Order to Kill

Mitch Rapp heads to Pakistan where he finds himself chasing false leads as he tries to keep Pakistani nuclear weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists. Working with Scott Coleman, he struggles to keep forces in Moscow from creating even more turmoil and chaos in the Middle East. Posing as an American ISIS recruit, Mitch goes deep into Russian territory and uncovers an insidious plot that could have catastrophic consequences.

Compelling characters and situations draw readers into the tale from the first page. A strong sense of place enhances the story as the twists and turns in this timely, action-packed plot keeps readers on the edge of their seats until the final page.

Highly recommended.

Order To Kill, by Vince Flynn, Kyle Mills, authors; George Guidall, narrator
Mitch Rapp novels are edge of the seat exciting and this one is no exception. Although it is often predictable, there are still many surprises and the tension and mystery grow with each page.
Russia’s President Krupin (who eerily resembles Putin), is a cold-blooded megalomaniac. He needs to find a way to appease the bickering oligarchs who threaten to replace him because of his failure to restore Russia to greatness. To retain power, he wants to blow up the oil fields in Saudi Arabia which will drive up oil prices and revitalize the Kremlin’s ailing industry, perking up the economy and guaranteeing him a place in history. In this effort, Krupkin enlisted the show more aid of ISIS operatives and a trusted agent, Grisha Azarov, with survival skills that were unmatched. His right hand assassin seemed second to none in his ability to strike, accomplish his assignment and withdraw.
Meanwhile, as these plans were materializing, Mitch Rapp went to South Africa to protect Claudia Gould and her daughter from would-be kidnappers. The spy chatter had sent out the warning about the attempt, loud and clear. However, as the mission ran afoul, Rapp realized that they did not really want to kidnap Claudia, they simply wanted to distract him, get him out of the way so that they could smuggle nuclear warheads without his interference. In Pakistan, the warheads were on the move and several had already been stolen. Their fissionable material had been removed to be later used to blow up the Saudi oil fields. Mitch had to discover and stop this effort before the world order changed forever?
The reader hopes from the get-go that Rapp will survive so the building tension is the story of how he manages to extricate himself from every situation. There is no shortage of gruesome violence. Some parts of the plot are plausible and some are quite incredible and difficult to believe. In spite of this, it is hard to put the book down. It is a thriller that moves from country to country as the lengths to which Rapp will go to save the world get more and more bizarre, and his rival gets more and more involved in the web of terror. It appears that only he can prevent the coming catastrophe. When he meets up with his match, the Russian killer, how will he measure up? Who will ultimately survive? Is the ending satisfying?
The narrator has a great voice for reading thrillers. He creates just the right amount of tension as the story develops, and his tone injects humor to lighten it when appropriate. show less

Much to my surprise, I found myself abandoning Order to Kill just 50 pages in. It's bizarre, because I really liked the previous book in the series (also writen by Kyle Mills), this one just fell flat from the start. After reading the previous book I was convinced that Kyle Mills was an excellent choice to continue the series after Vince Flynn's death. Now, I don't know. The 50 pages that I read were heavily cliched for the genre. Early on there are some major continuity issues with how "Steve" is presented to the reader as well. And then there were the little things that bugged me - like reading about how someone was spun around by the force of three 9mm slugs hitting them (unlikely). It seemed to me like reading this was requiring a show more higher level of suspension of disbelief than that I have come to expect from the series. show less

I liked this Mitch Rapp book better than the first one written by Kyle Mills, The Survivor, which I rated 3.5 stars. Mitch is working in Islamabad to try to thwart extremists as the government and Army are playing hide and seek with its nuclear arsenal. Mitch jets off to South Africa to save his close friend Claudia and her daughter, after being tipped by an unlikely source. Meanwhile, Russian president Krupin is under enormous pressure to restore his country's presence on the world stage and launches an audacious plan, with his personal assassin Grisha Azarov in charge. He is a formidable opponent for Rapp, getting the drop on Rapp's main support, Scott Coleman, with his physical prowess enhanced by PEDs. I am disappointed that Mills show more dropped this physical advantage of Azarov when the two go head-to-head in an abandoned oil refinery. Good plot and pacing. show less

Book order: Book 1: The Last Man, Book 2: Kill Shot, Book 3: American Assassin, Book 4: Pursuit of Honor, Book 5: Extreme Measure, Book 6: Protect and Defend, Book 7: Act of Treason, Book 8: Consent To Kill, Book 9: Memorial Day, Book 10: Executive Power, Book 11: Separation of Power, Book 12: The Third Option, Book 13: Transfer of Power, Book 14: Term Limits, Book 15: Order To Kill, with Kyle Millls The Survivor, Book 1:

Mitch Rapp Novel, A - Book 15

I think Kyle is doing a great job continuing Vince's legacy.