Amazon.com: Customer reviews: First Strike: A Thriller (A Dewey Andreas Novel Book 6)

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Coes writes the fiction illustration of Gorka's nonfiction book on jihad

Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2016

This fiction book puts people and events to illustrate the nonfiction of Gorka's Defeating Jihad. Gorka defines the jihad, caliphate, place, violence, and power. Coes shows what this looks like and what the defeat of jihad terrorism looks like. Both show the philosophical bases for the ISIS and IS evil. Both offer means for America to win.
I read this in a day...in the day before the horrific terror in Nice, France (July 14, 2016). I believe Coes and Gorka portray the big picture which includes the bloodiest of mayhem in the name of evil...evil who want a caliphate, a place, and total control of believers only.
The ending of First Strike surprised me. I needed to return to the first 10 percent of the kindle version to recall how Dewey and Daisy entered the story line as friends. In a way, the domestic simplicity of family and friends offered a balance to the horrible violence of the IS evil.
Also surprising was Dewey's survival, given his multiple injuries in multiple time zones. To fight the jihad evil, good guys will get hurt or die.

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Not Bad, Not Great

Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2019

For an Andreas book this was not one of the best. First, Dewey was not that prominent and took a back seat to the overall story. Second, the ending was anticlimactic. It just ended and there was no talk of what went on at the school or anything else. While it was a decent book, I am disappointed after the last page-turner.

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From the United States

Ronaele Whittington

Coes writes the fiction illustration of Gorka's nonfiction book on jihad

Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2016

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Great Plot Line

Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2018

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A great plot - plenty of twists and surprises. I read the eighth book in this series by Ben Coes first. I was impressed and went back, bought the other seven books and have been reading them in order of publication. That is the order in which these books should be read, as the characters and story line link together as the series progresses.

When one is reading one of the Dewey Andreas series the reader must always remember that Dewey is for all intents and purposes indestructible. He can be shot, stabbed, and thrown from tall buildings, and he will get up and still perform at the highest levels possible for a human. Just accept that, put your brain on hold in that regard, and you will find the books enjoyable.

In this case Dewey takes on ISIS - so, there is plenty of Middle East action, as well as action that ends up in New York City.

As in prior books in this series, the author has Arab terrorists using UZI sub-machine guns. They would never use the UZI, an Israeli weapon. Also, as in prior books, the author needs to learn that a hijab is only worn by women, and that Dewey would not be wearing one as he ran from the firefight. The author does not know weapons, but, in this book he has avoided many of the errors he had in prior books in the series - however, at one point he has Dewey move the fire selector on his weapon to "auto-hail". There is no such setting on any full auto firearm. It may not sound as dramatic, but the normal settings would be "semi", "burst" and "full".

As to grammar, page 90 the author ends a sentence with a preposition, and on page 341, he again shows that he does not understand the difference between the words "bring" and "take" - he seems to most always use the word "bring" when he should be using "take". In another case, page 380, he has Dewey say "What do you got?" - Just bad grammar.

To me these things are annoying as I read, as I am sure they are to other readers. But, not enough to take away from the overall enjoyment of the book.

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Douglas Barrow

Andreas Is Back in Fine Form!

Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2016

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Some of Ben Coes best work. Just a fantastic story. Had me turning pages as fast as I could. I was reading at my usual slow pace at first, then it was time for me to report for jury duty. Took my trusty Kindle knowing how the wheels of justice turn ever so slowly, figuring I could get in several chapters. Well got there at 7:30 am and was not released until 12:00 noon. I blew through the book in record time (for me). Man it was good.

Dewy has to go to Syria so he finds his way into ISIS controlled territory looking to find out who ISIS is getting weapons and funding. In a wild shootout and chase through the streets Dewy is taken to his limits to get the information and then send it to the CIA before his killed or captured. Tense!

When he is finally back in the U.S. Dewy along with teammates Tacoma, Katie and the FBI had to find a way to take down a cell of murderous ISIS terrorists who had taken control of a building on the Columbia University campus. They were threatening to kill students if they don't get what they wanted. How the team attempts to do this is dangerous, exciting and tense, and not without risks. They have to overcome some serious impediments to get the job done.

It's a thrilling story and well worth a read.

By the way, the final chapter had me trying to keep from laughing out loud in the quiet as church mouse jury assembly room down and the courthouse!

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Richard L. Cooper

Incredible!

Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2016

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Wow! What a roller coaster ride of a book. Intense with non-stop action. The book is very timely as the creation of ISIS starts the wild ride. Dewey Andreas and his close friends are once again called to save the US from losing its way of life. The first half of the book centers on Dewey getting information on arms sent to ISIS by the US government. Dewey is captured, but because his captors didn't kill him, he escapes.
The second half of the book focuses on hostage rescue with Dewey leading the effort. There are several other surprises which I won't divulge, but they add to the already intense action.
I have read read all of Mr. COES books and this was by far the best. Too bad it takes him a year to write. Great book! Couldn't put it down. Enjoy.

9 people found this helpful

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This series just gets better and better

Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2017

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I must say that I have been a long time fan of this series; the Dewey Andreas series and I must say that after reading this offering my opinion has not changed.

In this story Ben Coes has his hero Dewey going up against the leader and actually the founder of ISIS, a more vicious and evil villain I have run across in a fictional work in a long, long time. I like a good action tale such as this where you can really get into disliking the bad guy(s) and spend page after page hoping for a dreadful ending of them.

As with all the books in this series this one is filled with action and it does have a most satisfactory body count by the last page. It is also filled with nice little twists and turns and surprises. Unlike some of the past novels in this series, Dewey does not have to fight his own people and can concentrate of the main source – a very, very bad man and his almost equally rotten minions. The story is taken, more or less, from the headlines of today...sad to say.

Now some have complained that the author does not release these novels as fast as they would like. I have to tell you that I would like to see more coming out at a quicker pace but fear that if the author started cranking these stories out three and four a year like some “A-List” authors do his work would suffer as to quality and creativity. I am happy (sort of) to wait and not get fed a much of blah, blah, blah...something we seem to be getting a lot of as of late. Hope Coes hangs in their and does not let the good story telling fall by the wayside.

An excellent read and I have no complaints.

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Michael G Kurilla

Sightseeing in Syria, then back to college for Dewey

Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2017

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Ben Coes' First Strike is the sixth installment in the Dewey Andreas franchise. What beings as a routine mission for Dewey to bring some critical intel out of Syria, builds to a edge of the seat, nonstop thriller. The basic premise is that ISIS is an unfortunate result that has gotten out of hand by a naive Defense official trying to support moderate Middle East elements with the deal to leave the US alone. Naturally, all this has gone south by the time Dewey enters the picture. After initially being a one man wrecking crew in Syria, Dewey must deal with a college dormitory hostage situation that just happens to include Hector's daughter.

Dewey's tradecraft gets a full work out this time out. The action scenes are frequent and well detailed. In addition, Dewey offers several creative responses to extracting himself from tough situations. At the same time, there is also plenty of involvement by supporting players to avoid the one man show syndrome so common with many pseudo-thrillers. Finally, Coes continues to provide Dewey with fresh scenarios that avoid staleness and repetition.

2 people found this helpful

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Dewey Andreas bring his personal brand of World War III to bear against ISIS

Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2016

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Another great story by Ben Coes, and timely, as Dewey Andreas fights against ISIS. He’s sent on a dangerous (of course) mission to war-torn Syria to exfiltrate a top ISIS defector. What he’s got? Proof that a CIA operation gone wrong led to the terrorist group’s creation, and that the CIA continues to arm it out of secret funds. How did THAT happen?

Meanwhile an ISIS cell in the US launches a terrifying mission: the takeover of a Columbia dorm on Move-In Day, with hundreds of parents and students taken hostage while others are killed in the takeover or executed on television.

Dewey brings his personal World War III to bear first against ISIS in Syria after they take him captive, planning to behead him on live television, and then, after he escapes, against the terrorists in New York. CIA Director Hector Calibrisi’s daughter Daisy - whom Dewey is becoming sweet on in his non-verbal big-lug-from-Maine total-denial kind of way - is among the hostages in a dorm wired to blow up if entered from any angle. Dewey leads a team of his private-security-expert sidekicks Rob and Katie, aided by the Russian hacker Igor who starred in a previous story, to penetrate the impenetrable building. You have to pray for their rotten terrorist souls. Dewey? Calibrisi’s daughter? A terrorist leader whose first name is Sirhan? (Like Bobby Kennedy’s assassin.) You know it won’t end well for the jihadis.

Coes as usual does not pull any punches, both in the unimaginable savagery ISIS wreaks on its victims, and in the vengeful violence Andreas and Co. exact when it’s their turn. Coes uses his usual fine background material on such elements as how the terrorists wire the dorm to blow up. ISIS leader Tristan Nazir, an Oxford-educated Muslim, is an interesting character. I give this one five headshots with gruesomely exploding skulls.

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Jennifer

Can I Give More Than 5 Stars?

Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2017

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This one was hands down so far Coes best yet!!
If I could have given it 10 Stars I would have. I started this and could not put it down. I have been waiting to read this for some time now. I went back and reread from the beginning all the Dewey Andreas series from book one just to refresh my memory until I got to this one here and I am glad I did. This one was quite a ride.

To think you have this one individual who is set up by our own government with weapons and given way too much power thinking this person will work with our government instead turns around and builds his own network of power called ISIS. Then when a shipment of arms is stopped from being sent to this megalomaniac he sends his US cell to take a college dorm hostage.

I cannot think of nothing scarier than our own government working in tandem with those maniacs. Thank goodness this book is fiction. But Ben Coes makes you think that's for sure. At least me he does. This story is SCARY GOOD!!!!!! I don't know how else to say it. If you haven't read this one yet you need to. I guarantee you won't regret it. Thanks For the ride Ben Coes~Your Faithful Reader

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Carl Clause

CC1

Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2021

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Excellent is the only words I can come up with. The plot story layout was excellent. Dewey slowly move on after death of Jennifer. He gets tied up in that Syria mess. And Kohl comes to his rescue. Then after nearly dyeing there he takes on Columb of. to rescue all the college kids at Columbia. Mark Riddick should have been hung up by his nuts. But to stay the least a 10 star plus read. I. stumbled on to Ben by reading the Russian. What a great stumble!!!! Thanks, Carl Clause

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William W. Viergever

from Aleppo to NY ... Dewey's on the move again !!

Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2016

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stumbled on Dewey in Ben's first book and really liked him/it ... he had a cool background, sort of an amalgam of protagonists from Jason Bourne, to Jack Reacher, and to Scot Horvath, Pike Logan & John Milton ... also - Dewey has some great supporting characters that flesh ouot Ben's stories ... anyway got hooked on Ben's first book and have enjoyed all subsequent ones ... but this one seemed to take it up a notch ... very poignant and timely ... definitely NOT out of the realm of possibilites vis-a-vis our gov't (sorry - don't want to spoil) ... grab it --and maybe a cold beer-- and sit down for a great read

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First Strike: A Thriller (A Dewey Andreas Novel Book 6)

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