PURSUIT OF HONOR
Vince Flynn
Atria Books
Political Thriller
ISBN: 9781416595168
The mere existence of PURSUIT OF HONOR, Vince Flynn’s latest Mitch Rapp thriller, is enough to make one stand up and cheer even before its binding is cracked open. Those familiar with Rapp know him as the CIA agent who colors outside the lines, effectively getting the job done while incidentally keeping the country safe. Rapp is becoming a literary icon, the guy you would be proud to have as your friend and glad to have watching your back. Those holding out for a hero in these bleak times need look no further than Flynn and PURSUIT OF HONOR, as accurate a title and as exciting a novel as you are likely to encounter…at least until the next time Flynn takes fingers to keyboard.
PURSUIT OF HONOR takes place shortly after the conclusion of EXTREME MEASURES, which featured a series of cataclysmic events that left the nation reeling. Rapp and Mike Nash, his trusted protégé, managed to thwart a dastardly terrorist attack before it reached its ultimate goal, but not before it exacted a great personal cost upon first responders and those who support them. In the aftermath, Rapp is engrossed in plugging a potential intelligence leak but must also deal with Nash, who is marked with adverse psychological aftereffects following the previous book’s events and the losses he has suffered.
Meanwhile, Karim, the mastermind behind the attacks --- the self-styled “Lion of al Qaeda” --- and his two somewhat reluctant associates are crossing the heartland of America, cutting a bloody swath that, unbeknownst to them, will bring their pursuers closer to identifying them. Rapp’s most immediate and dangerous enemies, however, are the leaders of the nation who he has sworn to protect and who seem hell-bent on turning the United States over to its enemies without a single shot being fired. Flynn does an excellent job of portraying the so-called progressive mindset in action with dialogue so frighteningly accurate that it almost seems to have been lifted verbatim from C-SPAN.
Once Rapp has dealt with the oversight committee, he must turn his attention to Karim, who is inadvertently goaded into a confrontation in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, Rapp neatly maneuvers Nash into a position that seemingly benefits everyone. His plan backfires, though, in a way that he never anticipated, and PURSUIT OF HONOR concludes with a chilling and dangerous confrontation where Rapp once again puts everything on the line to protect the two things he loves most --- his nation and his friends --- from a deadly attack.
Flynn, who made his debut over a decade ago, shows no sign of slowing down. If you have a long night ahead of you, PURSUIT OF HONOR is the book to pick up to keep you company. In the land of one-sit reads, Flynn is king, and his latest is Exhibit A for that proposition. The first half of the book moves rapidly, and as for the second half, all I can say is strap yourself in, particularly for the last 50 pages.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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