With the new Mitch Rapp novel “Red War” set to hit bookstores later this month, I’ve been on a mission to finish up all of the “post-Flynn” Rapp novels written by Kyle Mills.
In July I reviewed “The Survivor” — a terrific continuation of the series.
Mills is an adept writer. In addition to continuing the “Rappverse,” he has written novels under Robert Ludlum’s banner, and has a stable of content all his own.
“Order to Kill” finds CIA operative Mitch Rapp trying to stop Pakistani nuclear warheads from falling into the wrong hands.
In the early stages on the novel, Rapp is in South Africa trying to aid Claudia Gould (the wife of the deceased assassin who killed Rapp’s wife Anna in “Consent To Kill”) on a tip that someone is out to assassinate her.
It turns out a Russian thug and a couple Middle Easterners (suspected of being ISIS) are on scene to take down the unknowing woman and her daughter.
During the course of the derring-do, Rapp learns the assassination attempt is a distraction to keep him away from Pakistan.
Our hero surmises that this act of subterfuge means someone is planning to “make a move against one of the nukes the army’s moving around.”
Before we know it, Rapp is on a G550 to Islamabad — set to rendezvous with friend and former Navy SEAL Scott Coleman (a special operator who owns a private military company called “SEAL Demolition and Salvage Corporation”).
The whole setup is a trap put in place by an assassin named Grisha Azarov, who works at the behest of Russian President Maxim Vladimirovich Krupin.
It is part of an elaborate scheme the Russians have hatched with terrorists in the region — one that Rapp & Co. must work thwart in “Order To Kill.”
Kyle Mills has put together a terrific follow-up to “The Survivor.”
In “Order To Kill,” Mills is given more room to breathe as a writer. He does solid job creating a taut and intriguing Mitch Rapp novel.
One of the things I appreciate about “Order To Kill” is the fact that our protagonists aren’t invincible “He-Men” — which often seemed the case in some of Flynn’s latter novels.
Mills isn’t afraid to put Mitch Rapp through a meat grinder in “Order To Kill.” That strategy harkens back to action movies I grew up with like “Die Hard” and “Lethal Weapon” — stories where brawny protagonists took a beating before they could save the day.
I also think the novel’s main antagonist — Grisha Azarov — is one of the more compelling villains seen in the “Rappverse.”
Mills spent time fleshing out the villain’s personal side (ex. we get to see him at his retreat in Costa Rica during the course of the novel). The author was able to instill a bit of sympathy for the crafty assassin — which is difficult to do in genre stories like this.
Rapp novels aren’t typically known for subtlety and nuance, but the dance between Azarov and Rapp reminded me of the “cat and mouse” game played by Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in Michael Mann’s brilliant crime drama “Heat.”
It is a difficult task to walk in another writer’s shoes. Kyle Mills deserves credit for helming the Mitch Rapp series with skilled precision.
Next up for me is “Enemy of the State.” I’m hoping to tear through it before “Red War” is released on Sept. 25.
Keep an eye on this blog for my review!!
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