The Russian

A Thriller

By: Ben Coes

Narrated by: Ari Fliakos

"The narration truly shines in the vast range of accents Fliakos expertly employs...a complete experience." (Booklist)

As the brutal Russian mafia becomes the most powerful and deadly criminal enterprise in the US, it’s up to covert operative Rob Tacoma to fight back, in a new series by New York Times best seller Ben Coes.

Ruthless, clever, and unbelievably violent, the Russian mafia has rapidly taken over the criminal underworld in the US, 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.

©2019 Ben Coes (P)2019 Macmillan Audio

Great story

Love the fact that he started this new series I loved the Dewey adreas books and it was coool to get to know more about Tacoma who was a side character in the Dewey series. Always put a smile on my face through out the book as I heard the familiar characters come up. Ben Coes did a great Job of intertwining and coming up with the idea of giving more light on a character I already loved. WELL DONE.

Fantastic!

Edge of your seat, can’t stop listening, don’t want it to end kind of book! This book has an intense plot that’s delivered with perfect narration. I’ve never listed to a Ben Coes book before but I’m officially hooked. Just bought three extra credits so I can go back and start at the beginning!

The best this year

I really enjoyed The Russian. Best book i have read in a while. Great job Ben Coes👍🏻

Entertaining (if you can suspend disbelief)

Great performance of an engaging story. Some elements of the plot seemed highly implausible but that didn't keep me from enjoying the book. I will certainly continue with the series.

The best of the Best

Very satisfying, except that the book has a conclusion. Wanted it to not end. One of the very best in this genre! Ben Coes has gotten better, more masterful. Thank you.

Great new companion series

This is a new companion series which came from the Dewey Andreas series. I am pleased to say that I enjoyed this as much as any of the Dewey Andreas books. We have the same solid foundations that I loved from the first series but with the flair of a new main character, Rob Tacoma.

I'll certainly keep up with this series as new books arrive.

Great, but not going to be a series.

I'm assuming that there will be no more books "starring" Rob Tacoma, since this one was written in 2019 and that was the beginning and end of it. That's a shame BUT as long as you write more books about Dewey and Rob is in them I'm good with that.

This was a good story about the CIA going after the Odessa Mafia after they had killed 2 important members of the government. And they also had to find a traitor senator.

No romance and the F-bomb was used 60 times.

As for the narration: Ari Fliakos is better than Peter Hermann but not as good as Jay Snyder, who only narrated book #7.

Feels unfinished

I love all of Ben Coes’s books, and I may be spoiled, but this one felt unfinished. It’s as if he ran out of time or decided to write serials instead of novels. Also, although Dewey Andreas made a brief appearance towards the end, Rob Tacoma was the main character. I think that’s a mistake. Sure, we like Rob, but we love Dewey. Nevertheless, the plot, dialogue, characters and performance were all excellent. If the author has decided to go with a shorter format so that he can write more books or have more time with family, I think his loyal readers would understand. Just give them a heads up so they aren’t disappointed.

Another great story

Love Ben Coes and this series. keep them coming. This had an interesting twist with Rob taking the lead. let's see what Rob and Dewey can do together next book. Hurry up!😉

Worth the wait

Love the writing style and storyline a great addition to the series. Now have to await the next book