Product Description

With Iran on the brink of developing a nuclear weapon, Israel is forced to react. In a daring raid, Israel destroys Iran's main nuclear facility, creating a radioactive tomb and an environmental disaster. An outraged United Nations condemns the attacks while Iran swears vengeance against Israel and her chief backer: the USA. Enter Lebanese master terrorist Imad Mukhtar who's spent the past decade picking his targets and preparing his cells for this exact moment. All he needs is approval from Iran's Supreme Council, and he will strike at America's soft underbelly and make her bleed like never before. With the US on high alert, the President calls on the one man ruthless enough to counter the fanatical terrorist. Enter Mitch Rapp, America's terrorist hunter and one man wrecking crew. Meeting violence with violence, Rapp tracks Mukhtar across Europe to America, where they are pitted against each other in a hunt only one of them can survive.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #41690 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Synopsis
With Iran on the brink of developing a nuclear weapon, Israel is forced to react. In a daring raid, Israel destroys Iran's main nuclear facility, creating a radioactive tomb and an environmental disaster. An outraged United Nations condemns the attacks while Iran swears vengeance against Israel and her chief backer: the USA. Enter Lebanese master terrorist Imad Mukhtar who's spent the past decade picking his targets and preparing his cells for this exact moment. All he needs is approval from Iran's Supreme Council, and he will strike at America's soft underbelly and make her bleed like never before. With the US on high alert, the President calls on the one man ruthless enough to counter the fanatical terrorist. Enter Mitch Rapp, America's terrorist hunter and one man wrecking crew. Meeting violence with violence, Rapp tracks Mukhtar across Europe to America, where they are pitted against each other in a hunt only one of them can survive.

About the Author
Vince Flynn is the New York Times bestselling author of seven thrillers, including most recently CONSENT TO KILL and MEMORIAL DAY. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and three children. Visit www.vinceflynn.com

Customer Reviews

Jack Reacher Meets Jack Ryan
If Jack Reacher and Jack Ryan could have a baby, it would to Mitch Rapp!!!!! . I was a great plot, well balanced and believable. The characters were easy to relate to and there was no messing about with silly subplots. The action came thick and fast, the ending was simple but left you feeling content and wanting the next novel ASAP.............It's time to read the back catalogue!

On the edge of my seat...
This is the first Vince Flynn novel that I've read. His main charactor has depth, something that every fictional hero should have. And, I found the plot to follow a coherent path that led to a satisfactory conclusion. Mr Flynn is an accomplished story teller, and I will certainly be reading him again. While writing this review, I would also like to recommend 'The Constantine Legacy' by Andrew Towning.

Time for Mitch to Retire
I have enjoyed all of Vince Flynn's novels featuring Mitch Rapp. Some I prefer more than others, but they all offer something to readers looking for a solid combination of action, political intrigue and adventure.

With Protect & Defend however, I fear that Flynn is trying to flog goods that are past their best. Although not a bad book in any critical respect, this latest Rapp adventure simply feels tired. After an attempt at rebooting the character and franchise by killing off his wife two novels earlier I had hoped that both the author and his hero would rediscover the form of their early books, but after two further novels including this latest one it would seem that my hopes are destined to be dashed.

As a character Mitch Rapp has simply run his course. Nothing that happens in Protect & Defend feels new or fresh. It does nothing interesting with Rapp, any of the supporting cast or the formula itself because there is nothing new that can be done. There are only so many ways to dress up the same 'Rapp defeats another one-dimensional master terrorist' plot and and Flynn has used them all. Similarly Rapp's 'rebellious government agent & killer' schtick also has nowhere new to go. Flynn tried humanising him and ended up neutering him. Having had him revert back to an ice cold killing machine what new angle is there? None that I can see.

As a result of all all these limitations this latest book, whilst efficient, well paced and in places exciting, feels like it has been written by a computer program running a 'Mitch Rapp adventure template'. Its soulless and formulaic to the point where it becomes almost entirely predictable.

As Tom Clancy discovered with Jack Ryan and other authors have with their recurring heroes, after a while, when the new ideas of what to do with them run out, you've just got to bite on the bullet and retire them. If the recycled ideas featured in Protect & Defend are anything to go by Vince Flynn has reached that moment with Mitch Rapp. Flynn is a talented thriller author. I can only hope that he will apply his skills to a new concept and leave Mitch Rapp to a well deserved retirement.