By Jon Brooks
“REMEMBER. REMEMBER AND TAKE OUR REVENGE...”
The latest Mitch Rapp thriller “Double Tap” is here and I just finished my advance reader copy of the book (received as part of this year’s Mitch Rapp Ambassador program).
When you think about the literary universe that the late Vince Flynn created in his novels, you think about all the great characters who have surrounded “tip of the spear” operator Rapp during his missions.
I’ll talk more about the cast in a bit, but let’s talk about the setup for this novel.
“Double Tap” is the 25th book in Flynn’s series. Flynn died in 2013. Kyle Mills took over after his death and wrote nine books in the series. Don Bentley took the reins in 2024 — “Double Tap” is the third Rapp novel he has penned.
This time out fans are treated to another prequel story set a short time after the events in 2025’s “Denied Access” (read my review).
Last year’s “Denied Access” concluded a Mitch Rapp-origin trilogy that began with the 2010 novel “American Assassin.”
Prior to taking over of the Rapp series, Bentley published four novels in his Matt Drake series (read my review of “Without Sanction”) and four novels in the Jack Ryan, Jr. series for the Tom Clancy estate.
In “Double Tap,” Bentley shines a spotlight on weapons of mass destruction and the decades-long conflict in the Middle East between Israel and its neighboring nations. The story takes place in the late 1990s, in the period between the first Gulf War and 9/11.
It is certainly a timely geopolitical topic as the United States is set to observe the 25th anniversary of the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001.
“BORDERS MIGHT COME AND GO JUST AS KINGS AND EMPIRES ROSE AND FELL...”
“Double Tap” finds Rapp, Stan Hurley, Scott Coleman (who is still in the military), Irene Kennedy, and Thomas Stansfield moving game pieces across the board in an intelligence game that largely centers around two concurrent field operations.
Rapp is working undercover tracking down a Pakistani chemical weapons scientist in Verona, Italy. Hurley is conducting a training mission in Doha, Qatar. Incidents during both missions influence the meat of the narrative that follows in the novel.
Another subplot involving a smuggler named Ibrahim who moves goods and cash between Iraq and Syria also weaves its way into the events in “Double Tap.”
The threat of WMDs in the Middle East is certainly fertile territory to explore in “Double Tap.”
Bentley spent a decade in the Army as an Apache helicopter pilot. He served as a Troop Commander in Afghanistan and had first-hand experience with the ill-fated Operation Red Wings (the operation was documented in Marcus Luttrell’s book “Lone Survivor”).
Bentley understands the theater of conflict and knows the machinery involved. Whether he is describing how “unsexy” a Beretta 21 A Bobcat pistol is, or talking about an Israeli Air Force F-15 Baz fighter plane (known as an Eagle in the United States), the details ring true.
“SOMETIMES, THEIR BRAVADO TOOK THEIR TEAMMATES WITH THEM...”
Earlier in this review I mentioned “the great characters” who have surrounded Mitch Rapp in Flynn’s novels. There are a number of characters I have come to look forward to in these stories, and I know other fans have similar sentiments.
One character in particular is special operations veteran Stan Hurley. Hurley trained Rapp. The “old cuss” has formed a special bond with our hero. Since this novel takes place during Rapp’s “formative years” as an operator, Hurley plays a significant role “Double Tap.”
The chain-smoking operative has been featured prominently in all three of Bentley’s Mitch Rapp novels.
Honestly, I think giving Hurley his own novel might be worthwhile. He seems like he would be a fun character to write about.
A hypothetical novel featuring the character could take readers back to the Cold War days when Hurley was a younger operator in the field. We saw glimpses of this side of Hurley in “Denied Access,” and it would be fun to see the character featured in depth.
(I’m just spit-balling here, but maybe put him in Argentina during the Falklands War in 1982 — something unique like that.)
I firmly believe that Michael Keaton’s portrayal of the character in the 2017 film adaptation of “American Assassin” (read my review) is part of the reason why the character continues to be popular with fans. Keaton was one of the film’s strongest assets, and his performance elevated the adaptation. He is a terrific actor and I’d like to see him play the character again.
It was also nice read about Scott Coleman during his time as a special operator with SEAL Team Six in “Double Tap.”
Later novels in the series feature the character working as an independent contractor. In those books he owns a private military company called SEAL Demolition and Salvage.
Coleman — either in the past or in the present — would also be a worthwhile character to spin off into his own novel. We know he has the background and the skills to be more than Mitch Rapp’s combat-ready “side piece.”
It might be fun to let an author explore some of these secondary characters on their own. Just sayin’…
“THE COUNTDOWN TIMER REACHED ZERO...”
I’ve had the opportunity to interact with Don Bentley during three of his book tour stops the past three years. He is a likable individual who has proven himself to be a solid writer. He has written a number of terrific books. I would encourage you to check them out.
His upcoming tour stops for “Double Tap” include:
- Monday, Sept. 21, 6:30 p.m. CT – Once Upon a Crime, 604 W. 26 St., Minneapolis, MN
- Tuesday, Sept. 22, 7 p.m. MST – Poisoned Pen, 4014 N. Goldwater #101, Scottsdale, AZ
- Wednesday, Sept. 23, 6:30 p.m. CT – Murder by the Book, 2342 Bissonnet St., Houston, TX
- Thursday, Sept. 24, 7 p.m. CT – Half Price Books, 5803 E. Northwest Hwy., Dallas, TX
- Saturday, Sept. 26, 6 p.m. ET – Half Price Books, 8211 Arbor Square D., Mason, OH
Bentley appeared a few months ago on the “Break It Down" podcast with Pete Turner. During their discussion, he talked about working on "Double Tap" for the Vince Flynn estate this past year. In addition, he also said he wrote two TV pilot scripts for his novel “Without Sanction,” has been writing a “standalone” novel, and has had the opportunity to work on a short story for Amazon (a result of his friendship with thriller writer Simon Gervais).
(I apparently need to start a book podcast so I can ask Bentley about some of these projects!! 😉)
“Double Tap” continues Bentley’s line of high-caliber entries in the thriller genre and the Mitch Rapp series.
I’m excited to see what’s on tap next for our hero…
>> Order your copy of “Double Tap” here.
To learn more about Don Bentley, visit his website at donbentleybooks.com, and to learn more about Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp novels, visit vinceflynn.com.
>> If you enjoyed my review of “Double Tap,” consider following me on X/Twitter: @TheJonCrunch
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