February 18, 2013

“Kill Shot” by Vince Flynn – The Price of Vengeance

Vince Flynn returns yet again with another Mitch Rapp novel, and even though technically Kill Shot is a sequel to American Assassin, it is still a standalone novel and can be enjoyed without any kind of prior knowledge of the series. 

In any case, it is a political thriller which starts with Mitch Rapp being tasked to kill another one of the men involved in a brutal act of terrorism, a Libyan politician who is staying in Paris. The job seems simple enough, but just as Mitch puts a bullet through the politician’s head, someone breaks down the door to the hotel room and goes guns blazing.

The aftermath results in a trail of seven dead bodies, three of them being civilians and the rest unidentified. The CIA, the agency Mitch Rapp has come to work under, has denied responsibility for his actions, and his long-time nemesis uses the opportunity to label him as a threat to the integrity of the agency, seeking to hunt him down.

First of all, I have to say that I’m not a Mitch Rapp fan, and not because I dislike him, but because I never heard about him. However, the book does a very good job of portraying him in a very interesting way. He is not necessarily likeable in the traditional sense of the term, but the way he raises and rigorously follows his own, personal moral code gives him a very unique personality, and even though it may feel clichéd, I still found him pretty entertaining. 

Kill Shot by Vince Flynn (Book cover)
In addition, it’s always a pleasure seeing characters prove their unassuming appearance wrong through feats of character and intelligence. The other characters in the story are a bit less noticeable, but they still manage to distinguish themselves through their relation to or attitude towards Mitch. In other words, it’s the way the characters interact with each other that makes them worthwhile.

As for the story itself, I have to admit that it was a bit more stereotypical than I liked it, with some parts of it being quite predictable. Nevertheless, it is safe and solid, delivering just what you would expect from this type of book without over or underdoing it.

It isn’t anything groundbreaking, but it sure as heck is entertaining, and that’s what the purpose of this book is. Vince Flynn doesn’t aim to teach any morals or share his deepest insights; he just wants to entertain us, and he perfectly manages that with this book. All in all, I’d definitely recommend it to readers with an afternoon to waste.



Vincent "Vince" Flynn (April 6, 1966 – June 19, 2013)

Vincent "Vince" Flynn
(April 6, 1966 – June 19, 2013)





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Vince Flynn was an American author who mostly specialized in politic thrillers, and has actually served as a consultant for the fifth season of 24. He is most famous for bringing to us the Mitch Rapp series, with some of his more popular books being Consent to Kill and Transfer of Power.



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