Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp novels have been among my “go to” books for 12 years now.
The first Rapp novel I read was “Memorial Day" — I devoured the pages as I lounged by a resort pool in Arizona back in 2006.
From that point on, I sprinkled Vince’s books into my reading rotation.
Whenever I was in a reading slump, I knew that pulling a Mitch Rapp novel off the shelf would get me flipping pages once again.
Flynn died from prostate cancer in 2013. He was just 47 years old.
My mom succumbed to gallbladder cancer that same year. At my urging, she had read a number of Flynn’s novels. She was an avid reader, and the two of us shared a love of mysteries and thrillers.
I had four Vince Flynn novels yet to read as 2013 came to a close (“Protect and Defend,” “Extreme Measures,” “Pursuit of Honor,” and “The Last Man”).
I did everything in my power to “ration” those books over the course of the next four years.
I knew that Kyle Mills was going to take over writing duties for the Mitch Rapp series — meaning more adventures were on the way.
Yet for some reason I didn’t want to “let go” of the novels Vince wrote himself. It was oddly comforting knowing I had "yet-to-be-read" Vince Flynn hardcovers waiting patiently on my bookshelf.
Maybe it was a futile attempt by my subconscious to keep one of my favorite authors alive.
In December 2017, I finally finished the last “unread” Flynn novel in my collection — 2012’s “The Last Man.”
By that point, it felt like the right time to finish all the novels Vince had written.
I'd heard a number of positive things on Twitter about the Rapp novels Kyle Mills has written (most notably from Ryan "The Rappologist" Steck, who runs the book-centric website TheRealBookSpy.com).
I wanted to be able write reviews of the latest Rapp novels on my blog... and be part of the conversation going on in the Twitterverse.
I’ve spent the past week reading “The Survivor" — A Mitch Rapp Novel By Kyle Mills. I’m doing so in anticipation of the publication of the upcoming Mitch Rapp novel “Red War” (set to drop on Sept. 25).
I’m really impressed with the way Mills handled this follow-up novel to 2012’s “The Last Man” — no small task considering the loyal fan following Flynn developed during his career.
“The Survivor” picks up where “The Last Man” left off.
“The Survivor” finds Rapp & Co. having to clean up the mess left by a dead CIA traitor named Joe Rickman (a man Rapp “dispatched” at the end of “The Last Man”). Rickman left all sorts of surprises to haunt the CIA from beyond the grave — including video messages that dump classified information about clandestine operatives currently in play around the globe.
The unscrupulous head of Pakistan’s ISI (Ahmed Taj) hopes to use the information to usurp authority from his country’s president. Taj is in cahoots with a U.S. Senator named Carl Ferris (a man with presidential ambitions of his own).
The power play is a maneuver to wound the Central Intelligence Agency and diminish U.S. credibility across the globe.
Thankfully, the CIA has an ace up its sleeve in Mitch Rapp.
Thankfully, the CIA has an ace up its sleeve in Mitch Rapp.
As Mills writes in the novel: “Rapp was the pinnacle. Most people had become resigned to the fact that he was unkillable.”
Part of the reason I like the Mitch Rapp character is that he came to the special ops game from ordinary beginnings.
Rapp was a lacrosse player at Syracuse University (not the “ex-military" protagonist often found in these sorts of novels). He was recruited into the CIA after his high school sweetheart was killed in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.
In “The Survivor,” Rapp is in his 40s and an old hand at the counterterrorism game — it's been an entertaining journey for fans along the way.
“The years had begun to run together in Rapp’s mind," Mills writes. "One crisis after another. Lost friends. Dead enemies. A lengthening list of wounds and injuries. Every day had become similar to the last. Every scenario a familiar twist on one of the horrors that preceded it.”
In many respects, Rapp’s existential crisis benefits from the fresh perspective Kyle Mills brings to the series.
In Flynn’s later novels, enhanced interrogation became an all-too-frequent plot device the author used (a “hot button” topic when those novels were written).
Mills takes Rapp back to his roots in “The Survivor.” The result is a more nuanced novel focused on spy craft.
Don’t worry, there is still plenty of Mitch Rapp “badassery” in the novel. I just enjoyed the fact that “The Survivor” emphasized “action in the field” over "interrogation in a holding cell."
Years ago, I read the novels “Rising Phoenix” and “Free Fall” by Kyle Mills. He is an adept writer who has experience in this territory.
A bit of trivia... a year or so ago I tweeted at Kyle because I'd heard that a character in Tom Clancy's novels was based on Kyle's father. Kyle confirmed that the Dan Murray character (who I first read about in the novel "Clear and Present Danger") was indeed based on his father:
In my humble opinion, the novels of Vince Flynn serve as the prototype for the post-9/11 thriller. A number of contemporary thriller writers (including Matthew Betley and Jack Carr) owe a great deal to Flynn’s success.
Last year I reviewed the movie adaptation of Flynn’s novel “American Assassin.” While the film received mixed reviews during its run at the box office, I really enjoyed it. I thought Dylan O’Brien embodied the Mitch Rapp character, and Michael Keaton did a terrific job as grizzled operative Stan Hurley.
My plan is to read Kyle Mills’s 2016 and 2017 Rapp novels over the next couple weeks. I want to be all caught up when “Red War” becomes available.
If you haven’t read any of Vince Flynn’s novels, he’s worth a look. The first Mitch Rapp novel — “Transfer of Power” — is one of my favorites. Flynn’s seventh novel — “Consent to Kill” — is arguably the strongest in the series.
(Don't overlook "Term Limits" — Flynn's first novel... an entertaining tome that was originally self-published by the author).
Flynn’s novels don’t necessarily have to be read in publication order, but I’d strongly recommend starting at the beginning and working your way forward (for the best reading experience).
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