Pursuit of Honor

Another solid addition to the Mitch Rapp series. In this novel, Rapp and company attempt to track down the three terrorists who were involved in the planning and execution of the attack in Washington, DC, in "Extreme Measures". While this book is not quite as riveting (IMHO) as the previous book, it's still quite good and will keep you turning pages.

I think it's important to read "Extreme Measures" prior to picking "Pursuit of Honor" up in order to gain important back story elements.

I am arriving way late to the Vince Flynn/Mitch Rapp party because, if I count correctly, "Pursuit of Honor" is Flynn's tenth book in the Mitch Rapp series. It is my first exposure to the character - and I only wish I had arrived earlier. But the good news is that, although I have a lot of catching up to do, getting there should be quite a ride.

"Pursuit of Honor" starts just a few days after a terrorist attack on Washington D.C. has killed 185 people, including several members of Congress and other government officials. The terrorists even had the audacity to strike directly at the country's counterterrorism nerve center where they managed to slaughter a good number of people before Mitch Rapp and his partner, Mike Nash, stop them with show more an audacious counterattack of their own.

When the smoke clears, three terrorists are still on the run, including the two responsible for planning the attacks, and Mitch Rapp wants them. More tellingly, he is willing to do whatever it takes to get them. Rapp is a realist, not a politician. He is not concerned with being politically correct, only with keeping his country and its citizens safe from the religious fanatics that are so willing to slaughter innocents in the name of their god. Rapp believes that assassination is a legitimate tool in a war in which the other side judges its victories in terms of civilian body count imposed and he is as ready to kill American traitors as he is Muslim terrorists. This does not, of course, make him popular with certain members of Congress.

Unfortunately for Rapp, and even more unfortunately for America, a handful of Congressmen have become so obsessed with his methods that they seem to be more concerned with seeing Rapp in prison than with protecting the country. They hold Mitch Rapp in contempt - and he returns the favor. Readers more aligned with Rapp's way of thinking will particularly relish his confrontation with a female California senator during which the senator demands that Rapp address her as "Senator" rather than as "Ma'am." What Mitch Rapp says at this meeting is typical of his politics and, as offensive as his views will be to some readers, what he expresses fits his character perfectly. This is who Mitch Rapp is, after all.

Vince Flynn keeps the tension in "Pursuit of Honor" at a high level by alternating chapters about Rapp and his team with those about the three terrorists trying to make their way unnoticed across Middle America. And, because Rapp has to spend so much of his time working the political side of the search, the chapters about the three terrorists, particularly those concerning the conflicts within that small group, are the book's most tense ones. Flynn slowly brings the two groups closer and closer to each other until they finally clash in the book's wild ending.

What Mitch Rapp's congressional critics fail to recognize is that he is a moral man. His moral code may not be theirs but Rapp knows the difference between good and evil and he has dedicated his life to evil's defeat, something that does not always seem to be the goal of his most vocal critics. Whether the real world would be a safer - or a more dangerous - place if there were more Mitch Rapps in it is subject to debate. But "Pursuit of Honor" does make one wonder.

Rated at: 5.0 show less

The characters' struggling with morality is a rare depth you can find in a Vince Flynn thriller such as this. Flynn's characters juxtapose the government's support of the killing of innocent babies through abortion versus the actions taken against terrorists. Flynn's characters also consider questions of career versus family and honoring man versus honoring God--each the pursuit of what I would call true honor.

A pretty good read, exciting and action packed. I still believe that an assassin would be totally useless after going public in Congress, yet Flynn drags him out once again. Flynn's politics are evident, also...as the plot, again, involves killing crazy Arab terrorists. To some, that grates on their politics. OK by me.

This is a direct sequel to Extreme Measures, and as such it takes a surprisingly long time to get going. There's also a LOT of talking and discussion, even *gasp* introspection as compared to other Flynn works I've read so far. Still, enough action to satisfy thriller fans, some nice twists, and no torture scenes this time-yay! If you lean to the left, you will probably hate the Senate hearings part in this one because it ventures into another controversial issue. Let's just say Limbaugh and Beck like this author for a reason LOL. The ending leaves you wanting more, which I guess is a good thing, but also has a nice sense of closure. I can almost see it being the last in the series, although it's probably not likely at this point.

Didn't really enjoy the first part of book - plot didn't seem to be moving on fast enough, but absolutely loved the last two-thirds of the book. Read in two sittings, punctuated by sleep! Keen now to read more in the series. Shows you should never give up on a book.

Not Flynn's finest, but still a good read. This latest Mitch Rapp thriller focuses on three Muslims who are responsible for an attack in downtown DC and then go underground. Rapp, meanwhile, is working over an inspector general who is responsible for keeping CIA agents straight, but is also working to get many fired due to the "extreme measures" they use to obtain info—and he’s doing so illegally. Rapp, obviously, thinks this guy's a traitor. The story was rather predictable, and the end was a little less than satisfying. I think Flynn needs to back off on the politcal points he's trying to make--let that come when he is on Fox News. Sure, Rapp's a CIA assisn and we cheer for him. So his audience is already, I'd strongly assume, show more rather conservative. It's nice to see some "gotcha" moments, but as these are all ficticious characters, it’s a litle unfulfilling. show less