Transfer of Power (3) (A Mitch Rapp Novel)

After exhausting the Jack Reacher series I was dying for something along those lines. Reviewed the Clancey books and similar. Decided on Vince Flynn's series. As I got to the end of this book I was unsure what book was next in the series. I thought I only read Book 1...but turns out they were so good I was already finishing Book 3!!! (I am now on Book 4 and am totally into it!) Transfer of Power turns out to be the first "written" book by Flynn. (I read "American Assassin" and "Kill Shot" before I realized these two predate "Transfer of Power".) Flynn decided to write all of these stories before taking the time to give the readers the background on Mitch Rapp. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoy these novels. Vince Flynn was/is a brilliant author and he knows how to keep the reader involved. (Yes, I just learned that Mr. Flynn sadly passed away a few years ago!) ((And why do all of the great ones leave us too soon? Larsson, Ludlum, Flynn...??)) Anyway, in "Transfer of Power" Mitch is sent on a "mission" with a team to erase a German tycoon who is supplying technology to Saddam Hussein. The mission is completed until the "team" takes extra steps. And I won't spoil anything more! What I will say is that, once this deed is done, the story takes a wild ride into all of the players involved. As Mitch goes dark, the rest of the story starts to unfold. I think this is a great twist into Flynn's writing as the main character is vaguely heard from. At the same time, all of the others involved start to come alive and, as the reader, I am desperately trying to put the pieces in place as well as determine what will happen next! I really have enjoyed this series and I am sure I will be reading all of them. Again, as mentioned above, Flynn left the world in 2013 and unfortunately we will never know what happens after his last book. (I have also learned that a friend of his will take over the writing but, like Ludlum, it just won't be the same.)

This book kept me going every moment. Beautiful detail, thorough character building, and enough suspense to cause me to lose sleep just to get through to the end of the chapter.

The Good: Flynn writes solid stories. He is well embedded in this type of narrative and he seems to have a firm grasp of what he's doing, where he's going and how he wants to get there. I think the best part about this book was the perceived realism. Now I say "perceived" because I have never been under terrorist control nor have I been in a terrorist hunting unit. But if I were in either, I imagine it would go something like this book. He writes in a manner that is not so grandoise that you feel like you're watching a movie with a 200 million dollar explosives budget. The main character is believable and good, but not perfect. Even in the end, as it wraps up rather quickly, I thought - well, that was kind of anticlimactic - but then realized that that's how it is. There are no dancers or music or productions, just people getting the job done. The Bad: At times the terrorists seemed a little stereotypical but this was not a distraction. The Ugly: Could have done without the love interest. I think I would rather read a book where the protagonist has a wife or one girl he's with as opposed to introducing the new, fawn eyes blonde girl who you know is going to end up kissing him at the end. If you're going to spend all the time focusing on the realism outside of the love interest, why blow it when it comes to the girl. Truth be told, I don't think anyone really cares about her anyway. The Verdict: Definitely worth the read. The political clashes and infighting are worth the read alone.

HOLY SMOKES!! What a ride! From the first chapter to the last page I had to pry this book from my hands to sleep and eat. This book doesn’t disappoint AT ALL!!

Lately I have become a fan of Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp assassin novels. This is the third one I have read and from the very first page, I loved it. It grabs you and will not let go and makes you turn the pages. This action-packed novel involves the president and the white house staff because of a plot involving a takeover. Mitch Rapp, the CIA’s top counter terrorism man is assigned to take care of the crisis. This story is filled with numerous twists and turns and enough bad guys to keep Mitch busy doing what he does best. The last part of this book kept me turning the pages because of the tense situation Mitch was in to save the president etc. I never give away too much information when reviewing any novel but if you are a fan of the Mitch Rapp assassin novels you will love this one. Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Tactical Principles of the most effective Combative Systems).

The pacing, the layers, the characters, this book is great. It’s the third book in the chronological story of Mitch Rapp and it’s maybe my favorite so far. Read the first two books to get to know and love Mitch to make this book ideal, or read this as a stand alone and still have a good time.

This is a riveting and suspenseful story about an Islamic terrorist take-over of the White House. During the take-over the president is evacuated to the White House bunker and, for the time being, is safe from the terrorists. Robert Hays is the centrist Democratic president, unlikely to say the least in today's political environment. Not since Truman, and possibly Kennedy, have we witnessed such a political animal as a centrist Democrat in the White House as Hays. Mitch Rapp is a member of the Orion Team, a highly secret group operating under the aegis of the CIA but with deniable connections. Rapp is assigned the task of entering the White House via an unknown ventilation duct in order to collect intelligence. When a subsequent attempt to smuggle more good guys into the White House fails, the indomitable Rapp must act on his own to save the president and the hostages. Flynn ruthlessly skewers the craven mindset of appeasment, as embodied by the Attorney General. The cowardly but ambitious Vice President is more concerned about his own political ambitions than the well being of the hostages or president. I just love Mitch Rapp. He's a terrific character unburdened by the PC constraints that are crippling our current anti-terrorism efforts from the presidency all the way down. The remarkable thing about Mitch Rapp is that this outrageously un-PC protagonist was conceived BEFORE 911!! We are introduced to Mitch Rapp in Transfer of Power, written in 1999, and he is fighting and killing Islamic terrorists at least two years BEFORE 911. While most of us were contentedly sitting back and enjoying our lives oblivious to the extremes to which Islam and its adherents would eventually take us Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp was fighting the good fight. To say that Vince Flynn was prescient would be an understatement. Flynn concocts a great tale that will keep you utterly mesmerized until the last page. My 84 year old father just finished reading the book and loved it as well. I highly recommend this very satisfying book.

I’m just now reading the Mitch Rapp series in 2025. I felt like I missed a book before this one. This is book 3 in the series, but it is set 10 years after book 2. I wonder (like Jack Reacher series) if the future books will have to circle back and fill in the missing decade. Unlike many similar spy hero books, this one was the “submarine” plot—limited space and time driving the plot. Virtually the whole book takes place in one building. Not normally my favorite plot style, but this book was still engaging. The next book will determine if this one drives Mitch forward as a character or not. Other than 10 years OJT and a few more scars, I don’t think I learned anything new about our hero.