Ben Coes’s writing is enthralling and captivating as much as it is brutal, but the most thrilling aspect of his spy thriller novels is the realistic nature of the books. This article on how to read all of Ben Coes books in order will be your ultimate guide on where to begin.
Before we jump headfirst into the list of Ben Coes books in order, let’s learn a little bit more about the author himself and his star character, Dewey Andreas.
Who is Dewey Andreas?
Dewey Andreas is the main character of Ben Coes popular international espionage series of the same name.
At the beginning of the series Andreas has been discharged from the military for a crime he didn’t commit. However, when Andreas then manages to survive a terrorist attack, saving others and stopping the men responsible, the CIA hires him to protect the US and stop further terrorist attacks.
Andreas is presented as the alpha male in almost every situation, but Coes also depicts a fully fleshed, realistic character. He has both strengths and weaknesses.
Andreas is willing to do whatever is necessary to serve and protect his country, even at his own peril. He is cunning, skillful, and strategic in his pursuit of the enemy, and therefore always a thorn in their side.
About Ben Coes
Since his debut novel in 2010 Ben Coes has published nine more books, but his career as a writer began much earlier than that.
Ben Coes graduated from Columbia University where he received the Bennett Cerf Memorial Prize, a writing award, at graduation. He was then a White House-appointed speechwriter to the Secretary of Energy during the Gulf War. He had previously worked under Ronald Reagan at the White House.
Coes also worked in the oil sector before starting two companies.
The experience he acquired during his time at the White House is apparent in his books, which are both brutal and captivating. Coes emphasizes that the conflicts he presents in his books — of hostages, threats, and assassinations — are all within the realm of possibility. That is, if they aren’t already happening.
Coes’s godfather was a Navy SEAL and he also credits him for his valor and service, from which he draws inspiration. Coes has become a bestselling author on lists such as the New York Times, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal.
While Coes grew up in Connecticut, he now lives in Wellesley, Massachusetts with his wife and four children.
Ben Coes Books in Order by Series
The best way to read the Ben Coes books in order is by series. Keep reading to find out more about his two spy thriller series.
Dewey Andreas Series
This is the series that began Ben Coes’s career as an author and has captivated fans for more than a decade. While each book in this series is technically a standalone with one enemy at the focus of each book, there are common themes throughout the series. Therefore, we recommend reading these Ben Coes books in order of publication.
In choosing this reading order you will better understand the character of Dewey Andreas, his background, and his motivations. This will also shield you from any potential spoilers.
- Power Down (2010)
- Coup d’Etat (2011)
- The Last Refuge (2012)
- Eye for an Eye (2013)
- Independence Day (2015)
- First Strike (2016)
- Trap the Devil (2017)
- Shooting Gallery (2018) (Short Story)
- Bloody Sunday (2018)
- The Island (2021)
Rob Tacoma Series
In addition to his popular Dewey Andreas series, Ben Coes has also recently begun a new series.
This series follows Rob Tacoma, a former Navy SEAL who is appointed to a Top Secret team by the CIA following two high-profile assassinations. But tragedy strikes once more when Tacoma’s partner is murdered. Now he must strike out on his own, venture into the heart of Russia and back again to America, all in pursuit of a mysterious figure known only as The Russian.
- The Russian (2019)
Summary of Ben Coes Books in Order
Whether you’re just beginning your Ben Coes reading journey or looking for a recap, let’s dive a bit deeper into his Dewey Andreas series. Keep reading to discover the summaries for all ten titles in this list of Ben Coes books in order. If you have not read the series before, proceed with caution as some summaries may contain spoilers for previous installments.
Power Down
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. 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 sets into play the second stage of these long-planned attacks. He is an agent within the highest levels of American society and business.
The only fly in the ointment is Dewey Andreas. He is using all his long-dormant skills to fight his way off the platform. Then he must get out of Colombia and back to the U.S., following the trail of terrorists and operatives sent to stop him.
Coup d’Etat
Dewey Andreas is looking for a quiet, peaceful life. So he has gone to rural Australia, far from the turbulent forces he used to fight against. However, powerful men are out to get revenge and have been searching the globe for Dewey. They finally found him, forcing Dewey from his home to flee to face a well-armed and well-trained group of assassins.
A radical cleric becomes the President of Pakistan. He sets off an escalating conflict between India and Pakistan. The situation spirals out of control quickly. It becomes apparent that India is just days away from resorting to nuclear strikes.
The President dispatches his top people, including Jessica Tanzer, to help restore peace to the region with only days to make this happen. Dewey Andreas is the only man who can execute the coup d’etat in Pakistan. If Jessica can reach Dewey, and Dewey can escape to Australia alive, then it just might work.
The Last Refuge
Off a quiet street in Brooklyn, Israeli Special Forces commander Kohl Meir is captured by operatives of the Iranian secret service. They smuggle Meir back to Iran, where he is imprisoned, tortured, and prepared for a show trial.
What they don’t know is that Meir was in New York to recruit Dewey Andreas for a secret operation. Meir is aware that Iran had finally succeeded in building their first nuclear weapon. One they were planning to use to attack Israel. His source was a high-level Iranian government official and his proof was a photo of the bomb itself.
Dewey Andreas, a former Army Ranger and Delta, owes his life to Meir and his team of Israeli commandos. Now, to repay his debt, Dewey must attempt the impossible.
He must rescue Meir from one of the world’s most secure prisons. Then find and eliminate Iran’s nuclear bomb in time. All without the help or sanction of Israel or America (at the near certain risk of detection by Iran).
Unfortunately, Dewey’s has caught the attention of Abu Paria, the brutal and brilliant head of the Iranian secret service. Now Dewey must outwit and outfight an opponent with equal cunning, skill, and determination. The fate of millions hangs in the balance.
Eye for an Eye
Dewey Andreas faces the most difficult odds in his life. That’s because China’s most powerful man has decided to take down Dewey and inflict a terrible loss.
When Dewey Andreas uncovers the identity of a mole embedded at a high level in Israel’s Mossad, it triggers a larger, more dangerous plot. The mole was the most important asset of Chinese Intelligence. Fao Bhang, head of China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), responds to the discovery and brutal elimination of the mole, by immediately placing a kill order on the man responsible: Dewey Andreas.
Dewey is tracked to Argentina, where he is on vacation with his fiancée, Jessica Tanzer, a U.S. National Security Advisor. A top-level kill team goes in quickly and quietly, but their attack fails to kill Dewey. The collateral damage, however, is both horrifying and deeply personal.
With nothing left to lose, Andreas is determined to have his revenge. Once he learns who is probably behind the attack, Dewey goes rogue. He uses all of his assets and skills to launch a counterattack.
Andreas must now face the full weight and might of the MSS, Chinese Intelligence, and the formidable Fao Bhang, if he’s to achieve his one last goal. He wants revenge on a biblical scale, no matter the odds or the armies that he will have to fight his way through.
Andreas — former Army Ranger and Delta — is a man of great skills and cunning. His opponent, Fao Bhang, is ruthless, determined, and with no limit to the assets at his disposal.
In this conflict, there are only two possible outcomes. But only one Dewey Andreas.
Independence Day
Dewey Andreas, former Delta and newly recruited intelligence agent, is set aside after screwing up his last two operations. Still drowning in grief after the tragic murder of his fiancée, Dewey has seemingly lost his focus, his edge, and the confidence of his superiors.
A high level Russian hacker, known only as Cloud, is thought to be routing large amounts of money to various Al Qaeda terror cells, and the mission is to capture and render harmless Cloud. At the same time, a back-up team is sent after the only known associate of Cloud, a ballerina who might be his girlfriend.
Unwilling to sit out the mission as ordered, Dewey defies his superiors, and goes rogue, surreptitiously following and tracking the two teams. What should be a pair of simple snatch and grab operations, goes horribly wrong. Only through the unexpected intervention of Dewey does the ballerina survive.
On the run, with no back-up, Cloud’s girlfriend reveals a shocking secret. A plot so audacious and deadly that their masterminds behind it would risk anything and kill anybody to prevent its exposure. It’s a plot that, in less than three days, will completely remake the world’s political landscape and put at risk every single person in the Western world.
With only three days left, Dewey Andreas must unravel and stop this plot or see everything destroyed. A plot that goes live on July 4th — Independence Day.
First Strike
The violent terrorist group ISIS has launched a major military campaign to take over Syria. But as they commit more and more public atrocities, their sources for ammunition are drying up. However, their charismatic and tyrannical leader, Tristan Nazir, has a major card left to play, which will get a new secret shipment of arms underway.
Dewey Andreas is sent into the field to meet Mallory, the Milan CIA station chief who has explosive proof about the source of the terrorists group’s original funding. While ISIS operatives take out both Mallory and his source, Dewey escapes with the proof. The group’s original munitions were provided by a black-ops program from deep within the Pentagon itself.
The program unravels in time for the arms shipment to be stopped before it reaches its destination. But Isolda isn’t finished. He launches a bold strike into the heart of America, sending a team to take over a dorm at Columbia University, capturing nearly 500 college students as hostages.
Among those hostages is CIA Director Hector Calibrisi’s daughter, Daisy. For every hour that the shipment of weapons is delayed, the radicals will publicly execute one student.
A frontal assault will result in untold number of dead students. Sending the shipment will give Isolda and his followers the means to capture Syria and its resources, creating a terrorist run nation.
In a situation with no solutions, there remains only one option ― Dewey Andreas.
Trap the Devil
A group of some of the most powerful people in the government, the military, and the private sector, has begun a brutal plan to quietly take over the reins of the U.S. government. They’ve begun to remove the people who stand in their way. Then replace them with their own sympathizers and puppets.
They’ve already taken out the Speaker of the House, whose death was made to look like an accidental drowning. The president and vice president are next. Once they have their own people in place, they plan to start a bloody, brutal war on an unimaginable scale.
On restricted duty while he recovers from injuries from a previous mission, Dewey Andreas travels to Paris on orders from CIA Director Hector Calibrisi. The Secretary of State is going there for secret talks, and Dewey is to be an extra layer of security above the State Department team.
But what should be an easy mission couldn’t go more wrong. The cabal has sent in a hit man to take out the Secretary of State and lay the blame for this murder at the feet of Dewey himself.
With the Secretary of State dead, shot by Dewey’s weapon, Dewey is on the run and out in the cold. He must desperately try to unravel the plot before the conspirators succeed in killing millions of innocents.
Shooting Gallery
The newly sworn in Vice President of the United States has a problem. Her son, off in college, doesn’t care for his security detail.
So when Spring Break comes around, he slips away from his bodyguard, picks up his best friend, and heads to Mexico. They intend on a week of sun, sand, women, and hoped-for debauchery. But when he arrives at the airport, a team of well-armed kidnappers grab both him and his friend and escape.
Now they’re demanding that an exorbitant ransom in only a few hours. If it’s not, they will kill both boys.
Dewey Andreas, CIA operative and former Delta, happens to be in Mexico. He’s taking some time away and helping friends Katie Fox and Rob Tacoma with a private job. Hoping to relax, Andreas is now the only hope these two young men have of surviving their misadventure.
But Mexico is a big country and, before anything else, Dewey has to find the missing boys. Even then, it’s a race against the clock, with a highly-trained group of vicious men waiting at the other end.
Bloody Sunday
North Korea, increasingly isolated from most of the rest of the world, is led by an absolute dictator and a madman with a major goal. He’s determined to launch a nuclear attack on the United States.
While they have built, and continue to successfully test nuclear bombs, North Korea has yet to develop a ballistic missile with the range necessary to attack America. But their missiles are improving, reaching a point where the U.S. absolutely must respond.
What the U.S. doesn’t know is that North Korea has made a deal with Iran. In exchange for effective missiles from Iran, they will trade nuclear triggers and fissionable material. An exchange, if it goes through, that will create two new nuclear powers, both with dangerous plans.
Dewey Andreas, still reeling from recent revelations about his own past, is ready to retire from the CIA. But he’s the only available agent with the skills to carry out the CIA’s plan to stop North Korea.
The plan is to inject a singular designer poison into the head of the North Korean military. Then, in exchange for the nuclear plans, provide him with the one existing dose of the antidote. But it goes awry when Dewey manages to inject a small amount of the poison into himself.
Now, to survive, Dewey must get into North Korea and access the antidote. Then, while there, thwart the nuclear ambitions of both North Korea and Iran. And he has less than 24 hours to do so
The Island
America is about to face the deadliest terrorist attack on it’s soil since 9/11. Iran has been planning a revenge attack for years, with three goals in mind. Bring America to its knees. Assassinate the popular U.S. President J. P. Dellenbaugh. And neutralize their most successful agent, Dewey Andreas.
The first pre-emptive attack against Dewey Andreas fails but it worries the head of the CIA enough that he sends Dewey out of town and off the grid. But as intelligence analysts work as fast as they can to unravel the chatter on terrorist networks, Muhammed el-Shakib, head of Iran’s military and intelligence agency, launches a bold strike.
When the President arrives in New York to address the U.N., embedded terrorist assets blow up the bridges and tunnels that connect Manhattan to the mainland. Taking control of the island, they race to the U.N. in search of Dellenbaugh and to launch an even deadlier attack that will wreak unimaginable destruction on the country itself.
While a shocked country struggles to mount a counter-attack, a hopeless, outmanned and outgunned Dewey Andreas sneaks onto the island of Manhattan to fight a seemingly impossible battle.
Final thoughts on Ben Coes books in order
Now you’re ready to dive into reading the Ben Coes books in order. If you enjoy action-packed international espionage novels, you’re sure to enjoy these books.
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