Product Description

There are two weeks to go to the US presidential election when the hot favourite, Josh Alexander, is ambushed by a terrorist bomb. He narrowly escapes, but members of his entourage are not so lucky. Alexander is carried to victory by a sympathy vote. On the surface, it appears to be the work of al-Qaeda. But then CIA director Irene Kennedy is presented with classified information so toxic that she has no option but to call on Mitch Rapp, America's top counterterrorism operative: the one man reckless enough to follow the evidence to its explosive conclusion.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17081 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

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

Fantastic !
Yes I too think Vince Flynn's novels just get better and better.... Mitch Rapp is fast becoming my fave action hero ahead of Jack Reacher and maybe even Dirk Pitt. I couldn't put this book down, it does exactly what it says on the tin, exciting, pacey stuff :o)

3rd I read - the best so far
3rd Flynn I read. The best so far. Good plot. No middle eastern terrorists finally - something different.
And as usually with Flynn - excellent political aspects and insights, brilliant writing, great pace. I fully recommend.

How Far Does the Will to Win Go?
Can a terrorist attack change the course of history? An anarchist assassinated William McKinley, the 25th U.S. president, in 1901. His replacement? Theodore Roosevelt, who launched the beginnings of the big presidencies we have now, and our more activist role in attacking other countries. More recently, you know the history of September 11, 2001 and subsequent events.

Let's look into the future. Could false terrorist attacks also change the course of history? Many historians believe that Adolf Hitler showed that it could by helping stage an attack on the Reichstag (the German parliamentary building) in 1933. The Nazis used that event to sweep away the rest of the opposition to their upcoming dictatorship over Germany.

Vince Flynn takes on this topic by looking at what a desperate U.S. presidential campaign might do in the waning weeks before an election that looks unwinable. You'll be chilled and fascinated by what he develops. Let's hope this isn't a vision of 2008.

The book opens as a deadly attack on the presidential campaign is launched. We quickly get a sense that not all is right . . . and are soon pulled into the story of how this event occurred . . . and for what reasons.

There's also a cliffhanger element here. Mitch Rapp once again leads a "take no unnecessary prisoners" investigation on behalf of the CIA and his faithful leader, Irene Kennedy, knowing that the new administration will probably dismiss both Kennedy and Rapp. But Mitch is his usual self-guided missile and operates on Mitch Rapp time while the politicians dance around looking for advantages.

The book's highest moments are, as usual, those where Mitch goes into action. Vince Flynn has a wonderful ability to stage and elaborate on high action sequences. It makes you wish the whole book could just be one fight after another. But, alas, you have to listen to talk some of the time. The book is quite flat there.

Mitch seems to be on the verge of undergoing some kind of significant meltdown . . . but the action in this story pulls him out of his funk on a temporary basis. The next book in the series will probably feature Mitch in a bigger funk . . . which could be interesting.

As usual in this series, the characters aren't really developed all that well. It's hard to remember any of them other than Mitch, Irene, and a Secret Service agent, Maria Rivera. But those three are quite distinctive and interesting.

Without going into matters further, the book's ending will be controversial for many. It will leave you wondering "what else could happen next?" That's a powerful thing to do as a novelist and I commend Mr. Flynn for giving us something important to think about.

If you are worried that this book unduly favors Republicans or Democrats, be assured that the story line draws heavily on the major embarrassments of both parties in recent years.