The Russian
Author: Ben Coes
Publisher: St Martin’s Paperbacks
ISBN: 9781250140807
Year Published: 2019
Thriller author Ben Coes' The Russian pitches the CIA against the Russian mafia in a violent confrontation.
Since the break-up of the Soviet Union, some of the most dangerous and ruthless criminals from Russia emigrated to the United States to take advantage of the unique opportunities available there. This soon led to the creation of the Russian mafia, a group whose capacity for violence, murder and collateral damage knows no bounds.
The Russian mafia are now the most feared criminal organisation in the world, and conventional law enforcement seems unable to stop them.
However, after members of the Russian mafia organise the brutal assassination of two prominent American politicians, the President of the United States has had enough. Using a top-secret piece of legislation, the President authorised the CIA to run a small kill team on US soil. Their mission is to find and eliminate those responsible for the assassinations and also taking down the Russian mafia by any means necessary.
Tasked with pulling together an elite two-man kill team to undertake this dangerous mission, the director of the CIA, Hector Calibrisi contacts Rob Tacoma, one of the best killers the CIA ever produced. He is an operative who is able to think on his feet and adapt to any situation.
However, this assignment starts off badly when Tacoma finds his new partner, Billy Cosgrove murdered by mafia hitmen before he even officially joins the team. The Russians already know what his mission is, and with his identity exposed, Tacoma is now being hunted by the entire Russian mafia. Can this legendary CIA operative survive against a criminal army?
In his attempts to take down the Russians, Tacoma engages in a number of gun fights and covert infiltrations to find and kill his targets. There were also several great and brutal scenes involving close-combat fighting, including some knockdown brawls between competing Russian gangsters, which Tacoma eventually gets caught right in the middle of.
The amazing and action-packed story offers readers an exciting journey that will keep them on the edge most of the time.
What I think about the book:
The Russian features a rather intriguing plot idea of a CIA agent, and by extension the CIA, going to war with an organised crime group, the Russian mafia. I like this concept and I think that Coes does a wonderful job expanding it out into a thrilling and enjoyable story.
The book starts off with a perfect setting - the killings of two American politicians and the events that display the notoriety of the Russian mafia. And this prompts the President to set the CIA on them, presenting the reader with a pretty compelling story and journey.
I also appreciate the author taking the time to explain how the CIA are allowed to operate on US soil. Then the quick jump into the next part of the book, which saw Tacoma fall headfirst into trouble when the Russians find out who he and his partner are and send hitmen after them.
From there, you have an exciting, fast-paced story, as Tacoma works his way up the food chain of the Russian mafia to the very top.
Coes does a fantastic job introducing the Russian mafia and setting them up as major antagonists. Not only does he examine the history of the mafia but he also explores the background of several of the major antagonists in the book, presenting them as real threats.
An enjoyable read for those who like thriller novels.
