Book Review: The Last Refuge by Ben Coes + Giveaway

“Here’s the answer. The gravest threat facing the United States comes from within, when our best people refuse to get involved.  When the men and women we need to fight those threats you mentioned…stay on the sidelines.  That’s our gravest threat.”

 

The Last Refuge by Ben Coes is Book 3 in the Dewey Andreas series and primarily revolves around the at-odds political landscape of three countries: Iran, Israel and The United States.

Israeli Special Forces Commander Kohl Meir (and great-grandson of Golda Meir) is kidnapped by the Iranians off the streets of New York City. Meir is not only a high-profile name for the Iranians to capture, but he also is one of Israel’s deadliest operatives who specializes in killing terrorists. The Iranians are seeking revenge for the deaths of four of their undercover operatives and believe Meir is responsible. They put on a farce of a public trial and… well, you’ll have to read the book to find out the verdict.

Former U.S. Delta Dewey Andreas owes Meir his life and will do anything to rescue him from the highly secure prison where he’s being held in Iran.  Following up on leads Meir left behind, Andreas uncovers Iran’s 9-ton nuclear secret and tries to find a way to use that information to secure Meir’s release before time runs out.

Working without the knowledge and official support of the U.S. and Israeli governments, Dewey turns to two former CIA agents, who now work independently, for tactical support.  While I would have liked to learn more about these new characters, I got the feeling they were developed just enough to set them up for re-introduction in a future book.  I’m anticipating seeing them evolve over time.

Especially appropriate for a patriotic 4th of July, here is my favorite quote from the book:

“Dewey knew there was no greater feeling than fighting for something that mattered, for your country, for an idea, for America.”

Though it is part of a series, The Last Refuge can stand alone for readers who are newly discovering author Ben Coes.  I have not read the first two books and though I’m sure I would have benefited from the additional background information, Coes shares enough in this book to easily follow the characters.  Of course, now that I’ve read this one and liked it, I will definitely go back and read the previous books in the series.

With plot lines that run alarmingly close to real-world headlines, The Last Refuge depicts a disturbing could-happen-in-real-life-but-thank-God-this-is-fiction thrill of a read.

 

Ben Coes has graciously offered a Signed Hardcover copy of The Last Refuge to one lucky reader!

The easiest way to enter for your chance to win is by visiting our Facebook fan page and clicking the sweepstakes tab at www.facebook.com/LazyDayBooks.

If you are not on Facebook and would like to enter for a chance to win, please leave a comment at the bottom of this post OR send us an email to read(at)lazydaybooks(dot)com.  When emailing us, make sure you include your name, age (must be 18 or older), city and state where you live.

Since we will use email to notify the winner, all entries must include a valid email address.  If you are chosen as the winner, we will also ask you for your mailing address so we know where to send your book.

The winner will be determined by random drawing on Wednesday, July 11 at 8p CST.

Happy Reading and Good Luck!
Kimberly

Book Review Notes:
Title: The Last Refuge
Author: Ben Coes
Subject: Fiction
Published: 7/3/2012
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Source: Review copy from publisher