First Strike, by Ben Coes, is another pulse racing thriller in the Dewey Andreas series. The storyline hit rather close to home as far as recent history goes.
The arms-for-influence program, created in the Pentagon, was supposed to protect the USA and our allies from terrorist threats. But now the man that they chose to become the most powerful leader in the Mid East, Tristan Nazir, has betrayed the US.
Enter secret operative, Dewey Andreas, who's sent to Syria to gain information on who's funding ISIS. When his cover is blown, chaos ensues. When he finds out the truth, he must break the news and then deal with the fallout himself.

St. Martin's Press sent me a package of some older Dewey Andreas book when I asked after I got the "The Island". This one is the worst of the batch. Dewey is in Syria to take out a guy who is being paid by the USA to be a terrorist. WTF? It's the tale of a State Department scheme gone bad, way bad. The question arises early in the reading, for anyone who wants to examine the idea, of why didn't someone cut the money when the bad guy showed his true colors? Anyway, lots of action. Pitifully bad writing of the female characters.

Dewey Andreas has been in some dangerous situations, but in First Strike he is put in a position where he may not survive. When a source inside Syria offers proof of munitions supplied by the US to an Isis leader, Dewey is sent in to provide back-up at the exchange. The informant is discovered and the exchange turns to chaos. Dewey manages to transmit the information shortly before he is captured. He manages to escape but his troubles are only beginning. The information that he sent was used to intercept a huge shipment of arms that has made it to the Mediterranean. Isis leader Tristan Nazir threatens a strike against America unless the shipment is allowed to continue on its’ way and activates a terror cell in New York. Their objective is a dorm at Columbia University as students and their parents arrive for the new semester. With the stairways and roof wired with enough explosives to collapse the entire building and hostages arranged at the windows, Dewey is called in to work with the FBI to find a solution.

Ben Coes’ Dewey Andreas novels are action packed and this one is no exception. He is once again joined by his friends Katie and Tacoma, who provide advice and support as they face the impossible. Fans of Brad Thor, Brad Taylor, or Sean Parnell will definitely want to add Ben Coes to their must read lists. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin Press for providing this book for my review.

This book is the sixth book in a series called Dewey Andreas Thrillers. I don't usually read books out of order, but I thought, why not. As soon as I started reading the first page, I just knew this book would be very well written and very intriguing. The plot is about a man who becomes the leader of ISIS, while this story was fictional, it tells how this man became who he became, and how Dewey Andreas strives to stop him along with many others in the government. Meanwhile, Tristian Nazir orders the terrorist cell to take college students hostage. Yes, sometimes it was bloody and very detailed in some parts of the story, but it shows us that things aren't always what they seemed. Ben Coes did a wonderful job with the book, and for anyone who loves Tom Clancy or even Vince Flynn, you will definitely love this book! I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves to read books such as this one. This is my whole hearted honest opinion.

Who funded ISIS? Can Dewey Andreas stop the arms shipment? I have read First Strike by Ben Coes to find out. This is one of the better books in the series I actually just reread it. I really like the character Dewey and the intense action and dry humor in these books. Even though I sometimes feel that Deweys private life is a little tough, I would love for him to have some luck in life. I must thank @netgalley and @stmartinspress for making this one available to me. If you like actionthrillersuspense books then this is for you.

Fast, tense, and wildly entertaining, FIRST STRIKE grabs readers right away and just doesn‘t let go. Author Ben Coes has a winning protagonist and the ability to propel him into keen action and dynamic situations. This was my first in the series and I am excited that I’ve found extra tales to read. I can‘t wait. The place-setting is excellent and the terror is proximal; this story feels very of-the-moment. Everything depends upon our protagonist, and then, yes, he has a team. Even better. This was a great rollicking book. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

With plenty of action and an indestructible hero, the author adds enough twists and turns to help suspend disbelief and enjoy a good story.

I went back and forth between rating this book a 3 or 4 star. I ended up going with a 4 because when Dewey Andreas is in the book, it is really good. The problem is he is barely in it in the first half of the book. It reminds me a lot of Coup d'Etat, number two in the series, because Dewey isn't in the first half of that book either. I know Mr. Coes is trying to build the story, but you need to have your star in the book. It's like having Wayne Gretzky on your team, but only playing him in the third period. As I did mention, when Dewey is in the book, the story is interesting and moves. Luckily, Dewey is involved heavily in the second half of the book to save it. The book centers around ISIS, it origins, and their attempts to get weapons. I don't want to give too much away, so I won't share much more. I will say the storyline is very unique and interesting. Mr. Coes really knows his stuff, and I really enjoy his writing style. Overall, this was still a pretty good book, just not quite up to the standard set by the rest of the series. The Dewey Andreas series is quickly becoming one of my favs, I suggest you pick one of the books up and find out what you are missing.

Book Review - I consider Ben Coes' First Strike one of his most suspenseful novels in the thriller genre. The characters and approach to the story line are very reminiscent of the later Tom Clancy books actually written by Clancy. The story took a little while to build up momentum, but then became very intense and powerful the further along it went. I thought the description of Dewey Andreas and his team moving through the underground tunnels was particularly intense. Somewhat predictable conclusion, but this book was done very well. I’ve read and reviewed many other authors in this genre and Ben Coes is now one of the best. First Strike was very impressive and Dewey Andreas has become one of my favorite action thriller characters...no shortage of 'badassery' in any of his actions. Keep 'em coming Ben Coes!