"WOW" is the first word I can think of for Power Down.
Ben Coes keeps the action going so fast and furious that the reader has to look behind to be sure no one is following him or her.
The story is very plausible with the energy problems of our world and with so many searching for an alternative to oil, coal, and nuclear sources.
When one of the largest oil fields in the world, Capitana, in the Pacific Ocean, suffers a complete terrorist disaster, followed by one of the largest sources of electricity, the Savage Island project in Canada, being obliterated, the governments of the world know there is deep trouble ahead for their energy.
What and who wiped out these huge sources of energy so easily and so completely without any warning? Almost immediately the Asian workers were suspected, separated, and in some cases isolated to another location.
The onsite head of the Capitana's project, Dewey Andreas, had been a rough, tough Delta member of the military and Dewey took no guff from his crew.
But, being so experienced working with all kinds of men, he could easily sense when something was wrong.
He kept as close an eye on the troublemakers as he could but the Asians just wanted to fight and, on a huge oilrig such as Capitana, there was no shortage of others that would fight back.
All this trouble preceded the obliteration of the entire platform with Dewey and others fighting to save every life possible after the inferno.
The Savage Island project was having many personnel problems also.
When information was discovered that it was going to be obliterated, Terry Savoy, one of the project heads, ordered evacuation of the entire area while some employees searched for the bomb or whatever was the apparatus that was the danger.
The fifth largest energy company in the world, Anson Energy, was "not for sale" declared Nicholas Anson no matter who wanted to buy it and no matter the sale price.
KKB Corporation wanted Anson Energy and made an offer that Anson couldn't pass up.
Ted Marks, head of KKB, and Anson became close friends after the buyout.
It seems money does talk! Both companies seemed to form a perfect fit since both were committed to produce energy from United States sources only.
No more imported oil when production got going full blast.
Who was trying, and seemingly succeeding in destroying these huge projects and hurting American energy sources? Who was capable? I can't possibly write in the same descriptive way that the author did in producing all of the above action.
The danger to all those involved in the investigation got worse every day.
All of the United States government agencies entered the search for anything connected to what was ongoing.
An attempt was made on Marks and Anson's life giving Dewey the suspicion that someone was a mole in the government since so many things were going awry in the investigation.
Of the many agencies involved in the investigation of what had already occurred and the fear of what might happen, the trust level was down to zero not knowing who was giving or selling information that was giving away the whereabouts of the onsite investigators and where they were next headed.
Several characters the reader might take into their trust but still doesn't know if they were choosing properly.
The President of the United States would meet with the top leaders and tell them to find out fast who was causing the losses and stop them all.
You will meet, among others, Jessica Tanzer, Terry Savoy, Vic Buck, Antonia Stebbens, Louis Conner, Reuben McCarthy, John Scalia, Rick Ennis, Jane Epstein, and the above mentioned involved at the ruined areas.
Dewey Andreas is probably my favorite character in "Power Down" even though there are many to cheer for as they all delve into safeguarding our nation.
The story is non-stop action and, as I said before, the author writes with such descriptive and captivating words that it is very hard to put this book down.
As those characters in the book, you will try to discover and/or guess what facility might be next in this terrorist onslaught.
You will enjoy it.