First Strike: A Thriller

Deep within the Pentagon, a covert, multi-billion arms-for-influence program was created. The objective was to protect the United States and its allies from terrorist acts by secretly enabling a hand-picked man to emerge as the most powerful leader in the Middle East. But the charismatic Tristan Nazir double-crosses America, twisting the program for his own violent ends to create ISIS. Now America is at great risk.

Elite operative Dewey Andreas is sent to Syria to retrieve details about the source of ISIS’s funding but his cover is blown mid-operation and chaos erupts in the streets of Damascus. Trapped and outnumbered, Dewey manages to send proof of the awful truth—unknown at even the highest levels in the government—that ISIS’s munitions were indeed provided by America itself.

This information arrives in time to for the U.S. to cut off a final arms shipment before it reaches ISIS. But the vicious Nazir, is far from finished. He launches a bold strike into the heart of America, sending a terrorist cell to take over a dorm at Columbia University, capturing hundreds of college students as hostages. For every hour that the shipment of weapons is withheld, the terrorists will publicly execute one student. The potential loss of life is intolerable. A frontal assault is impossible. Releasing the shipment is unthinkable. There is nowhere to turn…

In a situation with no solutions, there remains only one option—Dewey Andreas.

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Review

Praise for the thrilling novels by Ben Coes:

“Ben Coes has created a hero who ranks with the protagonists in a Vince Flynn or Brad Thor thriller… The Last Refuge is a winner and will keep readers turning the pages.” ―Associated Press

“Terrific! A gripping story, compelling characters, a relentless pace, and nerve-wracking suspense.” ―Vince Flynn on Power Down

“Compelling characters, a wealth of technical detail, and ticking-clock suspense make [Independence Day] one of the year’s best thrillers.” ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“High concept meets high octane…Envision Clancy, Forsyth, and le Carre all writing in their prime…then kick in the booster…Coes blows the competition away.” ―Brad Thor on *Coup d’Etat *

“Coes is in the same league as Brad Thor and Vince Flynn, and this high-octane race against time will have plot-driven thriller readers unable to turn the pages fast enough.” ―Booklist (starred review) on Independence Day

“Action, international intrigue, romance―it doesn’t get any better.” ―San Jose Mercury News on The Last Refuge

About the Author

BEN COES is the New York Times best-selling author ofinternational political and espionage thrillers that include Power Down, Coup D'Etat, The Last Refuge, Eye For An Eye and Independence Day.

His next book, which comes out in June 2016, is First Strike. 

Ben worked at the White House under President Ronald Reagan and was a White House appointed speechwriter to the U.S. Secretary of Energy during the Gulf War. He was a Fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School ofGovernment. He is a partner at The Mustang Group, a Boston alternativeinvestment firm. He graduated from Columbia College, where he won theBennett Cerf Memorial Prize for Fiction.