As I finished the final pages of the new Mitch Rapp thriller “Lethal Agent,” I was thinking about what a versatile writer Kyle Mills has become in his career.
It’s not an easy task to take up the mantle of literary franchises started by popular writers. As readers, we’ve sampled dismal attempts at this by various publishers the past 15 years.
“Lethal Agent” is Mills’ fifth entry in Vince Flynn’s dependable Mitch Rapp saga, and it might be his most entertaining.
This time out we find Rapp brandishing a crossbow(!) in Yemen — on the trail of a nefarious ISIS leader named Sayid Halabi.
His hunt is sparked by events that unfolded in Mills’s 2017 novel “Enemy of the State.”
At the same time, a group of medical professionals with “Doctors Without Borders” are in a remote part of the country studying a deadly virus dubbed “YARS” that — if not quarantined and destroyed — has the potential to decimate populated areas of the world like wildfire.
Halabi and a group of his followers visit the village, abduct the medical professionals, and force a French microbiologist (who studied at the Sorbonne) named Gabriel Bertrand to create anthrax — an opportunity for the leader to produce propaganda videos about a bio-weapon to strike fear in the U.S.
A Mitch Rapp novel wouldn’t be a “political thriller” without the machinations of politicians stirring the pot.
The United States is in the early stages of a presidential campaign. President Alexander is in the waning days of his time in the Oval Office.
Sen. Christine Barnett and her cutthroat political adviser Kevin Gray see Halabi’s videos as an opportunity to discredit the Alexander administration and CIA Director Irene Kennedy, and boost Barnett’s own presidential ambitions.
From there, Mills braids together a plot that globetrots from Yemen to Somalia to Southern California to Mexico to the corridors of power in Washington, D.C.
The tightly wound narrative involves a drug cartel (led by Carlos Esparza) being manipulated to execute Halabi’s brutal plan and bring the virus to North America.
At the center of it all is the ever-formidable operator Mitch Rapp. To quote a popular James Bond theme song, “nobody does it better.”
Our hero faces an existential crisis, ruminating about the future of operators like himself. The picture looks hazy as our hero laments the lack of “good ones” in the political class pulling the strings.
(There is one particular “fish out of water” moment in “Lethal Agent” that sees Rapp moonlighting as a bodyguard, further illustratrating his crisis of being).
At the end of the day, you need men and women in “white hats” traveling down a long tunnel to protect freedom. In that quest, Rapp must fight tooth and nail to stop the threat of a pandemic and pray the country he loves isn’t too far gone politically.
I like a number of the ancillary details Mills includes in his Mitch Rapp novels.
For example, Rapp lives in a custom home in a development west of Manassas, Virginia, that is filled exclusively with his special operator friends. (What other type of neighborhood could a man like Rapp live in?)
In this novel, we learn about the neighborhood’s “shared barn” that houses livestock.
While not being germane to the overall plot, this little detail helps fill in the tapestry of the world Mills is trying to weave.
There is also a mention in the early stages of “Lethal Agent” about Rapp and his team wearing custom camouflage gear made by Charlie Wicker’s girlfriend. I honestly wondered what this custom pattern looked like the entire time I was reading the book.
Also... I know I’m not supposed to quote the “advance reader copy” of “Lethal Agent,” but there is one quote that just felt so totally “apropos” of a Vince Flynn novel I had to include it: “Mitch Rapp sends his compliments, motherf@cker.”
The reason I was able to read “Lethal Agent” before its Sept. 24, 2019 release date is because I had the privilege of being selected as a “Mitch Rapp Ambassador.” Actually, my wife and I were both selected to be ambassadors (which, according the the Vince Flynn Twitter account, we’re the first husband and wife team to be selected).
We received a copy of the novel along with a card congratulating participants on being selected. It's a fun perk for fans.
This is the first time either of us have been an ambassador, and we’re honored to have the opportunity to read the book early and share our thoughts.
The folks behind the Vince Flynn brand are top notch in every manner. Giving fans an opportunity to enjoy the latest Mitch Rapp novel in advance is the sort of thing that used to be reserved for media types and close confidants.
When I started reading espionage thrillers 30 years ago, I never imagined I’d have the chance to receive an advance copy of a novel from an author I loved.
Pretty cool times we’re living in.
FUN FACT: Back in February, I submitted my guess for the title of the new Vince Flynn book. The Vince Flynn Twitter account revealed a few letters at the time, so I tried to come up with a name that would fit the number of letters and the letters revealed (think “Wheel of Fortune.”)
So, for fun, I came up with “Danger Sauce: A Mitch Rapp Cookbook,” complete with a book cover mockup. You can see below what the result was. He ended up sharing a recipe on the official Vince Flynn blog, inspired by my title.
FUN FACT: Back in February, I submitted my guess for the title of the new Vince Flynn book. The Vince Flynn Twitter account revealed a few letters at the time, so I tried to come up with a name that would fit the number of letters and the letters revealed (think “Wheel of Fortune.”)
So, for fun, I came up with “Danger Sauce: A Mitch Rapp Cookbook,” complete with a book cover mockup. You can see below what the result was. He ended up sharing a recipe on the official Vince Flynn blog, inspired by my title.
“Lethal Agent” epitomizes the best the Mitch Rapp series has to offer. Mills gives readers a thrilling scenario with classic elements that will leave fans thirsting for more.
If you'd like learn more about author Kyle Mills, Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp series, and how to become a "Mitch Rapp Ambassador," visit www.vinceflynn.com.
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