Customer Reviews

Act of Treason

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Was received January 16, 2012 As per email was supposedly shipped with "dust jacket missing, remainder mark on bottom edge." The book had been given a dark (coffee, tea or coke etc) liquid bath before shipment. It came with bubbled and stained dust cover; every page bubbled and brittle with dark stain 1 1/2" from bottom. The only way this book should have been shipped was free with no cost shipping and as a temporrary substitution until a proper quality book could be shipped. Totally disgusted and would not purchase from this supplier again.

The nation is thrown into turmoil when Presidential candidate Josh Alexander's motorcade is ambushed and the car is rocked by a car bomb killing Alexander's wife and many others. On the surface it appears to be the work of jihads terrorists. The FBI and CIA are hot on the case. The CIA director is presented with classified information pointing to some of the most powerful players in Washington. Mitch Rapp is the only man reckless enough to get down to the truth. His mission leads him eventually back to the heart of the Nation's capital and to the Oval Office...

The writing is as fast-paced and as dramatic as ever. The plot is the typical political intrigue found in Flynn's previous books, nevertheless quite satisfying. The book's climatic moments are when Mitch goes into action, the author knows how to stage elaborate action sequences and ends the story in a very controversial way. Mitch Rapp's role is intriguing and cleverly created. The additions of new characters add to the suspense. Once again Flynn has created a novel hard to put down.

Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp series have become my favourite book to read. Every one is a nail bitter and one of those novels you can't put down. Looking forward to the next edition. Always Amazon is great with their deliveries.

Can a terrorist attack change the course of history? An anarchist assassinated William McKinley, the 25th U.S. president, in 1901. His replacement? Theodore Roosevelt, who launched the beginnings of the big presidencies we have now, and our more activist role in attacking other countries. More recently, you know the history of September 11, 2001 and subsequent events.

Let's look into the future. Could false terrorist attacks also change the course of history? Many historians believe that Adolf Hitler showed that it could by helping stage an attack on the Reichstag (the German parliamentary building) in 1933. The Nazis used that event to sweep away the rest of the opposition to their upcoming dictatorship over Germany.

Vince Flynn takes on this topic by looking at what a desperate U.S. presidential campaign might do in the waning weeks before an election that looks unwinable. You'll be chilled and fascinated by what he develops. Let's hope this isn't a vision of 2008.

The book opens as a deadly attack on the presidential campaign is launched. We quickly get a sense that not all is right . . . and are soon pulled into the story of how this event occurred . . . and for what reasons.

There's also a cliffhanger element here. Mitch Rapp once again leads a "take no unnecessary prisoners" investigation on behalf of the CIA and his faithful leader, Irene Kennedy, knowing that the new administration will probably dismiss both Kennedy and Rapp. But Mitch is his usual self-guided missile and operates on Mitch Rapp time while the politicians dance around looking for advantages.

The book's highest moments are, as usual, those where Mitch goes into action. Vince Flynn has a wonderful ability to stage and elaborate on high action sequences. It makes you wish the whole book could just be one fight after another. But, alas, you have to listen to talk some of the time. The book is quite flat there.

Mitch seems to be on the verge of undergoing some kind of significant meltdown . . . but the action in this story pulls him out of his funk on a temporary basis. The next book in the series will probably feature Mitch in a bigger funk . . . which could be interesting.

As usual in this series, the characters aren't really developed all that well. It's hard to remember any of them other than Mitch, Irene, and a Secret Service agent, Maria Rivera. But those three are quite distinctive and interesting.

Without going into matters further, the book's ending will be controversial for many. It will leave you wondering "what else could happen next?" That's a powerful thing to do as a novelist and I commend Mr. Flynn for giving us something important to think about.

If you are worried that this book unduly favors Republicans or Democrats, be assured that the story line draws heavily on the major embarrassments of both parties in recent years.