on NYC, much more extensive and deadly than 9/11.

WOW! THE explosive thriller for the summer!

DYNAMIC CHARACTERS~
Ben Coes has created a likable character in Dewey Andreas. His over-the-top superhuman veneer is juxtaposed with emotional vulnerability (especially in his personal relationships). Balancing these two sides develops a round, three dimensional character. A technique the writer uses to expose his personal conflicts is his self talk; the reader is privy to Dewy’s emotional hurts and soul searching thoughts, endearing him to readers. Other characters are well developed with authentic voices. While most books in this genre are plot driven, it is delightful to have the depth of characters to enjoy as well!

DYNAMIC PLOT AND ACTION~
Mr. Coes never fails to enthrall readers with exciting storylines. The Island is fast paced and (non-stop) action packed. ELECTRIFYING action fuels the plot from the opening page. It is the quintessential edge-of-your-seat, heart pounding espionage thriller. Of course, as usual in this genre, one must suspend disbelief. In The Island, suspension of disbelief is necessary to the 10th power! It pushes the envelope even further as it has fantastically futuristic SCI-FY scenarios (iodine sheets/ force fields guarding the Federal Reserve). There are other over-the-top scenes that are not credible (and irksome if one is seeking authenticity). However, the overall FUN and ADRENALINE RUSH of reading The Island overrides these concerns. Just enjoy the ride!

Warning:and regret: carve out a day to immerse yourself in The Island. It is truly unput-down-able! : I read it in a day and wish I could have enjoyed the ride longer!