Consent to Kill: A Thriller

I've always liked Flynn and have read all of his books. I bought and read Consent to Kill this weekend and was, as I always am with the very best storytellers (of which there are far too few!)really upset to have finished it. This was masterful story-telling at its very best. I read anywhere from 4-9 books a week. Many of the murder-mayhem-mystery and Flynn spy-and-terrorism genre go too fast, with inattention (or a simple sad shortage of talent and skill!) to the pace and the flow of the story; to one-dimensional characters; and to frustrating short endings (like a short landing in an airplane!). In this book I could FEEL the smooth, rich, balanced pace and flow of the story with every word on every page. I could feel the strength it took to exercise the patience and devotion to develop the characters and narrate what they did. The characters were all three dimensional with great depth (not just the most important characters) woven in vivid, gripping colors and I felt as though I knew them well, and cared for them, or not, realistically and passionately. Flynn kept a lot of balls spinning in the air simultaneously and so smoothly that I never felt lost or let go of, or annoyed. (Believe me, there are a lot of stories I have read where I feel all three of those things!) I can picture family members sticking their heads in the door of Mr. Flynn's writing room, and calling softly, "Vince?" or "Daddy?" and I can see him, after a long wait, slowly lifting his head and looking around, like a bear coming out of hibernation... puzzled to find himself in that room with that person in that world. I loved this book and can't wait for the next one in October. (Although I warn you, this one is going to be very hard to top.)

Arab terrorists, international assassins, and politically appointed nitwits, Vince Flynn's newest thriller delivers everything you have come to expect from the Mitch Rapp series. There is lots of action, impressive no nonsense black ops professionals, and edge of your seat suspense-filled plotting. As you might expect, Consent to Kill begins with Rapp doing what he does best, tracking down and killing a dangerous Islamic cleric with direct ties to suicide bombers. This little sidebar to the main story is meant to demonstrate Rapp's technical skill and sense of justice. In that respect it forcefully succeeds. Unfortunately Rapp has now reached that stage in his career where his reputation is legendary and his enemies are both numerous and extremely powerful and resourceful. Until now Mitch has never had to face an opponent of equal talent, but that's what happens when a fundamentalist Arab billionaire places a twenty million dollar bounty on Rapp. Predictably he lives to fight again but only after losing everything that is precious to him. Now everyone who was involved in this attempted assassination is on the run as Rapp tries to piece together exactly who to blame. Rapp is the proverbial loose cannon that not only has the terrorists ducking for cover, but also has the chicken-hawk politicians trying to put him on ice as well. Vince Flynn has another exciting eye-for-an-eye thriller that is sure to be enjoyed his many fans. My complaints are few, but I will list them here; the book could have been maybe 50 pages shorter without as much needless explanation; there are some loose ends that should have been tied up since most readers will be left wondering; and some of those 50 pages that could have been cut should have been devoted to better character development. But these are minor criticisms and on the whole the book is thoroughly enjoyable and matches Flynn's earlier fiction. If you enjoy this book, then you might also enjoy the similarly themed/styled books of Daniel Silva and Brad Thor.

I've been reading Mitch Rapp novels by Vince Flynn since the beginning, so I was eagerly anticipating Consent to Kill. I bought it the first day it was out. I normally devour these books in a few days - never more than a week. But this one was different and it sounds corny but I wanted it to last a while because it was so darn good. The character development is thicker, the storyline is stronger and the ending more gratifying than any previous novel. I loved it. I can't say the average reader would appreciate everything this book has to offer by reading it alone, but go ahead a treat yourself to the whole series and enjoy the ride. One warning: if you like long-winded boring details about every single passing character in a novel, this book and Vince Flynn isn't for you. Flynn gives you the necessary history on each player to make the characters believable, but not so much detail that you know what every character ate for breakfast for the past year. The action sequences in the book always develop the plot more so you don't feel like your favorite characters are running on empty all the time like some other thriller books. This book is not predictable. While you know what the main character has a tendency to do (if you've read previous Mitch Rapp books), you don't know how it's going to happen. Also, Flynn brings in a few shockers that even surprised me. One bad surprise I must say, but it makes Mitch Rapp more human. As for a predicable ending - I don't think so - I guess you should just read it and tell me. Fans of Flynn should have already bought this book. But first-timers should start with Transfer of Power and work your way up to Consent to Kill to truly appreciate it. (Yes, Term Limits came out before Transfer of Power, but trust me, Transfer of Power has what it takes to pull you in. You can go back and read Term Limits another day.) Vince - great job on this one. I can't wait to read the next book.

If you have never had the privilege of reading one of Vince Flynn's novels, you are truly missing out. From Term Limits to Consent To Kill, Flynn has finally proven to the world that he is a force to be reckon with in the political/espionage genre. From the streets of Washington D.C. to Afghanistan, Mitch Rapp, America's top counterterrorism operative (assassin) is on the hunt to find out who took a contract out on his life. He will stop at nothing to rid this world of pure evil and with the help of an elite team, he takes the fight to his enemies and shows what true 'dimplomacy' is all about ;). If you enjoy a good read, this is it! Not only does Flynn weave an entertaining story, but it will also wake you up to the realities of Islamic extremism and gives you a unique insight into the minds of these terrorists. Flynn is at that top of his game and has now set the standard for what a political/espionage thriller is all about.