Memorial Day

Mitch Rapp to the rescue yet again. So many page turning chapters in this tale of the war on terror. Politics, intrigue, special ops guy yelling at the president, the whole nine yards! The ending might be a bit contrived but it absolutely works. Another great job, Vince!

What can one say more about Flynn and his creation Mitch Rapp. Definitely not the pleasantest of people, but boy does he get the job done for the American people. Rapp wants to be an unsung hero, but does not get his way, and his world-wide reputation goes before him so that criminals and terrorists alike quail at the sight of him. In this book a dying terrorist tries to realise his greatest wish to strike at the very heart of the Satan of the West as he views the USA. The plotline is as good as usual with Flynn, the protagonists believable, and the lengths to which they will go to achieve their ends, whilst not always palatable, show the depths of their beliefs. Flynn has left us a legacy in Rapp, and I look forward to reading the next show more in the series.
4.5 stars – I was engrossed. show less

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Title: Memorial Day
Series: Mitch Rapp #5
Author: Vince Flynn
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Action/Adventure
Pages: 450
Words: 137.5K

Synopsis:

From Wikipedia & Me

Intelligence gathering has indicated unusual activity in financial markets, and Rapp, back in the field after a long stint on desk duty for insubordination, unearths a bomb plot during a daring commando raid on an al-Qaeda stronghold in Afghanistan. A decision is made for the President and his show more cabinet to leave Washington, D.C. in early morning hours based on the bomb threat. However a United States strike force manages to intercept and disarm the nuclear weapon moments after it arrives by freighter in Charleston, South Carolina. Everyone, including series stalwart President Robert Hayes, congratulates themselves on a job well done, but Rapp is not convinced; he believes al-Qaeda leader Mustafa al-Yamani has smuggled a second nuclear weapon into the country and plans to detonate it in Washington, D.C., during Memorial Day celebrations.

Rapp, a ruthless terrorist pursuer by temperament and training, turns it up several notches this time around, following al-Yamani's scent with feverish abandon. When a missing Pakistani nuclear scientist is found to have passed through LAX on his way to Atlanta, and a truck driver turns up dead due to radiation sickness, the chase is on again. Ultimately the terrorists approach Washington D.C. by water, are spotted from the air, and killed by Rapp. The second bomb, however, has been activated and is in its countdown, unable to be deactivated. After an assessment of options, Rapp transports the bomb to a secure underground facility where it explodes with minimal human or environmental affect.

My Thoughts:

Oh man, I love a good “nuke loose in the United States” thriller story. It sends a frisson down my spine to even contemplate such a thing in reality, but in a book, I can handle it and it really amps up a story, that's for sure.

I found that Flynn's way of handling Rapp, now stuck between being a desk jockey and wanting to be a Field Operative, was handled well. For the most part Rapp doesn't go cowboy'ing it and laying the smackdown on the terrorists. That job is mostly left to the other Special Forces. Rapp does get into the thick of things near the end when they are chasing down the remaining nuke and have to find a safe place to let it go off.

Mrs Mitch Rapp is out of the story, as she's at her family's cabin on the lake for the Memorial Day Weekend. Kind of sneaky of Flynn to get around the issue that way but it works for this book and I know Flynn isn't ignoring the overall situation of the Rapp's as a couple. I'm sure the nitty-gritty of their relationship will pop up once again.

On an aesthetic note, the cover I chose was the only one that was even half-way “actiony”. Every single other one was boring, political logo branding. I have no idea why the covers are made that way. While not The Executioner, they should have an appropriately cool military/assassin/spy cover. Give me goodguys with guns or badguys with bombs. Or planes, trains and automobiles. Just something besides the generic “looks like a folder on the desk of a bureaucrat” that I've seen.

★★★✬☆ show less

The plot of this book - heck, the whole series - us about one testosterone laden guy paid by the U.S. Government to be essentially an assassin for our side. This particular book is about a terrorist plot on Washington, D.C. Ordinarily, I'd read the jacket and give it a pass. But, for some reason all of Vince Flynn's series about Mitch Rapp is just flat compelling. I don't know if it's the splendid story telling or the intriguing characters. But I love every book in the series so far, including this one.

In this reviewer's humble opinion, this was easily the best of the Flynn series (up to this point - #7).
Mitch Rapp is at his best as he travels to Asia to dig out terrorists and then returns to the US to thwart a terrorist nuclear attack on what he finds out will be Washington, DC.

As usual with Flynn's novels, the line of demarcation between good and evil is mostly good, with a little CIA blurring in between. The terrorist characters in the book are broadly drawn to help establish their motives and actions. Fans of the series will love this book and probably go reaching immediately to book #8, as I will.

An entertaining "CIA vs. the terrorists" novel. The main character, Mitch Rapp, might be a little outlandish in his actions, but it's entertaining to me to have him put down the politically motivated bureaucrats. After reading it, it makes one wonder if Vince Flynn wasn't one of the original authors of the Patriot Act signed into law by President Bush. If you're a supporter of that law, you'll enjoy the book; if you're an opponent of the law, you'll at least get a good look at why many believe it's necessary.

3.5 stars

This was good in that THERE WAS NO ANNA! She was on vacation. She should always be on vacation, as she's annoying as hell.

Anyway, the story was pretty good, too. Typical Mitch Rapp story. No real surprises.