Power Down

Coes pumps new heat, blood, and flat-out action into a well-worn premise—terrorists are out to break America by attacking its energy resources—in his frighteningly plausible thriller debut. One target is Capitana, an American oil rig located in the Pacific off the coast of Colombia. Rigger gang chief Dewey Andreas, a former Delta officer, fights back and succeeds in saving many lives, but the oil platform is destroyed. At the same time, Canada's Savage Island Project, the largest hydroelectric dam in North America, is blown up, killing hundreds and destroying a vital link in the U.S.'s energy production. Behind these schemes and with many more to come is Manhattan billionaire Alexander Fortuna, who will stop at nothing to destroy America, a country he was taught as a child to loath. Abetting Fortuna is a despicable traitor, Vic Buck, director of the CIA's National Clandestine Service. Readers will eagerly await Coes's next effort and hope for Dewey Andreas's return. (Oct.)