A highly anticipated new series from the much acclaimed M.W. Craven. Having read the Washington Poe series, I was eagerly looking forward to a new character, new team and the immaculate Craven story telling. And I can safely say now, Ben Koeing is a character that would leave an indelible mark on you.
The Ben Koeing Series has a very promising start. The buildup of a new character is extremely interesting and enjoyable. It reminds me so much of Aloysius Archer in many ways – a rough, untameable character with a past and how it affects his current state. We have here Ben Koeing, an ex US marshal who worked for the SOG. Characterized by a prominent scar on his face, so many times the giveaway of his being, he has had 2 incidents that define his life. One, the Grecko Creek operation and second, 3 years prior to it – how he actually got that scar.
Ben Koeing suffers from Urbach-Wiethe genetic disorder which makes him immune to fear. Hence the title! When his former boss Mitch‘s daughter goes missing, Koeing is forced to come out of his hiatus of 6 years where he had disappeared without a clue to his whereabouts or existence. And thereof begins a full fledged, out-and-out action thriller as Ben gets to the task.
Joining Ben – in a supportive role – is Jen Draper, a former colleague from his time with the SOG. Though they both despise each other, they work as a team here with outside help from Samuel – a criminal (whose life had been saved by Ben) – exceptionally skilled at forging and tech. The trust that Ben has in him, and the loyalty of Samuel in return is admirable.
The book eases you into the gripping story line even before you know. The vivid description of the American cities – the dark side behind the glittering front – it felt so much like David Baldacci. It feels like an action packed motion picture where each appearance of Ben would have garnered huge applause & cheering. Each step in this book is full of excitement, anticipation, fear and danger. What would happen next? It is like a video game where you keep shooting your enemies down as you progress towards your target.
Chapter 74, Fearless
While we have seen earlier in the Washington Poe series – what a tightly knit team they were. Fearless in contrast is a one man show. It is Ben Koeing all the way. It infact feels surreal how a single man takes down such dangerous adversaries one after another – actually a whole army of them! But ironically, that probably speaks of his strength, relentless training and his ‘fearlessness’.
Fearless has a good suspense running. The revelation towards the latter half was quite unexpected – I hadn’t guessed that for sure (see spoiler below for more). And so also, the decoding of the whole puzzle surrounding the abduction, as well as Jen’s mysterious role in all of this – they keep adding a punch to the story, never losing your attention.
Conclusion
Fearless – the first book in the Ben Koeing series – does an immaculate job in endearing this new character to the reader. It is a true action-packed thriller with every element you would expect in such a series, and in perfect measure. Koeing‘s character is ruthless so to say, and many a time the explicit detailing of the killings became a bit too violent for my liking! Koeing surely knows which bone to break and which artery to cut. I simply skipped those details for my own good. But that said, I loved the complete feel & pacing of this book. With Fearless, Craven has given us another memorable character of the Washington Poe stable. A wonderful read!
Get it here -> Fearless
Read more from M.W. Craven – The Botanist: Washington Poe Book #5