The Russian
A Novel
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4.3 • 1.7K Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
"This new series has me very excited." —Brad Thor
As the brutal Russian mafia becomes the most powerful and deadly criminal enterprise in the U.S., it’s up to covert operative Rob Tacoma to fight back, in a new series by New York Times bestseller Ben Coes.
Ruthless, clever, and unbelievably violent, the Russian mafia has rapidly taken over the criminal underworld in the U.S. and law enforcement has been unable to stem the tide. When a powerful Russian mob family declares war by publicly executing two high-profile American politicians, the message is unmistakable – opposition will be met with overwhelming deadly force. With no other viable options, the President creates a clandestine assassinations team to find and eliminate the unreachable men running this deadly criminal operation.
The CIA recruits two Tier 1 operators – former Navy SEALs Billy Cosgrove and Rob Tacoma. But before they can even get started, the Russians act – murdering Cosgrove in his own home. Now Tacoma is on his own against an organization with endless resources and no boundaries. Step one requires the near impossible - find and kill the hidden mob boss behind Cosgrove’s death. To do this, he’ll have to take on an army in a battle where there are no rules and no limits.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
The first book in Ben Coes’ new series is a thrill-packed cat-and-mouse game that blasts along like an atomic-powered roller coaster. Rob Tacoma, who first appeared as a supporting character in the best-selling Dewey Andreas novels, is a textbook Coes hero—a former Navy SEAL and CIA agent, he’s unwaveringly patriotic and ready to defend his country against any threat. This time, it’s a vicious gang of Russian mobsters who have assassinated the head of a covert unit assigned to neutralize them, which means Tacoma has to face the bad guys on his own. With enough violent action and political chicanery to fill many books, this thriller will satisfy Coes’ die-hard fans and newcomers alike.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This nifty thriller from bestseller Coes (Bloody Sunday) introduces private operative Rod Tacoma, a former Navy SEAL and friend of the author's series hero, Dewey Andreas, who makes a cameo appearance. A faction of the Russian mob carries out two high-level assassinations of a Republican senator and a Democratic governor, both leaders in the fight against the Russian mafia as a warning to the U.S. government to get out of their business. The CIA forms a special kill unit to go after the Russians. After a pair of assassins kill the original team leader, Tacoma takes over the operation. The odds are stacked against him because the Russians own a traitor in the government, the senior California senator, who keeps the bad guys apprised of the operation from its very inception. In the exciting climax, Tacoma goes hand-to-hand with the Russian mob boss. Authentic tradecraft and top-notch action scenes propel the plot. Coes continues to more than hold his own in a crowded thriller field.
Customer Reviews
Great Book!!!!
Fast moving and very well written. I enjoyed the cast of characters and the story immensely.
Formulaic
Interesting characters, but very standard plot line. Bad thing happens, avenging person works their way up the food chain to find out who did it. It’s like the Mickey Rourke character from Sin City “I find someone who knows more than me and then I violently ask them questions until they tell me what I need to know.”
The Russian
A definite drop off from the Dewey Andreas series. Lack of detail and a thin plot that didn’t end well, kind of cut off without a lot of plot.