Product Description

With Iran on the brink of developing a nuclear weapon, Israel is forced to react. But by destroying Iran's main nuclear facility, creating a radioactive tomb and an environmental disaster, Israel has triggered an international crisis. 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. Meeting violence with violence, CIA operative Mitch Rapp tracks his mark across Europe to America where they are finally pitted against each other in a hunt only one of them can survive.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #46145 in Books
• Published on: 2008-08-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 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

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.

Super Hero Role for Mitch Rapp
Mitch Rapp out thinks, out fights, out shoots, and out negotiates all the bad guys in Protect and Defend. If you enjoy seeing the villains get their just desserts, this is the book for you.

Israeli intelligence has placed an agent inside of Iran's nuclear weapons facility who pulls off a stunning act of sabotage. Naturally, Iran's leaders want to engage Israel and the United States.

Into the breach comes Mitch Rapp who conceives of a plan to use the sabotage to weaken America's enemies in Iran. But executing the plan is easier said than done after Arab terrorists pull a deadly surprise on the CIA. Racing against time, it's all up to Mitch to hold things together.

This story has a lot of suspense and moves forward at a breakneck pace. I found myself racing to reach the end. My heart was pounding while I did.

Naturally, the story is more than a little over the top . . . so you'll find credibility being bent and mangled here and there. But just go along with the fun and you'll have a good time.

Don't make the mistake of looking too closely at the details. Some of them don't work.

If you are concerned about things being done according to Hoyle in your thrillers, this isn't the book for you.

Rapp does his stuff again
Here we have another action adventure with Mitch rapp, the hero of all of Flynn's books. This is more of the same and no bad thing for being so. The author is very comfortable with his lead character and has produced another solid adventure. Here we have conflict between Iran and the US which boils down to a war of words and the kidnapping of Rapp's boss. As regular readers will know, it is not a good idea to upset Rapp....
This is a good page turning thriller. I think Vince Flynn has it within him to write longer more complex novels with Rapp as his lead character and I hope he chooses to give us a little more depth next time. Having said that I always enjoy Flynn's books and this was no exception.