If you want to read the Ben Coes books in order, start with Power Down and follow the Dewey Andreas novels in publication order. This guide also includes the Rob Tacoma series and the optional Dewey Andreas short stories that fit between the main books.
The novels build on Dewey’s relationships, losses, and earlier missions, so skipping around can reveal spoilers. The shorter stories aren’t required, but I’ve included the best place to read each one.
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Ben Coes Books in Order by Series
Ben Coes has two connected thriller series. Dewey Andreas is the main series, while Rob Tacoma steps into the lead role in The Russian. Start with Dewey Andreas and read The Russian after Bloody Sunday for the simplest reading order.
Dewey Andreas Series
Ben Coes introduced Dewey Andreas in Power Down. Dewey is a former Army Ranger and Delta Force operative who becomes a key asset in high-risk CIA missions. Each novel has its own central threat, but the relationships and consequences carry forward. I recommend reading the novels in publication order. The optional short stories are nested beneath the novel after which they fit best.
- Power Down (2010)
- Salina (Short Story)
- Coup d’État (2011)
- The Last Refuge (2012)
- The Third Door (2013) (Short Story)
- Eye for an Eye (2013)
- Independence Day (2015)
- Exfiltration (2016) (Short Story)
- First Strike (2016)
- Trap the Devil (2017)
- Shooting Gallery (2018) (Short Story)
- Bloody Sunday (2018)
- The Island (2021)
- Hijack (2026)
Independence Day was published in the UK as A Day to Kill. They are the same book, so you only need one version.
Rob Tacoma Series
Rob Tacoma is a former Navy SEAL and a recurring character from the Dewey Andreas series. He takes the lead in The Russian, where he joins a secret CIA team hunting the network behind two assassinations and his partner’s murder.
- The Russian (2019)
No second Rob Tacoma novel has been published. The Russian can be read on its own, but reading it after Bloody Sunday gives you the character’s earlier context.
About Ben Coes
Ben Coes is a bestselling author of international espionage thrillers. He attended Columbia College, where he received the Bennett Cerf Memorial Prize for writing.
Before publishing Power Down, Coes worked at the White House under President Ronald Reagan and later served as a White House-appointed speechwriter to the Secretary of Energy. He also worked in the energy sector for Boone Pickens, started multiple companies, and became a Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School.
Coes has four children and lives in Florida.
Looking for more books in order?
If you want more thriller authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Thriller Books in Order index.