The Mitch Rapp Series by Vince Flynn / Kyle Mills | Book Review

“There was a saying in the spy business that information was only as good as its source.” ~Vince Flynn, Memorial Day

“The average human’s mind was a tidal wave of contradictory emotions unbounded by intellect or calculation. Love, hate, fear, greed, lust—all fighting for dominance, advancing and retreating, controlling and justifying every action and reaction.” ~Kyle Mills, Oath of Loyalty

If you’re big on reading spy/counter espionage thrillers, you would have definitely come across the name Mitch Rapp, considered to be one of the greatest characters written in the genre by Vince Flynn. This series had popped up on my radar, thanks to TheRealBookSpy, when I resumed my voracious reading habit in 2015 and thrillers were the bread and butter of my annual reading list.

I also knew my brother had read nearly all his books published in the 2000s (see picture on left), mostly because our favourite bookseller at Midlands Bookshop in New Delhi had gotten him hooked to them. Even as I was doing the 2022 #AquaFlavoursBingeReads of the Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor, I was already leaning on the idea of picking up Mitch Rapp for 2023 and had started collecting all the remaining titles on my eReader.

If you’re wondering what is #AquaFlavoursBingeReads, this is an annual reading tradition I have been following since 2017 where I binge-read an entire book series from start to finish. This is usually one-author-one-character series and I give myself a target number of days to complete the set.

In past editions I have read the Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor, Harry Potter series by J K Rowling, Tracy Crosswhite Series by Robert Dugoni, and The Gray Man Series by Mark Greaney, among others. You can find more details on my annual binge-reads in my Instagram Story Highlights and the Reading Traditions menu at the top of this page.

For #AquaFlavoursBingeReads 2023 edition, I had a target of reading 22 books in the Mitch Rapp series. The first thirteen books have been written by Vince Flynn, the original creator of the series, and were all NYTimes Bestsellers. His debut novel Term Limits is a stand-alone novel but, considering some of these characters also make an appearance in the Mitch Rapp series, timeline wise Term Limits sits between Mitch Rapp #2 and #3.

Flynn passed away in 2013 at the age of 47 after battling prostate cancer. After his passing, Kyle Mills was roped in by the publishers to continue the story. Kyle Mills has written nine books since then, with Code Red, published in September this year, being his last. The next book in the Mitch Rapp Series (book #23) is expected to be published in Autumn 2024 and will be written by Don Bentley – the New York Times Bestselling author of the Matt Drake series, and four Tom Clancy Jack Ryan, Jr. novels.

My target timeline for completing the series was ten weeks: Oct1 – Dec10, 2023 which would allow me to read at a comfortable pace of 2-3 books per week. This was important because I was also attending classes for my final semester of the Korean Language program and needed to keep aside two weeks to study for the the final exam on Christmas Eve. Then again, you know how it gets when you start reading… it’s impossible to slow down. I read at breakneck speed and finished the binge-read in nine weeks, sharing weekly updates every Friday on my Instagram Stories.Mitch Rapp is a counter-terrorism agent and an aggressive operative whose primary role is to thwart foreign terrorist attacks on the United States using any means necessary. He speaks fluent French and Arabic, and passable Urdu and Pashto, which is an advantage in dealing with the war of terror.

He graduated from Syracuse University where he followed his high-school sweetheart on a Lacrosse scholarship. However, she passed away in the tragic bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, also known as the Lockerbie Bombing, in December 1988. She was one of thirty-five Syracuse students returning after completing a semester overseas. One year later he was recruited into the CIA by Irene Kennedy, and started training as soon as he graduated.

Rapp became a member of Orion, a black-ops team supported by the CIA but completely off the books. It was formed by then CIA Director of Operations Thomas Stansfield after the Lockerbie bombing, and is funded by money diverted out of programs approved by Congress. The team is headed by Kennedy whose official designation at the CIA is Director, Counterterrorism Centre.

I am well acquainted with spy thrillers, having read my fair share of them over the years. And yet, Vince Flynn reels you in with a character who is incredibly complex. He is not just another American going guns blazing into the Middle East. He is, however, the last resort when things need to get done. His black-op status gives him the leeway to cross the line without a second thought when it comes to defending his country. And he doesn’t think much of politicians who like to sit in their cosy offices in cushioned chairs and pretend to question right from wrong.

It is important to note that the books in this series were not published in chronological order of the story’s timeline. Since I read all the books together, it helped to follow the chronological order to maintain continuity. (See title list below for timeline order and publish dates).

After The Last Man (Vince Flynn’s last book), Kyle Mills steps in seamlessly, picking up exactly where Vince Flynn stopped. He imitates Flynn’s voice so well, staying committed to the universe he created with all the same characters, building on their stories and adventures. If one didn’t know, it would be impossible to tell these last nine books were written by a different author.

Rapp can seem a silent, surly, loner but he has a close circle he trusts to have his back. Irene Kennedy is front and centre on this list – a character I love for her strength and resilience. As one of a handful of women in the highest echelons of the international spy business, she has to fight her way through in order to break the glass ceiling, which she does with grace and determination. As a single mother, keeping up with her personal and professional lives is not an easy task, even on the calmest day. Yet, she never stops trying to give each her best.

Another favourite character is Scott Coleman, a former SEAL, now private contractor for the CIA. He was introduced in the stand-alone novel Term Limits and later became Mitch Rapp’s trusted comrade in the field.

From the first book I started reading, I have been well and truly hooked to this series. The research that has gone in and the attention to detail is phenomenal. The series has a diverse range of characters, of which the lead and support cast is particularly brilliant. The action sequences are electrifying and the story traverses a gamut of adventures, tragedies and emotions, letting you get into each character’s head to understand the how and why of every action.

I am glad I came across Mitch Rapp’s world because I have enjoyed every single book in the series. This was the highlight of my reading this year and I am thrilled to have been able to check this off my list. I now need to find a way to manage my impatience as I await the next book in the series.

Also, as we get ready to step into 2024, I am reviewing all the suggestions I received this past year for my next binge-read. If you have any recommendations to add for one-author-one-character book series, drop them in the comments below.

The Mitch Rapp Series and Term Limits by Vince Flynn, continued by Kyle Mills. Published by Simon and Schuster UK, Simon and Schuster India.

Books 34-56 of 2023.

Aquamarine Flavours Rating: .

Available on Amazon*:

By Vince Flynn:
1. American Assassin (Mitch Rapp #1) – Published 2010
2. Kill Shot (Mitch Rapp #2) – Published 2012
3. Term Limits (Mitch Rapp #2.5 as a parallel stand-alone to the Mitch Rapp series) – Published 1997
4. Transfer of Power (Mitch Rapp #3) – Published 1999
5. The Third Option (Mitch Rapp #4) – Published 2000
6. Separation of Power (Mitch Rapp #5) – Published 2001
7. Executive Power (Mitch Rapp #6) – Published 2003
8. Memorial Day (Mitch Rapp #7) – Published 2004
9. Consent to Kill (Mitch Rapp #8) – Published 2005
10. Act of Treason (Mitch Rapp #9) – Published 2006
11. Protect and Defend (Mitch Rapp #10) – Published 2007
12. Extreme Measures (Mitch Rapp #11) – Published 2008
13. Pursuit of Honor (Mitch Rapp #12) – Published 2009
14. The Last Man (Mitch Rapp #13) – Published 2012

By Kyle Mills:
15. The Survivor (Mitch Rapp #14) – Published 2015
16. Order To Kill (Mitch Rapp #15) – Published 2016
17. Enemy Of The State (Mitch Rapp #16) – Published 2017
18. Red War (Mitch Rapp #17) – Published 2018
19. Lethal Agent (Mitch Rapp #18) – Published 2019
20. Total Power (Mitch Rapp #19) – Published 2020
21. Enemy at the Gates (Mitch Rapp #20) – Published 2021
22. Oath Of Loyalty (Mitch Rapp #21) – Published 2022
23. Code Red (Mitch Rapp #22) – Published 2023

About Photo: Counter terrorism and surveillance go hand-in-hand and surveillance can be done via various means such as wiretapping, bugging, videotaping, geolocation tracking, data mining, social media mapping, or the monitoring of data and traffic on the internet. For an agent like Mitch Rapp, it is an indispensable tool of the job.

This 3D papercraft model of a surveillance CCTV camera is cut from 220gsm ivory paper using a template I found online.

About the Authors:

Vince Flynn – #1 New York Times bestselling author Vince Flynn (1966-2013) created one of contemporary fiction’s most popular heroes: CIA counterterrorist agent Mitch Rapp, featured in thirteen of Flynn’s acclaimed political thrillers. All of his novels are New York Times bestsellers, including his stand-alone debut novel, Term Limits.

He passed away in 2013 at the age of 47 after a long battle with prostate cancer.

Find out more about his life and legacy at his official website.

Kyle Mills – Kyle Mills is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-three political thrillers, including Enemy at the Gates, Total Power, Lethal Agent, and Oath of Loyalty for Vince Flynn and The Patriot Attack for Robert Ludlum. He initially found inspiration from his father, an FBI agent and former Interpol director, and still draws on his contacts in the intelligence community to give his books such realism.

Avid outdoor athletes and world travellers, he and his wife split their time between Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Granada, Spain.
Connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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