Book Review: “Vince Flynn - Enemy of the State” By Kyle Mills

Kyle Mills knows how to write an espionage thriller. 

For the past couple of months, I have been working my way through his entries in Vince Flynn’s immensely popular Mitch Rapp series — in anticipation of the latest entry: “Red War.”

The Mitch Rapp character has evolved since Mills has taken the helm. 

That evolution is again on display in “Enemy of the State” — the 16th installment in the Mitch Rapp series. 

The novel once again finds Mitch Rapp employing his unique set of skills to protect the United States from players hellbent on thwarting U.S. interests domestic and abroad. 

Saudi prince Talal bin Musaid, nephew of the king, is using Saudi money to finance ISIS attacks against the United States. 

The head of Saudi Arabia’s General Intelligence Directorate — Aali Nassar — is moving chess pieces behind the scenes to forge an alliance with ISIS. Nassar is positioning himself to take control of the country should the ailing king fall. 

President Alexander has no desire to watch Saudi Arabia fall into the wrong hands. He has a secret meeting with Rapp — a meeting that results in Rapp leaving the CIA and assembling a team to go after the dastardly players working to undermine stability in the Arabian Peninsula. 

Things never quite go according to plan in a Mitch Rapp novel. Working “off the books” gives Rapp the freedom to “mete out justice,” but it also means he doesn’t have the institutional protection of Irene Kennedy and the CIA. 

One of the things I liked about “Enemy of the State” was that the heroics were a group effort. The team Rapp assembles in the novel — ragtag hired guns — feels like it could have stepped out of a “Mission: Impossible” movie.

The team includes returning characters from past novels — including old loves and former nemeses. 

One of those teammates is Donatella Rahn. There is a description in the novel of all she’s gone through as a character over the years: 

“She’d survived Mitch Rapp abandoning her to the FBI’s witness protection program. She’d survived being imprisoned in bland suburban hellhole after bland suburban hellhole. She’d even survived a few brief experiments with honest work.”

While Rapp has often worked alongside other operatives, there was something refreshing about Mills’s approach in “Enemy of the State” — a plot device that could serve the novels well moving forward. 

In addition to the intriguing team dynamics, I also enjoy how Mills is building a new “personal life” for Rapp — an aspect of the character that’s been lacking since earlier novels like “Separation of Power” and “Consent To Kill.” 

One of the more enjoyable “personal” subplots involves Mitch Rapp’s new house east of Manassas in Virginia. The finishing touches on the house were overseen by Claudia Gould — former operative and wife of the assassin who killed Rapp’s wife in “Consent To Kill.”

While Claudia might seem like an unorthodox choice to become Mitch Rapp’s “love interest,” that story arc is one of the more enjoyable aspects of Mills’s narratives in the series. 

It sort of reminds me of the developing relationship between Ethan Hunt and Ilsa Faust in the recent “Mission: Impossible” films.

Gould and Rapp work together in the field for the first time in “Enemy of the State.” She handles the various logistics for Rapp’s team — coordinating aspects of their ops, including shifting funds to various bank accounts and securing transport.

When Claudia tells Mitch the team has multiple bank accounts at its disposal, totaling around $70 million, she quips, “That should keep you in ammunition and unfashionable leather jackets for awhile.”

The relationship humanizes a badass operator like Mitch Rapp. The overall effect adds to the authenticity of the character.

Part of the joy of reading espionage thrillers is the ability to escape into the world of a character who does the things you wish you could do. Wish fulfillment is a big part of the appeal in this genre. 

I received the latest Mitch Rapp novel “Red War” in the mail from Amazon last week. I know a number of people who follow this blog have already read the book, and I look forward to joining them soon!

Also, if you haven’t ever listened to Hank Garner’s “The Author Stories Podcast,” I recommend you do. The first of his podcasts I listened to was an interview with Kyle Mills back in 2017. 

Mills includes some background on the challenges he faced during the early years of his career — very inspiring for would-be authors who get discouraged. 

“Enemy of the State” book trailer: 

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