Act of Treason (A Mitch Rapp Novel)

As someone who has been a fan of the Mitch Rapp series for quite a few years I have been reading them in the order they were recommended to me. I just finished reading this action-packed assassin 467-page paperback novel (Act of Treason: A Mitch Rapp thriller by Vince Flynn) which is the 9th in the series) that I purchased on Amazon, and as with the other 8 Rapp series, I really enjoyed reading this one. After a hired assassin sets off a deadly car bomb blowing up a vehicle, which was part of a motorcade which had a presidential candidate inside, at Washington, DC, Mitch Rapp is immediately assigned to the case. He is quickly on the trail of a hired assassin who may be part of a larger group determined to destroy our country. Needless to say, just as in the other Mitch Rapp novels this story moves quickly making it an enjoyable page turning read. If you are a fan of the Mitch Rapp series you should check out this one. A very entertaining read. Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: The Mighty Pen: You self-defense friend, tactical use of the pen for self-defense).

A van explodes during a political motorcade, killing the wife of the Democratic Party's presidential candidate. Who did it? Islamic fundamentalists or someone closer to home? Could it have been a campaign stunt to aid a candidate falling behind in the polls? Mitch Rapp is assigned to the case because the FBI and Secret Service are ham-strung. Applying his usual standards of direct force, Rapp quickly traps down the culprit, or at least the trigger man. But he keecaps him and shoots him in both hands, acts regarded as torture by most people. And then Mitch is thrown to the dogs, in this case the New York Times and other ego-centric media hounds, you know, the people who love hearing themselves speak whether what they say is true or not. So Mitch goes on the lam, leaving Irene Kennedy to hold the bag, at least for a while. Never fear, Mitch will be back, and when he comes storming in, the facts will be laid bare. For about four hundred and ten pages, I thought this was the best political thriller I'd read in several years. Unfortunately, the book is four hundred and fifteen pages long. I won't give away what disappointed me in the last five pages, except to say I thought the events were tragic, all too convenient, and cost the book the credibility the first four hundred and ten pages had created. Still, it was a good read. Flynn has a knack for story-telling, and Mitch Rapp is a great character. I particularly like the way Rapp cuts through the very real bureaucracy that clogs the arteries and headlines of politics in current-day America. If Mitch Rapp doesn't exist in real life, we could sure use someone like him.

I'll explain the review's title in a minute. First, having finished all of Lee Child's books, I was looking for something to keep me occupied until "superman" Jack Reacher emerges again from Child's imagination. I found Vince Flynn and Reacher's counterpart, Mitch Rapp. The difference is that Child deals in a broader arena of crime while Flynn is political. Normally, I don't like political novels. I get enough politics in 2008 from the news. But Flynn has tapped into the depths of my willingness to accept conspiracy theories, and he's got me! While I highly recommend "Act of Treason," I would suggest you start with earlier books - though I admit that I haven't read any yet. However, there is a distinct feeling that this is an "interim" book, one that is begging for a sequel. As enjoyable a read as this was, I was a little disappointed with the end and had the feeling that I was in the middle of a serial, waiting for the final chapters. Still, this was, not to be trite, a page-turner and in 2008 enough to give one a sense of foreboding. The best thing is that there is now a continuation of my reading history from Saunders and Sanders to WEB Griffin to Child to Flynn with a few Parker thrown in for bad measure. I've already ordered three more Flynn novels. I haven't enjoyed Grisham since his second novel; I never cared for Dan Brown. Anybody have other recommendations knowing now that Saunders, Sanders, Child and Flynn are at the top of my reading lists?

Didn’t end how I thought it would! Great twist at the end. Fun read with a great plot line. On to the next book.

This was the ninth book in the Mitch Rapp series for me. I think this plot could entertain the reader on its own, but reading the previous novels in the series certainly enhanced this reader's experience. Now, on yo number ten in the set...

Mitch Rapp is usually the hero of these books, but someone else gets the kudos in this one. Very well written with a complicated plot. Some well-written characters with evil running running through their veins. Mitch and company eventually work things out, but ya gotta read the book to really enjoy it.

I like the Rapp books because the author understands this is war and we could lose it if we aren't careful. The MSM seems to think the war is like pulling over someone whose car smells of marajuana on the highway. If you didn't Miranda the driver the case is no good. This is war not a law enforcement matter. It's fun to read about Rapp's direct manner and a CIA willing to back him up even when the bad guys turn out to be US politicians. If only it was true. Read the book, it's a lot of fun. I've got to nitpick a little. The author seems to think Cyprus is part of Greece. It was funny because I was in Athens when I read the book and have worked in Nicosia. The ethnic Greeks dominate half of Cyprus but it is an independant country. In fact it's now part of the EU. The author has the Greek government protesting the "kidnapping" of a Cypriot citizen and Rapp threatens a Cypriot banker with an onslaught of Greek investigators from Athens if he doesn't help. No the Greek Cypriots and Greeks are close but the Greeks don't run things in Nicosia or Larnica. No biggie but it struck a discordant note in the book that the author seems to think Cyprus is a province of Greece.

Finished reading this on Kindle,which I love having as a busy person. I keep it with me at all times to use while waiting in line time or waiting for prescription to be filled. I can get in some extra reading time, I don't get stressed out over having to stand in line or sit while being a "number." I am almost finished reading this series, but at the rate Flynn churns them out, I wonder if I ever will get to the "end." Act of Treason Looking forward to his use of current events in his next few hits. Act of Treason is a great lead in to the next in the series, which for some reason I read out of order. But, you know what, it really didn't matter. Each one stands on its own. I do find I keep a file on my phone of the list as published in chronological order. Soon I will get to the point where I read the one about Rapps life before the series started. It is truly facinating to have a peek into the most private meetings at the highest level of government and view the turf wars that have great significance in our lives that a majority of us are never even aware. I look forward to having time to read some of the other books recommended because of my interest in the Flynn series. Hope I live long enough!