Term Limits (original 1997; edition 2009)

Story started ok but was just too unbelievable w the national security advisor and white house chief of staff killing senators ( )

A fast-paced novel filled with action. Mr. Flynn does not disappoint. I recently stumbled on Vince Flynn and have been quite impressed with his books. Easy to read with characters that are developed just enough, he takes the reader on a ride that is so far-fetched, yet seems so plausible at the same time. ( )

My first Vince Flynn novel and I went in expecting high energy, politics, espionage, and more. Well I definitely got my money's worth. Not only did each page keep me wanting to read further without end but I was constantly trying to predict how Flynn would end things especially when you saw how screwed up everything was and to think there want any fix in sight. I'm definitely adding more Vince Flynn books to my list. ( )

This was my first Vince Flynn book. I was looking for a hole to fill Tom Clancy's place and I am disappointed to say that this is not going to completely do the job. The plot is decent, but it misses some opportunities late to really expand on things and surprise the reader. The writing is sub-par and technical details don't seem as accurate and well researched as in Clancy's work.

I'm not completely turned off by Flynn, but I am disappointed. I'll probably try another few books and see if they get better from here. ( )

In one bloody night, three of Washington's most powerful politicians are executed with surgical precision. Their assassins then deliver a shocking ultimatum to the American government: set aside partisan politics and restore power to the people. No one, they warn, is out of their reach -- not even the president. A joint FBI-CIA task force reveals the killers are elite military commandos, but no one knows exactly who they are or when they will strike next. Only Michael O'Rourke, a former U.S. Marine and freshman congressman, holds a clue to the violence: a haunting incident in his own past with explosive implications for his country's future....

This thriller is fast-paced and Vince Flynn juggles the different strands of the story with ease. Never did I get confused about who I was reading about and one by one the different storylines started to come together to culminate in an exciting, realistic ending. For a first novel, this was absolutely amazing!

But more than just a well written thriller Term Limits is also a book that made me think. Who do you feel sympathy for? The killers, the FBI, or the politicians? Perhaps only for the innocents caught in the crossfire. Since the publication of this novel politics has only gotten worse and the monetary crisis this book predicts has come to pass. But when does fighting for freedom, for civil rights, become an ordinary crime? How far can and should you go in today’s world if you want to change it? Can killing ever be justified? Though questions that this book made me ask, and I still haven’t found an answer to them. And that, I think, is the true power of this book. ( )