Power Down

Dewey Andreas #1

by Ben Coes

Introducing a major new thriller writer--in the vein of Vince Flynn and Brad Thor--and an electrifying character, Dewey Andreas.

A major North American hydroelectric dam is blown up and the largest off-shore oil field in this hemisphere is destroyed in a brutal, coordinated terrorist attack. But there was one factor that the terrorists didn't take into account when they struck the Capitana platform off the coast of Colombia--slaughtering much of the crew and blowing up the platform--and that was the Capitana crew chief Dewey Andreas. Dewey, former Army Ranger and Delta, survives the attack, rescuing as many of his men as possible. But the battle has just begun.

While the intelligence and law enforcement agencies scramble to untangle these events and find the people responsible, the mysterious figure of Alexander Fortuna--an agent embedded into the highest levels of American society and business--sets into play the second stage of these long-planned attacks. The only fly in the ointment is Dewey Andreas--who is using all his long-dormant skills to fight his way off the platform, then out of Colombia and back to the U.S., following the trail of terrorists and operatives sent to stop him.

Power Down is a gripping, compelling debut thriller from Ben Coes, a powerful new author, an amazing talent certain to join the ranks of the genre's finest writers.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Action, Espionage, Audiobook, Suspense, Mystery

614 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 28, 2010

About the author

Hi and thanks for visiting my Goodreads profile!

I'm a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of international political and espionage thrillers. Nine of these books are part of a series featuring Dewey Andreas, including:

Power Down #1
Coup D'Etat #2
The Last Refuge #3
Eye for an Eye #4
Independence Day #5
Trap the Devil #6
First Strike #7
Bloody Sunday #8

The Russian is the first book in a new spin-off series about the Russian Mafia, starring Rob Tacoma.

My next book The Island comes out this summer and is available for pre-order.

All of my books are based on current events and are strongly influenced by friends who are or were in the military, law enforcement, and intelligence circles.

I went to Columbia College and was awarded the university's highest writing award, the Bennett Cerf Memorial Prize for Fiction. I was a White House Intern under Ronald Reagan and served as a White House-appointed speechwriter to the U.S. Secretary of Energy during the Gulf War. I was a Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

I lives in Massachusetts with my wife and children.

I hope you'll visit my website and sign-up for my newsletter: https://bencoes.com

Thanks for being a reader!!

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

If only. If only Coes could have condensed this to less unnecessary gore. If only, Coes could have kept this novel moving in a linear direction instead of laterally all over. If only, the final portion of this novel were interspersed throughout... This would have been much, much better. 4 of 10 stars!

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't expect too much from new thiller authors. It just seems like these novels are so often churned out by formula and tend to concentrate on page-turning action at the expense of proper plotting, characterization, setting, etc. Even some of the old "pros" succomb to this. But Ben Coes has written an absolutely terrific action-thriller novel.

Does it have action? Definitely! Is it a page-turner? You bet. But it also has near flawless plotting that builds the suspense and lets the reader know the characters, truly caring what happens to them. There are edge-of-your seat chase scenes, but they are balanced with a realistic plot that is extremely plausible in our current age. It combines the horror of terrorism (and the body count is quite high) with the financial markets, and with the US infrastructure power systems as targets. The idea of a terrorist group of a different stripe and with different motivations is a welcome change to the landscape of thriller fiction. The author has certainly done his homework, whether it comes to off shore oil platforms, electricity grids, or the ins and outs of hedge funds. And the character of Dewey Andreas, former Army Ranger and Delta, has all the makings of a new Jack Reacher, Mitch Rapp, or Dirk Pitt.

This novel will be available in the US in October 2010. It's complete in this one volume but the epilogue clearly leaves room for sequels. If so, I will be among the first in line to get the next book!

[gert · Rating 1 out of 5]

U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! ......

not my cup o'tea, absolutely. perhaps people who appreciate this genre - a subset of a thriller, i guess - would like it, but i spent most of the book shaking my head, and resisting the urge to throw my ipad across the room.

very manly man - but not in a good way, imho - some borderline misogyny (where's the freakin' women? cooking? darning socks?) and ridiculous situations. the hero most likely wears tighty-whities, crushes beer cans, watches fox news, and does not believe in either foreplay or snuggling.

if you're into mucho macho'murican heroes, then this is for you. if you're looking for a somewhat realistic political thriller, keep walking.

[Hokie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is obvious that Ben Coes was a speech writer. He’s a political hack that does not pay attention to details and has obviously never worked in the real world. Only a politician would describe a dam as being built on the edge of the SEA. Dams are built on rivers. And who puts a building on the bottom of the ocean – hundreds of feet underwater – and has an iris scanner on the door? Those are the big points that are not believable. He misses a lot of small details as well – too many to go into. He’s a good writer and the storyline is actually pretty good, but the errors make it hard to buy into the plot. If you like unbelievable fluff, then this book is for you. If you want something that has some realistic and well researched details as well as a great plot with grit and suspense, try a Vince Flynn novel.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This debut thriller parallels Vince Flynn and Brad Thor's finest works, using great military antics, espionage, and a believable storyline that keeps the reader turning pages well into the night. Coes constructs an excellent plot and adds characters that enhance it, proving that he should stand amongst some of the best the genre has to offer.

I was not sure where the story would go in the opening chapters and could not see the thread to tie it all together. That said, Coes injected countless twists and turns into the story that kept me wanting to learn more about the story, the characters, and the ending. Great research and descriptive narration (as well as excellent dialogue usage) helped bring the story off the page and helped me discover that Coes is surely an author to keep on hand when you need a jolt of action and don't mind reading late into the night.

Kudos, Mr. Coes. Your opening book was amazing and I am sure the next one will be equally as thrilling.

[Scott A. Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uh Oh... Coes is really good. I’ve been sitting on this one for more than a year. That was a mistake. DA is going to be fun to watch. I loved how Coes melded thrills, financial markets and government. Absolutely loved it.

The ending was satisfying but there’s a lot more to come. Andreas is going to be the hunted one in book two it seems. I’m not going to wait very long to read the next one. Wow.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good to great read and I've already sent for the next volume in the "series". Many of you who've read any of my other reviews will have noticed right away that I went 5 stars as a rating.

Now why is that?

This novel starts out a little slowly. That at first caused me to consider going 4 stars...but then I noted that I never lost interest in the book and I was often loathe to put the book down when I needed to.

So, 5 stars.

Here we follow the story from a couple of points of view and primarily from the viewpoint of Dewy Andreas. Dewy is an ex-Army Ranger, ex-Delta member. He was in a real way, "screwed" by the powers that be who were over him after his years of service.

Sadly this has on occasion happened, hard as that might be to believe.

Caught in the midst of a large, deadly, damaging, well coordinated and completely unexpected terrorist assault aimed for multiple targets our participants scramble to not only stay alive but save thousands of other lives...and more.

While this isn't exactly comparable to say Vince Flynn or Brad Thor it is in it's own right an excellent read and a completely enthralling one. You'll get a bit of suspense, a bit of intrigue and you will get the action. I can recommend this one, enjoy.

[Sean Peters (A Good Thriller) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well firstly I have to get a few statements out !!

After one book Ben Coes has gone to my list of favourite authors...

This is the largest book I have ever read in number of pages at 640 pages...

This is one of the best books ever read, and an epic story...

This book is full of fantastic full detailed characters, good and bad...

The start of the Dewey Andreas books, but many more great personalities that deserve great credit in this book...

Introducing a major new thriller writer--in the vein of Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, Lee Childs, Tom Wood, Mark Dawson --and an electrifying character, Dewey Andreas...

Full of military antics, espionage, and a believable storyline that keeps the reader turning pages well into the night....

Power Down was one of the most amazing books I have read in a long time. I absolutely LOVE how Ben Coes tells a story, builds the characters, teases you with great chapters and sub plots.

This book is full of page turning action, suspense and gripping story.
A major North American hydroelectric dam is blown up and the largest off-shore oil field in this hemisphere is destroyed in a brutal, coordinated terrorist attack. But there was one factor that the terrorists didn't take into account when they struck the Capitana platform off the coast of Colombia--slaughtering much of the crew and blowing up the platform--and that was the Capitana crew chief Dewey Andreas. Dewey, former Army Ranger and Delta, survives the attack, rescuing as many of his men as possible. But the battle has just begun.
While the intelligence and law enforcement agencies scramble to untangle these events and find the people responsible, the mysterious figure of Alexander Fortuna--an agent embedded into the highest levels of American society and business--sets into play the second stage of these long-planned attacks. The only fly in the ointment is Dewey Andreas--who is using all his long-dormant skills to fight his way off the platform, then out of Colombia and back to the U.S., following the trail of terrorists and operatives sent to stop him.

Power Down is a gripping, compelling debut thriller from Ben Coes, a powerful new author, an amazing talent certain to join the ranks of the genre's finest writers!!

Loved this book, five stars, now waiting on my kindle, book number two in the series..

[L.A. Starks · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is unusual to read an author who knows something about the energy business, so I especially enjoyed this book. Lots of action. I have concerns here and there about what's wrong--energy production is never as concentrated in one source as Coes suggests, and security would be higher, but he does a good job of indicating our infrastructure risks and coming up with some plausible motivations for his villain. If you like Vince Flynn, you'll enjoy this book for sure.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is not too often that I will give a book a 5 Star rating, however in this case I believe it is well deserved. Ben Coes has an excellent first book here in Power Down. The story is well developed and believably written, the characters are not super heroes, nor do they have wild gadgets to do their work - they seem to be real people acting in a believable manner. Coes develops three story lines, weaves them together into a story that will keep you up late turning pages.

The story opens on an oil rig off of South America which is destroyed by terrorists, only through the fast actions of the crew chief, Dewey Andreas are the lives of several members of the crew saved. Next an electric generating facility in off the Canadian coast is destroyed and again, with a bit of luck there are some survivors, what links these and future events together is the embedded terrorist Alexander Fortuna, who is running the terrorist cells in America to wipe out the infrastructure.

This book has the makings of an excellent movie, including the ending which leaves open the possibility of another Dewey Andreas story. I can hardly wait . . .

[David Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this thriller. Lots of explosive action and a world wide conspiracy. Dewey was not always the center of action and that surprised me as well. He was a big factor in the end and then he was the center of the action. I did love the ending. I certainly plan to read more adventures from this author. My digital library has most of Dewey's adventures so I am set for a while.

[GymGuy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The action is okay and the premise is too, but the detail!! They defy all description!!

I love good action novels, but at least the basic details of the story need to be plausible. An oil drilling platform 260 miles off the coast of Columbia...yeah I can believe that. What I can't believe is that billions of dollars would be entrusted to a team of total incompetent violent ne'er-do-wells. Yeah, I might believe a huge hydroelectric facility in Canada. But one that is 3000 feet high (twice as high as the highest skyscraper in NYC, and on an ISLAND off the coast of Baffin Island north of the Hudson Bay?? And where are they supposed to get the water to fill that dam? On what river?? (Oh yeah, I forgot about that great river...the Amazon of the Arctic...Not!) Built on the edge of a SEA? Come on!! Even the plot build-up was way too slow.

I about gagged on the RaRaRa America stuff touting energy independence by creating a single mega corporation. Where was the SEC on this one?? Yeah, I'm pro-American, but this kind of stuff was so over the top as to make even a Tea Partier gag.

This book is so OTL. Either the author was clueless about what he was writing about or expected his audience to be. ...And this guy was a White House speechwriter. Doesn't give much credibility to what comes out of politicians' mouths. Holy Crap! Did I just discover something?

[Pamela Small · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1 in the Dewey Andreas series! This compelling and suspenseful debut novel offers a complex, unique and thrilling plot and introduces us to dynamic, full characters. Ben Coes is the new man on the espionage thrillers block!

A note: I started this novel a few years ago, and put it down because the economics and financial acquisitions seemed slow and very boring. Hang in! The background boardroom stuff is just that - background that is foundational! Then begins the non stop action - dynamite!

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good action, keeps you on the edge of your seat right to the end. Frustratingly smart bad guys who carry out many successful attacks. Interesting plot and characters. I'll be reading more of his stuff. 4 Stars

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Dewey Andreas series. Since I've read 3 through 7, it was nice to read the first one of the series for the backstory of the MC, Dewey.

I enjoyed the start of his story. This was an entertaining read. There was always a lot going on and many people to keep track of, but I liked that the story was in constant motion. That is one of the things that I have come to expect from this author. He does that well, and his vivid imagination makes his stories fun. I also liked that the MC is deeply flawed and makes no excuses.

I did have to start this book a few times, trying to get the story lines and the characters straight, but overall, I enjoyed it and the satisfying ending.

[Terence M [on a brief semi-hiatus] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook - 16:22 Hours - Narrator: Peter Hermann
4.0 Stars of 5.0 - "I really liked it"
I listened to this probably six or more years ago, in the days when I awarded X-Stars to a book, but although I clearly remember enjoying this novel, in those days I wasn't bothered with writing a review or other comments.

18/04/2020: I am commenting now because I intend to try another one or two books by Ben Coes, following a good review of "Dewey Andreas, #5" by GR reader Benjamin Thomas, today.

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm really not sure what to say about this book. If you're a fan of thrillers similar to Flynn, Thor, Child, and you can put aside the serious holes in this story, then maybe you'll like it. There's more holes than what you'd find in your average block of Swiss cheese though, so be ready to put reality aside and just accept the fact that this is like cotton candy; there's nothing nutritious to be gained, it just tastes pretty good at the time.

Just a few examples of things that I found very difficult to set aside (maybe the author has grown since this novel but if not...): A hydroelectric dam that separates a sea or ocean from a river would not direct current from the ocean. Rivers flow to oceans, not the other way around. I won't even bother with the obvious flaws with having a dam on an island. Secondly, heads do not "explode" when shot with a pistol. I don't care what movie you saw this in, it just doesn't happen... Dewey gets shot in what is initially described as his 'shoulder', then it's described as 'puncturing the top of his bicep near the shoulder joint'. That's all fine until he makes a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. Unless Dewey is cursed with an anatomy unlike the rest of the human race, blood flows from your heart, not from your extremities so there would be no way to tourniquet a wound of that nature. Finally, for the love of all things related to weaponry, please stop calling 'magazines' 'clips'. They're not clips... If you learn nothing else, please learn this because if you're going to write novels about SF guys and you have them calling magazines clips, then you should just go back to writing speeches or romance novels because you don't know anything about firearms.

Update: I've officially given up on this book and lowered my rating to one star. This guy actually wrote "What's the first right listed in the Constitution? Life." Uhhhh... No. That's the Declaration of Independence. Not good...

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I go into a book like this hoping for a little bit of espionage and a lot more action of the "highly-trained-bad-ass" variety. This book did give me a dose of the former; some well-structured scenes of the latter; and a boatload of fictional political creations who spend dozens upon dozens of pages...talking...planning...talking some more...and wondering what the hell just happened 30 pages previous.

Here's my problem with back-room political scenes: I know what happened 30 pages previous. I was there, courtesy of the author. I know who the bad guy/girl is, I know what this individual wants, I might even know the full extent of said baddie's plans. You don't know it, and neither does the hero, and, yes, the resulting mystery adds to the tension that this kind of book (isn't there a genre called "thrillers?") can provide; all this being true, how does it add up to these dozens of pages of talking heads groping for solutions when I know that the final result will involve a highly-trained bad ass putting on the hurt?

If I really want to read about the power structures in government behind the war on terror, I will look for appropriate books of the non-fiction sort; here, I'm just looking for heroic exploits that border on the ridiculous while being fun.

I did get some of those, and reading this was, for the most part, a breeze. Years, from now, I may remember the stray scene or two.

[Marty Fried · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this first Dewey Andreas book. It reminds me of Tom Clancy books in a way, in the way it glorifies the military and makes super-heroes out of characters and super-villains out of the bad guys. But that's OK, if you don't look for realism in your action comics - oops, I mean books. Star Wars wasn't very realistic, either, but I enjoyed that series.

Dewey Andreas is sort of a Jack Reacher type, if Jack Reacher ever turned into a hard-drinking, bitter old guy that enjoys killing people. But I think Jack Reacher is too clean-cut to ever become that type of person.

But aside from all this, I did enjoy the book. Really, it would have made a good super-hero action comic book, or whatever they're called nowadays - I don't read them. Lots of killing bad guys, or anyone that looks like a bad guy. It's the type of book you can't take seriously, like some people seem to do. I liked the old Tom Clancy books, too, until they began too much over-the-top liberal bashing preachiness that detracted too much from the story.

So I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure how much I can take, and I don't know if I'll read more. I believe this type of book needs some humor; it takes itself too seriously. One of the great things about Arnold Schwarzenegger movies is the humor, where he sometimes seems to make fun of himself.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first in the Dewey Andreas series and I still love it. Dewey is my favorite fictional character right now. He is a bada$$ with a soft spot for his country. He's a super hero and does super hero things, like get every last bad guy. The action sequences are top-notch! And it doesn't hurt that there are several high-performance cars that get beat and banged up! Very highly recommend this series. You must start at the beginning so that you understand Dewey's backstory and the relationships between people.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a ride! This book was action packed and would make a great movie. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Dewey Andreas is a great character, strong and flawed and very driven. I’m looking forward to more Dewey!

[Mike French · Rating 5 out of 5]

A GREAT thriller! A page turner from the get go to the last page.

[ElaineY · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEW OF AUDIOBOOK; DECEMBER 28, 2015
Narrator: Peter Hermann

This ended up one of my top books of the year despite a slowish start. I'd had this on my TBR for a couple of months, too caught up with Mitch Rapp to want to go elsewhere for my action flick. I did try Jack Reacher a few times but, again, never got past two chapters so I wasn't expecting much from this series. I had, after all, given up on Brad Thor's Scot Harvath.

If, like me, you're a woman and don't find anything intriguing about being stuck on an oil rig with a bunch of greasy, sweaty, smelly men (unless it's that time of the month and anything goes), don't give up on the book. It speeds up after the initial stroll and continues on at breakneck speed right to the end.

I loved PD because Coes gave me a different type of jihadist in Alex Fortuna. The same ol' Arab terrorist monologues and dialogues have become so tired that I wish Alex Fortuna would be a regular character, or that there will be more like him in the other books. There was not a dull moment in this book once it picked up steam and the ending left me unable to want anything else but the next installment - which I already have uploaded on my phone, of course.

Readers who enjoy financial thrillers will, no doubt, enjoy following Fortuna's plan and see his strategy from the start as it is Fund ManagementManipulation 101. Sort of. Coe's writing style resonated with me in a way Brad Thor's did not and I'd utterly relieved to have found another action-thriller writer on par with the late Vince Flynn.

[Jordy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I really enjoyed it. Great fast-paced thriller.

Few points-

-having so many viewpoint characters across many locations and the constant jumping between them made it feel disjointed at times
- Dewey Andreas is a great character - I wish he was in more chapters than he was
- I was a little disappointed with the ending - seemed a little unrealistic

I will read the next book though at some point

[Pierre Tassé (Enjoying Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first time reading Ben Coes and I enjoyed it. I found the writing to be easy to read and kept me on edge. Things that happened were plausible and that gave me the thrill I was seeking. I liked it so much I went on to his second book. I hope you enjoy it as well. If you like, Thor, Baldacci, WEB Griffin (Presidential Agent) you'll enjoy this one.

[Kelley Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! I'll post my review later today!

Just won this book on a first-reads giveaway! Really excited to give it a shot, especially when the discription mentions that the book is similar to a Vince Flynn novel, and Vince Flynn is one of my all time favorites!

[Anne Patkau · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Power Down" means abort mission. I like the title, meaning, twist. Long ago, a CIA trainer texted the message to his student nearing target, saving student. Later, the junior texts back in time to save teacher. But older Buck is now traitor.

Fights and chases suit thriller. Change of location makes little difference when inside rooms, whether boring board-room cross-agency committee meeting or scenic condo High Park view. "Dewey" suggests 'dewy-eyed maiden heiress' rather than big hunky hero to me.

Go for this if you're in the mood for curses, villain decadence, understand agency and trading jargon. I like title, ending, buildup, no prolonged torture, may try new thriller authors before continuing this series. My opinion comes first here so you can read how much you have time for.

"If a government, ally or otherwise, even so much as knew of the existence of the attacks, and didn't let us know, we have, and you'll excuse my French, a serious f-ing problem" p 162. We know whodunit at Nunavut dam and Columbia rig -- Arabs paid by filthy (and) rich Alexander Fortuna.

"I can't afford to sit still at all" p 160. How does Dewey elude pursuit? Who survives, who dies -- and how? Dewey overcomes everyone sent against him, then the ultimate, last, Kalim. Without go-to Kalim, Fortuna is helpless, defenceless, found out.

"KKB merger with Anson Energy" p 282. Switch scenes to Aspen. Another thread has small company owner who doesn't want to sell out to larger company. They meet in Aspen. Assassin attacks. Marks was former Delta Force, seemed sure to win. But he goes down, bleeding out. Only "left him for dead" .. "Somehow survived" p 294. Phew.

"Obscene money to a government official like Vick Buck -- worked" p 169. "Vick Buck, CIA .. bald man with a friendly face" p 125 at first impression, is "all about greed" p 288. "For more than fifteen years, Vick Buck had also been Petr Dmitrov. And Petr Dmitrov was very, very rich." p 287. Buck sells out, inside man on the team headed by Jane Epstein. When she won't look at him, Buck decides to kill her.

When Jane comes home for a shower, Buck lifts his knife. CIA agent, former junior, texts him "Power Down", saves Jane, allows Buck to flee. But Dewey chases Buck down to his safe island refuge for death, final justice.

"Programmed into the speed dial." of a remote. "All forty-one" p 262 more planned disasters. The sooner this villain is taken down, the safer America will be.

"When you share a tent with someone for a year, when you learn to plan, to fight, to kill together, when you share so much, you can never remove that bond" p 203.
Sleeper agents with fake identites and histories are hidden in cleaner-maintenance levels of 41 dangerous sites like atomic power plants.

"He's cute. Should we take him upstairs and f-his brains out?" "In Russian, the blonde said to the brown haired beauty"
"That would be nice" responds Fortuna "in perfect Russian" p 261.
Fortuna does whores, alcohol, cocaine, hangs around with high fliers, but is fallen into vile dissipation, not "the soul of the infidel" p 293. He is bad. 'Good riddance to bad rubbish.'

Little secret seems not worth wait for big reveal. Why does Fortuna have both an adopted and biological father? "Not Mohammed. Aswan. From Broumana. Your real father" p 165. How and why were they separated?

Aswan recognized his son's intelligence, hatred, ability to plan, all at early age of seven, tore from his bed without explanation, for Mohammed with monetary advantages and high terrorist connections. When child aged seven, is not adult more likely to want to see those abilities, than such abilities truly be exhibited?

"Their parents both died of cancer" p 213. Can I get away from cancer in a book? Any book? Why not? When a minor role is expanded with biography, they don a Star Trek red shirt, doomed. We are supposed to feel their loss more deeply if we know more details of their history? personality? legacy? How much their loss changes their world? Fortuna orders hits on brokers who made his trades, profited millions, knowing the two disasters would happen, before they did. Once the brokers figure out his fore-knowledge, they are liabilities. Stock stuff is stultifying.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story had potential but my enjoyment was marred by several issues:

1. Dewey, the supposed protagonist, was on page for only about a third of the book. The rest was filled by the POVs of various good and bad guys.

2. Coes revealed a bit too much of the bad guys for a thriller. For example, the mole in the government was identified right away to the reader, killing one big potential source of suspense.

3. Dewey’s character was inconsistent, going from being committed to avenging his men to saying he was quitting before finding any of the major villains and then back on course to hunting down the bad guys, all with no explanation for his shifts.

4. In any work if fiction, there has to be some suspension of disbelief, but sometimes it just gets ridiculous. One example: a character falling five stories to a stone floor without significant injuries. (Drop and roll, are you kidding me!?)

5. I admit I’m a stickler for details and it just ticks me off when authors get lazy. The descriptions of some aspects of the hydroelectric dam and the oil platform struck me as off, and I’m sure if I knew more about each it would have annoyed me even more. But even little things that would be easy to check were wrong. A couple examples off the top of my head from the end of the book: Australia being brutally hot at a time when the Southern Hemisphere would be in winter, Lebanon being described as a thousand miles away from eastern Australia when it is closer to 8000 miles.

Even with these irksome issues, I did enjoy the story. A friend who loves the series assures me things get better, so I likely will continue to see for myself.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Power Down is the written equivalent of a Steven Seagal movie. I gave it three stars, because it's definitely a page-turner. It's a quick, fun read. But to enjoy it, you have to suspend critical thinking. There are clear factual errors, and there are plot elements that don't add up. The way some of the people in this act, while America awaits salvation from the one man who can save us, is just silly and, at some level, disrespectful to the people who really keep us safe every day. I don't think the author means to be disrespectful--he's just supporting his protagonist's indispensability. To do that, however, he has made some of the police, federal agents and others who go in harm's way, into hapless buffoons.

I can't dismiss this simply by saying that it's for people who think an American flag sticker on their car makes them patriotic. It's a better book than that, although that certainly is a major target audience. But I also have problems with the errors that a good editor/fact-checker should have caught, as well as the video game feel of it. Overall, a fun read, but it's not on the level of Daniel Silva, Alex Berenson or Michael Connelly!

[Claudette · Rating 1 out of 5]

Life is too short to read drivel like this. I got to page 80 and there were so many editing mistakes it was silly to continue when it's all I was able to focus on. One chapter it's summer, the next it's winter (same stuff going on) and the summer night never get dark 3 miles from the equator. Then one character is described as a young man who fought in Vietnam. Add to that the constant barrage of America is great, the Middle East is bad, and as I said before, life is too short. On to the next book. Goodreads recommendations have been very poor, by the way.