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Technical Details
- ISBN13: 9781416595182
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Product Description
#1 New York Times bestselling author Vince Flynn returns with yet another explosive thriller, introducing the young Mitch Rapp, as he takes on his first assignment.Before he was considered a CIA superagent, before he was thought of as a terrorist’s worst nightmare, and before he was both loathed and admired by the politicians on Capitol Hill, Mitch Rapp was a gifted college athlete without a care in the world . . . and then tragedy struck.Two decades of cutthroat, partisan politics has left the CIA and the country in an increasingly vulnerable position. Cold War veteran and CIA Operations Director Thomas Stansfield knows he must prepare his people for the next war. The rise of Islamic terrorism is coming, and it needs to be met abroad before it reaches America’s shores. Stansfield directs his protÉgÉe, Irene Kennedy, and his old Cold War colleague, Stan Hurley, to form a new group of clandestine operatives who will work outside the normal chain of command—men who do not exist.
What type of man is willing to kill for his country without putting on a uniform? Kennedy finds him in the wake of the Pan Am Lockerbie terrorist attack. Two-hundred and seventy souls perished that cold December night, and thousands of family and friends were left searching for comfort. Mitch Rapp was one of them, but he was not interested in comfort. He wanted retribution.
Six months of intense training has prepared him to bring the war to the enemy’s doorstep, and he does so with brutal efficiency. Rapp starts in Istanbul, where he assassinates the Turkish arms dealer who sold the explosives used in the Pan Am attack. Rapp then moves onto Hamburg with his team and across Europe, leaving a trail of bodies. All roads lead to Beirut, though, and what Rapp doesn’t know is that the enemy is aware of his existence and has prepared a trap. The hunter is about to become the hunted, and Rapp will need every ounce of skill and cunning if he is to survive the war-ravaged city and its various terrorist factions.
As action-packed, fast-paced, and brutally realistic as it gets, Flynn’s latest page-turner shows readers how it all began. Behind the steely gaze of the nation’s ultimate hero is a young man primed to become an American Assassin.
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Customer Reviews
2010-10-30
By Howard N Singer (Bangkok, Thailand)
Vince Flynn's new best seller, "American Assassin," is a very poor book. The first 25% of the book is an unbelievable and stupid description of efforts to train CIA agents. It is, frankly, dispiriting that any author would think his or her readers so gullible as to believe that what is described here could actually exist, or be successful. It takes navy seals training to a new level and introduces Stan Hurley, the lead CIA trainer, who behaves so stupidly that he could not exist in any organization for more than a few hours. His relationship to other characters in the CIA is juvenile. After the story moves to the Middle East and Europe, the plot does pick up, but it's so routine and hackneyed, that it's only mildly interesting. The main event of the novel, the breaking into of a computer network, probably an impossibility, is never explained; the author just mentions that the CIA was able to do it. Contrast this with the meticulous and exciting detailing of a similar intelligence operation in "The Rembrandt Affair" by Daniel Silva. Details are not important to Flynn as, at one point, he places Beirut on the ocean. His cartoonish characters would probably not know the difference. I don't know if I was more annoyed at the author for writing this mediocrity, or at my fellow reviewers who raved about the book, or at myself for actually reading the entire book. We're all losers as far as I'm concerned.
2010-10-30
By Tracy L. Karol (Austin, Texas)
American Assassin: A Thriller
Reviewed by Tracy L. Karol
After the last Flynn novel, I wondered where he would take us on our journey with Mitch Rapp. Our hero has weathered devastating heartbreak, betrayals, corrupt (and/or stupid politicians), more danger than any James Bond character, and has barely managed to keep his soul intact. I find it a great testament to Mr. Flynn's writing and creativity that he has penned a character who has evolved so much. Yet there was always something missing. We knew from previous books that Rapp had been recruited to join the CIA, but his early years with the agency remained a mystery. In fact, just before I started reading this book someone who wanted to start the series asked me if he needed to start at the beginning or if he could pick up anywhere and understand the books. I hesitated to answer, but after reading "American Assassin" I can fully endorse starting with the latest release.
Obviously Flynn gives enough background material in each book that a new reader can enjoy the novel, but I'm personally glad that I actually read "Term Limits" years ago when it was first released, then read the rest of the books as they were published. Yes, it was agony waiting for each to come out, but they were all well worth the wait. That said, "American Assassin" is one book that anyone can actually start reading now and then go back and read the other books in the series ("Term Limits" is probably optional, but still a great read). It goes back in time and describes a young Mitch Rapp, just graduated from college, recruited by Dr. Irene Kennedy to join a super-secret black ops program to fight terrorism.
Not only was the book fascinating, it was wonderful to take a peek at the lives of other major characters in the series, some who are no longer around. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I quickly read "Transfer of Power" again and am now reading "The Third Option." So I would say if you've never read Vince Flynn but have wanted to try out his series, "American Assassin" is a great place to start. While it's the latest book, it goes back in time so you don't miss anything from the later books, and if you love a good thriller, you'll have a plethora waiting for you to read once you finish it. And trust me, Flynn knows of what he writes. When I check out the copyright date on these older novels, it's clear that Flynn had a firm grasp on the threat our country was facing from Islamic extremists, prior to 9/11. He has been spot-on ever since. I highly recommend all of his novels, not only for their entertainment value, but because they are actually educational as well.
A few times I have been lucky enough to stumble upon an author who has already produced a body of work that is fantastic, and after reading one novel I tear through all the other published titles (this happened with Robert Crais and Nelson DeMille). If you haven't started reading Flynn, this is your chance. I'm now on my third go-round with some of these books; that's how much I enjoy them.
Happy reading!
2010-10-30
By Neal
I've never given up on a book in the first chapter before but this felt like 2nd grade character and plot development. I'm returning the book tomorrow. It's frustrating because I love action books and was expecting good things.
2010-10-30
By T. Howlin (Virginia)
If this book was actually written, in its entirety, by Flynn, I'd be very surprised. There are abrupt shifts in writing style throughout the book that makes me think it was submitted unfinished and closed up by a ghost writer or that is was co-written with someone else for some reason. In any case, I found the book boring with little suspense. I think that perhaps this particular series has run its course and it's time for Flynn to seek a new direction. It even seems like Flynn himself may be tired of the character and the plot lines and needs to flex his creative muscles into a different direction - same genre, just a different approach.
If you haven't already bought the book, get on the waiting list at the library and save yourself the cost of the book.
2010-10-29
By Kenneth B Pocras
"A Thriller" is printed on the jacket of this book. It is FAR from it. Very disappointing read.
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