"Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion;
Build the walls of Jerusalem." -- Psalm 51:18
If you haven't read any Mitch Rapp thrillers, don't start with this one. At least go back and read Extreme Measures which contains the events that precipitate the events and actions in this story.
Mitch Rapp gets a bad rap from some people who object to his use of violence. As Pursuit of Honor makes clear, Rapp is a utilitarian, someone who calculates what provides the greatest good for the greatest number . . . rather than someone who follows a fixed moral course regardless of consequences. John Stuart Mill would approve.
I particularly enjoyed the ways that Vince Flynn has Mitch Rapp literally turning in mid-action to change directions after he perceives a better opportunity for accomplishing his aims of protecting the U.S. from terrorists and those in the U.S. who try to stop or slow down his defensive tactics. I cannot remember a better book in the series for explaining the moral position that powers Rapp's decisions and actions.
The book also provides the kind of behind-the-scenes look into the kinds of dilemmas that anti-terrorism experts must face on a daily basis, such as locating the bad guys before they do any more harm, avoiding the exposure of valuable sources, staying free of political enemies, and not being accused of crimes. I suspect that a moral philosopher could use enough situations from this book to hold interesting discussions concerning what is the right thing to do that could go on for years.
But this book isn't a book about talk: There's plenty of action.
In tracking down the remaining terrorists involved in the attacks on Washington, D.C. that featured so prominently in the end of Extreme Measures, Vince Flynn uses the terrorists as narrators, as well, so that their perspectives are well captured by the book. I think you'll find the exploration of motives for terrorism to be more nuanced and interesting than they are usually portrayed in the press.
Could anyone really be as cool under pressure as Mitch Rapp? It's unlikely. He appeals to that part of us that hopes that people can rise to the occasion to deal with all-but-impossible challenges.
After you finish reading this book, think about how anti-terrorism should be conducted by the U.S. government, in the U.S. and elsewhere. Even if you don't agree with the Mitch Rapp approach, you need to address it directly. Many people would be delighted if government simply did the most to protect its citizens from terrorists.
