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American Assassin (Mitch Rapp #1)

by Vince Flynn (Goodreads Author)

4.22 of 5 stars 4.22 · rating details · 15,230 ratings · 1,025 reviews

#1 New York Times bestselling author Vince Flynn returns with yet another explosive thriller, introducing the young Mitch Rapp, as he takes on his first assignment.Before he was considered a CIA superagent, before he was thought of as a terrorist’s worst nightmare, and before he was both loathed and admired by the politicians on Capitol Hill, Mitch Rapp was a gifted colleg...more #1 New York Times bestselling author Vince Flynn returns with yet another explosive thriller, introducing the young Mitch Rapp, as he takes on his first assignment.Before he was considered a CIA superagent, before he was thought of as a terrorist’s worst nightmare, and before he was both loathed and admired by the politicians on Capitol Hill, Mitch Rapp was a gifted college athlete without a care in the world . . . and then tragedy struck.

Two decades of cutthroat, partisan politics has left the CIA and the country in an increasingly vulnerable position. Cold War veteran and CIA Operations Director Thomas Stansfield knows he must prepare his people for the next war. The rise of Islamic terrorism is coming, and it needs to be met abroad before it reaches America’s shores. Stansfield directs his protégée, Irene Kennedy, and his old Cold War colleague, Stan Hurley, to form a new group of clandestine operatives who will work outside the normal chain of command—men who do not exist.

What type of man is willing to kill for his country without putting on a uniform? Kennedy finds him in the wake of the Pan Am Lockerbie terrorist attack. Two-hundred and seventy souls perished that cold December night, and thousands of family and friends were left searching for comfort. Mitch Rapp was one of them, but he was not interested in comfort. He wanted retribution.

Six months of intense training has prepared him to bring the war to the enemy’s doorstep, and he does so with brutal efficiency. Rapp starts in Istanbul, where he assassinates the Turkish arms dealer who sold the explosives used in the Pan Am attack. Rapp then moves onto Hamburg with his team and across Europe, leaving a trail of bodies. All roads lead to Beirut, though, and what Rapp doesn’t know is that the enemy is aware of his existence and has prepared a trap. The hunter is about to become the hunted, and Rapp will need every ounce of skill and cunning if he is to survive the war-ravaged city and its various terrorist factions.

As action-packed, fast-paced, and brutally realistic as it gets, Flynn’s latest page-turner shows readers how it all began. Behind the steely gaze of the nation’s ultimate hero is a young man primed to become an American Assassin.(less)

ebook, 448 pages

Published October 12th 2010 by Atria Books (first published October 1st 2010)

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Sep 03, 2011 Marcie rated it 3 of 5 stars

They need to hire me to proof for them. I’ve come across more than a few books with an unacceptable amount of typos here lately. Is no one reading this stuff before it goes to press?

And I’m not that much of an anal freak, but 20 typos before page 78 is too many.

The reason for my annoyance is because Vince Flynn is a great writer, and I believe I read he is dyslexic, thus he does not have a dedicated team supporting him. That’s a shame because his Mitch Rapp novels tap into the raw emotion of rea...more

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Aug 04, 2011 David Johnston rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Some people are addicted to drugs. I am happily addicted to Vince Flynn's books and the exploits of his truly American hero, Mitch Rapp. My wife and daughter share my addiction, but they have not had their fix yet because I got to read Flynn's newest book first. Which is only fair since I bought it. My only complaint is that now I will have to wait another year for the next book. Withdrawal can be tough.

Oh, about the book? C'mon, it's Vince Flynn and Mitch Rapp. This one is about how Mitch got h...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Kent Horner rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

I purchased this paperback from Amazon for 0.97 cents. I was introduced to Vince Flynn thru a co-worker who has read all 12 of the Mitch Rapp (main character) series. I read the 1st one called "Transfer of Power" and really enjoyed it. "American Assassin" is #11 of the series but is actually the prequel to all the other Mitch Rapp novels. Flynn has been compared to Tom Clancy without the in depth, technical jargon. I've never read any of Clancy's books but have seen most of the movies based on...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Maddy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-reads

PROTAGONIST: Mitch Rapp, CIA super agent
SETTING: US, Istanbul, Beirut
SERIES: #11 of 11
RATING: 4.25

It’s exceptionally difficult to find individuals who have the skills to directly fight terrorism. Thomas Stansfield, CIA Operations Director, is acutely aware that Islamic terrorism is on the rise, and that the talents needed to deal with this threat require a different kind of person than those recruited in the past. He’s set up a special team consisting of his protégée, Irene Kennedy, and a former...more PROTAGONIST: Mitch Rapp, CIA super agent
SETTING: US, Istanbul, Beirut
SERIES: #11 of 11
RATING: 4.25

It’s exceptionally difficult to find individuals who have the skills to directly fight terrorism. Thomas Stansfield, CIA Operations Director, is acutely aware that Islamic terrorism is on the rise, and that the talents needed to deal with this threat require a different kind of person than those recruited in the past. He’s set up a special team consisting of his protégée, Irene Kennedy, and a former Cold War colleague, Stan Hurley, to put together a clandestine group of operatives willing to kill for their country while working in total secrecy.

Irene finds a man who she believes is a perfect candidate for the operation, a talented college athlete named Mitch Rapp. Rapp has a burning desire to be part of the organization so that he can in his own way exact revenge for the death of his lover in the Pan Am Lockerbie attack. He begins his assignment at the boot camp training facility run by Hurley, where he soon finds that his new mentor detests him and is determined to do everything that he can to get Mitch to quit. There are only a handful of men in the program, and they are kicked out for the slightest infraction. In a group of super stars, Mitch stands out as the best; Hurley is warned not to give up this skilled recruit because he’s stuck in an old model and likely feeling threatened by Rapp’s potential. Perhaps it’s the fact that Hurley sees something of himself in the younger man. On Mitch’s first assignment, he completely deviates from the plan when he sees an opportunity to make the kill easier. Just like Hurley, he doesn’t stick to the rules and uses whatever creative approaches the situation calls for.

The new operative’s skills are soon put to the ultimate test when the team ends up in Beirut. The terrorists there have already taken an American businessman and another agent hostage. Their methods are ruthless; they are known for keeping their charges for a long period of time and always extract every bit of information an individual possesses, no matter how well trained or determined they may be. If the agent gives up what he knows, he will expose the entire American presence in the area to untold danger. Hurley and one of the new operatives go in to try to rescue him. When they are captured, it is up to Mitch to get to them before they are put through the wringer.

AMERICAN ASSASSIN is full of action and tension. It was fascinating (and appalling) to learn about how new agents are developed. I particularly enjoyed seeing the creative approaches that Rapp used in order to complete his assignments. Despite the fact that ASSASSIN is essentially a thriller, the major characters are quite well developed, from the intractable Hurley, to the eerily efficient Rapp, to the terrorist leaders. The book only faltered when a romantic sub-thread was introduced. It didn’t quite ring true to see Rapp in “gaga” mode, and some of the writing around that was downright silly: A low rumble of approval passed his lips as he nibbled on her ear and then other parts. In addition, I found some of the chronology confusing, with shifts in time periods not entirely clear.

AMERICAN ASSASSIN is the eleventh book in the Mitch Rapp series and is essential reading for series fans. It serves as a prequel which deals with Rapp’s entry into the CIA, his training and his first assignments.

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Jun 17, 2013 Deborah Gray rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I moderately enjoyed the book and had no trouble finishing it- although far too much viciously gratuitous violence in far too much detail - but could not really relate to many of the characters, including Mitch Rapp, the MC. Despite the fact that this book took us back to his training and the motivation behind becoming a black ops assassin for the US government, there still seemed to be a disconnect, and barely developed relationships that don't seem to go anywhere.

I gave 3 stars, which equates...more

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May 28, 2013 05CjP rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-reviews

This book is American Assassin, written by Vince Flynn, published year 2010 and contains 429 pages. The intended audience of this book is those who like fighting and a war and gruesome work in ripping apart terrorist organizations. The main issue in this book is whether or not Mitch Rapp has what it takes to work in the field and finding the hidden money of terrorists. The setting of this story is what makes it interesting because it is set in places like the recruiting house in Virginia, their...more This book is American Assassin, written by Vince Flynn, published year 2010 and contains 429 pages. The intended audience of this book is those who like fighting and a war and gruesome work in ripping apart terrorist organizations. The main issue in this book is whether or not Mitch Rapp has what it takes to work in the field and finding the hidden money of terrorists. The setting of this story is what makes it interesting because it is set in places like the recruiting house in Virginia, their dirty work in Beirut, Lebanon. Mitch Rapp- a guy without any background information and want to kil all terrorists because his girlfriend was killed in Pan Am Lockerbie. Stan Hurley- a ruthless man who knows the tactics of working in the field really well and is not afraid to get in a fight.
Mitch Rapp removed his blindfold. He had been taken and blindfolded for security reasons. Irene Kennedy, his recruiter, had driven him to a remote place in the woods of Southern Virginia. Rapp who was only 21 and with no formal training so it was really surprising to Kenned when Rapp asked why she had been following him. She had been doing this line of work forever and this was her first recruit that had ever realized she was following him. Usually others would have no idea she had been following them, but Mitch was different. Also, Kennedy had done a background check on him, because it is the standard thing to do, but this time she found nothing about him. It was as if he had only showed up on earth a few days ago and nobody knew who he is or was. As the story develops Rapp proves that he is a valuable asset to the CIA. As it goes Rapp kills terrorist in places like Germany and Beirut, Lebanon and then scatters their million dollar bank accounts all the around the globe so that it can't be traced back to him.
I like the action and intensity of the dangerous missions that Rapp is assigned to. Two quotes that illustrate what I like from the book are - "You look great...too, I mean, you don't look like you need to work out....is what I mean."- pg. 247 "He pulled back as a tenth bullet whistled harmlessly past."- pg. 297. A theme I got from this book is that those who cheat other will always end up paying the consequences some time or another. I recommend this book to those who don't mind some offensive language, who like fighting, war and the secrecy of terrorists and the CIA. Those who like blood and gore and a dangerous classified mission. Something that sets this book apart is the pathway of thought the characters have to have because of the high skilled line of work that they are in. Such as when Hurley is caught and he is being tortured for answers, he tries to get them to kill him or get them to turn on each other so that he doesn't have to tell them his classified information. (less)

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Apr 26, 2013 A.M. Khalifa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In a world where every second person is a self-proclaimed writer, present company included, it's easy to forget why the brand-name authors are still keeping the mainstream publishing model alive. Because they are good. Let me rephrase that, they are damn good. And Vince Flynn is a case at point. Admittedly, Mr. Flynn's flavor of military thrillers is a genre I have opted to watch at the movies when little brain activity on my part is required. I prefer to read mysteries, intelligent espionage, a...more In a world where every second person is a self-proclaimed writer, present company included, it's easy to forget why the brand-name authors are still keeping the mainstream publishing model alive. Because they are good. Let me rephrase that, they are damn good. And Vince Flynn is a case at point. Admittedly, Mr. Flynn's flavor of military thrillers is a genre I have opted to watch at the movies when little brain activity on my part is required. I prefer to read mysteries, intelligent espionage, and thrillers with an international twist. The only reason I picked up American Assassin in the first place was because I will be producing a public service announcement featuring Mr. Flynn and I wanted to know more about him.

This is an excellent book, and Mr. Flynn is an exceptionally gifted writer. Any preconceived notions I may have harbored about this type of book were squarely laid to rest. This is intelligent, exciting and satisfying writing. American Assassin is the prequel to the highly popular Mitch Rapp series. Mitch Rapp is an American assassin working by proxy for the CIA to do the dirty work that needs to be done. Before this installment, I believe there were at least thirteen or twelve books in the series, but American Assassin goes back to explore how Mitch Rapp became an assassin in the first place. It's explosive, and if you're new to the franchise, it's the best place to start.

This book has healthy doses of action, drama, intrigue, and even some steamy scenes. And the dialogue is a study-aide for any writer still learning the trade. But most of all, what I particularly liked about this book is that Mr. Flynn is one of the few writers of this genre who has a clear intellectual perspective. And in this case, he is has very strong views on the dangers of radical Islamic Jihad on the global level. I am yet to read more of his books, and I plan to. But I get the feeling that as with this one, his other books will not be steeped in gratuitous bang-bang, or the literary equivalent of a bad Bruce Willis flick, but will tie-in to a more profound intellectual paradigm that does double duty of entertaining and also prodding you to think.

If like me you fancy yourself a literary snob when it comes to this genre of books, then prepare to be enthralled by Vince Flynn. He's the best Ambassador for action books. I look forward to reading all of his books, in due course.(less)

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Mar 25, 2013 Dlora rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure-action, political-thriller

This is my first political thriller by Vince Flynn. I wanted to try them because Luan enjoys them a lot--they make good listening while cleaning the house, she says. I started with this one because it is the first in the series chronologically although not the first one he wrote. I found that I really enjoyed the first part of the story, about how they had recruited Rapp and were running him through a kind of boot camp to make covert-spies. I was sorry it didn't last longer. Basically this novel...more

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Jan 02, 2013 Emily Weaver rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While this book may appear to be your run-of-the-mill thriller at first glance, Flynn thoroughly disabuses you of that notion within just a few chapters. The author's obvious grasp on international relations and 20th century history make for a compelling read as does his tendency to move the plot forward through a mix of point-of-views and character studies. Oftentimes the major events of the novel seem so plausible that you wonder if Flynn might have some inside knowledge. Another extremely sal...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Vijai rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: meh

Look, here's something about us diehard action-thriller fanboys - we will forgive an author's imprudence with a few weak spots in the plot now and then as long as we get our action-gasm in totality but what we don't do is tolerate preachy one-sided-win story. Two ingredients which this author is dishing out in heaps in this book.

I am not even going to talk about the piss poor editing, its the gross injustice that has been meted out to Mitch Rapp that I am very disappointed with. It took Mr. Fly...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Christopher Kokoski rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As the author of a different kind of thriller, Dark Halo, perhaps it may seem strange for me to write this review. I guess I'm just a big fan of thrillers, especially those that involve powerhouse characters like Mitch Rapp.

This is one of the few books from Vince Flynn that I've read, and admittedly, I might be biased because I'm not a big fan of his writing style. With that said, I DID really enjoy this story and think this book was better written than others I've skimmed on the bookshelves. I...more

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Jan 09, 2012 Scott Vout rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-of-2012, espionage

This one comes reccomended to me by my teenage son. He read his first Vince Flynn book on a plane ride home about a year ago.

He was so taken with it that he has now acquired almost the entire catalog of Flynn books.

Bewing a Jack Higgins and Danial Silva fan i thought i would give it a try.

It turned out to be ok in my opinion. Nothing to get overly excited about, I still think Silva is better. I would give this a 3.5 but of course we cant do that with Goodreads.

This is also the first book chronol...more

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Aug 05, 2011 Jessie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult, summer-2011

This is another spy thriller book, much the same as David Baldacci. We have our very talented hero, Mitch Rapp, who is better than the average solider, but the only thing is, he never has been in the military. This book is a new one by Flynn, but it is a prequel to many of his other books. It explains how Rapp became the agent/person/assassin he is. ** stop for spoilers*** In this book Mitch is recruited to attend a special boot camp for killers. He and one other person make it through the camp...more

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Jul 27, 2011 KarenC rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to KarenC by: series

Shelves: better_than_tv, spies

Good addition to the series; much better than previous two books in the series. More plot and action than ideology and preaching about what government actions should be. Added something to what we already know about Mitch Rapp, but fleshed in a bit more of the background. Thought initially this would have fit better as the first book in the series, but after reading another review here thought better of it; this book is where it needs to be in the series.
But the publisher should be giving Flynn...more

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May 30, 2011 Tyler Montague rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've read 10 of Vince Flynn's "Mitch Rapp" series, and I love them. This prequel was one of the best. You would want to read the whole series in order, but it would be okay to start here. It is not quality literature, of course, and I have a few complaints about all of his books that I've noticed over time:

Vince Flynn always starts out with story lines and some character development that just end off into space. In the last quarter of all of his books, you can literally see Vince Flynn pulling a...more

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Apr 30, 2011 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

American Assassin by Vince Flynn (pp 435)

The 11th installment of the Mitch Rapp, CIA political thriller is the origin story. Flynn finally puts more background on how the death of his high school and college sweetheart on the Pan Am Lockerbie flight that was bombed in a terrorist incident leads him to channel all his efforts into seeking vengeance against the bad guys.

Half of the book is his recruitment into the CIA and half of the book is his first CIA mission doing a hostage rescue in Beirut....more

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Feb 16, 2011 Noah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. American Assassin
When Peace Doesn’t Work, Bring out the Guns.
“Kill a man, and you’re an assassin. Kill millions of men, and you’re a conqueror. Kill everyone, and you are a god” (Beilby Porteus). In the present time, realistic fiction book American Assassin, by Vince Flynn, Mitch Rapp is a former college lacrosse star. He is no doubt in shape, but when he gets recruited to a secret camp devoted to fighting terrorism, he has no clue what he’s up against. His mentor is a man named Stan Hurley, wh...more American Assassin
When Peace Doesn’t Work, Bring out the Guns.
“Kill a man, and you’re an assassin. Kill millions of men, and you’re a conqueror. Kill everyone, and you are a god” (Beilby Porteus). In the present time, realistic fiction book American Assassin, by Vince Flynn, Mitch Rapp is a former college lacrosse star. He is no doubt in shape, but when he gets recruited to a secret camp devoted to fighting terrorism, he has no clue what he’s up against. His mentor is a man named Stan Hurley, who used to be a well-known assassin. A few years earlier, Rapp’s girlfriend was killed in a terrorist attack. As Rapp finishes his training and moves into the heart of terrorism, he will need everything he has learned to achieve his goal. Will Rapp alone defeat the men that caused his depression, or will he get cold feet before killing a man from point-blank? This book’s theme of when you put your mind to something, you can achieve anything, is shown by Rapp getting through training, killing someone in cold blood, and by single-handedly saving his only friends from a horrible death.
First off, American Assassin’s theme is shown by Rapp getting through his tough training. When Rapp was dropped off at this “camp” in the middle of nowhere, he had no clue what he was in for. “They were up before the sun. Two of the instructors came in and cursed, yanked, kicked, and slapped them out of bed. […] Eight of them in a nice neat line. Rapp guessed that they had were moving at just under a six minute pace” (74). This shows how intense this training camp really was. They had to wake up at four-thirty, and run for three hours at a six minute pace. That is basically a marathon, and a fast one too! This is hard for even the fittest of the fittest so it must have taken sheer determination to not give up, which was an option. I know that even though I can only run a six and a half minute mile, I can’t do that for forty minutes, let alone three hours. He set his mind to getting through this horrid training. It’s not only that, the men also were required to do many obstacle courses, training sessions, and even close-combat fighting with one another. Although Rapp always won, his winnings did not come easy. He still has to try his hardest to defeat his foes because he set his mind to completing the training the best that he possibly could..
The second way that Rapp represents the theme of if you put your mind to something, you can do anything, is by killing someone in cold blood. After Rapp’s training, he was sent to Europe to test his guts out in the real world. His first mission was to kill the man who sold the arms that killed his girlfriend. It was to prove that he was emotionally able to assassinate. “Rapp never flinched, never wavered for a second. […] Rapp’s finger was prepared to squeeze the trigger when he changed his mind. He wanted to look in Sharif’s eyes. He wanted to confront the man” (153). At this point, you realize that Rapp had no problem killing the man who helped kill his girlfriend. Rapp could even have been sent back for disobeying his orders. He put his mind to doing it and he did it with no regret. This may seem like a horrible thing, it showed that Rapp was dedicated to his new job and wasn’t going to let fear stop him from achieving his goal. Although it may seem like killing someone he hated was a given, the truth is that although you may dream of this person dying, it is much harder to actually execute it. Doing something big like this is always harder than you plan it to be. Although many have planned to assassinate the president, very few have had the courage to do so, but Rapp showed that he had the guts.
Another way that Rapp demonstrated this was by saving his friends from a horrible death. During Rapp’s time in Beirut, Hurley and Richards were captured by some Russian terrorists. The Russians were ecstatic. They had obtained Stan Hurley (A.K.A Ben Sherman), the man that had made their lives miserable in the cold war. He had destroyed many of their operations. The men weren’t planning on giving him up though. They were planning to torture him to death. “You said twenty questions. I blew the first one, come on let’s go, he said with a smile. Sayyed clamped down hard on the pliers and began to rock the nail back and forth. Oh yeah! Let’s get this part started!” (333). Hurley was insistent on giving so much information, they didn’t know what to believe. This made the Russians resort to painful measures like this, which he would laugh off. At the same time, Rapp had just found out about his comrades being captured. He only had one option, to go save his friends. He knew that they would not give any mercy. Instead of taking the slow approach and planning out an escape route for them, he decided to take action and go straight to the center of operations. He let himself be captured, and then overpowered the guards. Rapp then stole their guns and untied his two comrades. They then made their way to the center of operations and finished their mission. They had expunged a major terrorist center, which could save many lives in the future.
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Jan 27, 2011 Chuck rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Although I don't think many people actually follow what I say, I have to retract the criticism I made of Flynn's last few books. Actually, I'm not going to retract them, because they were true--Flynn was letting his ideology get in the way of the storytelling. Rather, I will say that he's returned to the stuff that made his earlier work great--compelling characters, amazing story lines, and a breathtaking adventure that leaves you sorry when the book ends.

Flynn takes his hero, Mitch Rapp, back t...more

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Jan 16, 2011 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was exceptional with one disclaimer... it was obviously rushed to publishing with little editing. While waiting for my copy to arrive I read that other fans had noticed more than the occasional typos in the text and were bothered by them. I wondered if perhaps they were being a little over the top. Unfortunately, I found myself equally bothered. It is understandable that sometimes a "i" will be replaced with an "l" (as in the word "cabbie" being written as "cabble" in the last portion of th...more

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Nov 21, 2010 Jay Connor rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In a review last fall for "Pursuit of Honor," I described Vince Flynn's CIA counter-terrorism operative Mitch Rapp as extreme beyond what would result if Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh had a love child who was rasied by rabid wolves and later adopted by Dick Cheney. Wouldn't you know, Flynn's publishers took me up on that challenge and have a dust jacket, blurb from Glenn Beck calling this latest Mitch Rapp venture "captivating." If Ahbu Ghraib and Guantanamo are your idea of captivating, then Gl...more

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Nov 04, 2010 Curt Taylor rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: espionage

My daughter works in the marketing department at Simon & Shuster and had a change to meet the author in the office. Got me a signed copy of this book, pretty cool as I am a pretty big fan. This the story behind Mitch Rapp, the key character in most of Flynn's books. From that standpoint it was pretty interesting, but if you have read any of the other books, Mitch's back-story is well known. The story really revolves around his recruitment and first operations, in Europe and the Middle East....more

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Oct 06, 2012 Ru rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Decent, fast-paced spy thriller that is two books in one, in a way. This book is actually a prequel to the series of "Mitch Rapp" novels from Flynn; I chose to start with here rather than the actual first book in the series to see if I'd take to the Rapp character. I did, but at the same time, I'd still say he's a bit muted in this story for what's supposed to be his "introduction" of sorts. It's probably just that most people would start with Flynn's first Rapp book, and so, already have a fami...more

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May 30, 2012 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Spoiler alert

"American Assassin" by Vince Flynn is thrilling and chilling book about Mitch Rapp's journey from life as a college star athlete to a killing, CIA agent. The book has several plots narrated from the different points of view of the characters which all tie together in the end. Irene Kennedy and Stan Hurley are in charge of training a new set of superagents for the CIA in anticipation of the upcoming war against Islamic terrorism. They recruit Mitch Rapp who goes through six months of...more Spoiler alert

"American Assassin" by Vince Flynn is thrilling and chilling book about Mitch Rapp's journey from life as a college star athlete to a killing, CIA agent. The book has several plots narrated from the different points of view of the characters which all tie together in the end. Irene Kennedy and Stan Hurley are in charge of training a new set of superagents for the CIA in anticipation of the upcoming war against Islamic terrorism. They recruit Mitch Rapp who goes through six months of intense basic training all the while butting heads with Hurley. Rapp then starts his assignment which begin in Istanbul where he takes out a terrorist weapons dealer. Then he moves to Hamburg and eventually to Beirut where Rapp must save two fellow CIA agents including his instructor Hurley. Rapp and Hurley eventually get out of Beirut all the while disrupting a major group of terrorists located in Beirut. This book serves as a prequel to the story of Mitch Rapp and how he became the ultimate American Assassin.

Overall I thought this book was decent.I enjoyed the fact that the book was based on real events going on in the world today. I enjoy reading books that are entertaining but also have an element of learning. In the story Hurley is in Beirut talking about the events that haven been going on there for a few years: "Then the PLO began to radicallize the slums and demand a say in how things were run. The Maronites had no intention of sharing rule with these gypsises, and the battle lines were drawn" (Flynn 302). This information serves as background for the story but we also get a sense of what is going on in the MIddle East. A side plot of a terrorist group in Moscow is included in the book and there is background information included: "The SVR was an entrenched oranization with thousands of operations... and in the years betwween Stalin's violent mood swings and the collapse of the CCCP" (Flynn 359). The background information adds to the plot but the reader also learns some history on Russia.

I did not enjoy the amount of violence in the book even though I know that the violence is a reality for many people. In the sotry there are several intense conflicts between groups of people. A conflict escalates in Beirut through the book: "The city was always one gun battle away from plunging back into chaos and civil war" (Flynn 315). The reality of that area is that there is a neverending cycle of violence, but in the book there was a lot of murder and death that I did not enjoy reading about. One detailed experience that disturbed me was when Hurley, who goes by Bill Sherman, was captured by the terrorists. Hurley was a little crazy and was willing to do anything to provoke his captors: "Bill Sherman had a chunk of his ear hanging half out of his mouth. The insane American smiled at him and then started chewing on the ear, crunching it like a potato chip" (Flynn 376). I did not particularly enjoy the detailed descriptions on disturbing images t hroughout the book but overall I found the book enjoyable because I was able to learn more about the history and context of the war on terror.(less)

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Aug 06, 2011 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is pretty much porn for conservatives. I generally don't go for espionage/spy/special forces sorts of stories, but having read Mr. Flynn's first book Term Limits last summer (and loving it utterly) I figured I'd give this one a whirl. Although it's listed as number 11 in the Mitch Rapp series, it's really a prequel, so I thought I'd begin here.

American Assassin is a fun, fast-paced, exciting, plot driven story about terrorism in the Middle East, and the United States responding with e...more

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Jul 18, 2011 Doug Bradshaw rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is good tough American male stuff. I enjoyed as much as some of you women readers enjoy a romance novel with handsome vampires and whatnot. It made me almost laugh to read it, like going back in time to the joy of reading my first three or four Ludlum novels.

This is the 11th book in a series about a CIA assassin named Mitch Rapp. It is the prequel to the other already told stories and I was told I may as well read it first. It's not quite as sophisticated as Jack Bauer and "24", but it has...more

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Jun 06, 2013 Will rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Aug 07, 2012 Lindsay rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was curious about the Vince Flynn series featuring Mitch Rapp since the books do well on the NY Times Bestseller list and I like thrillers. I was less than thrilled to see endorsements by folks of the Glenn Beck ilk. Nevertheless, I read this book, and likened it to a "less well-written-than-the-Bourne-series" book. In other words, I prefer the writing of Robert Ludlum. This is a spy versus spy story, with the requisite close calls, seemingly impossible dilemmas, and shoot-outs. A bit too much...more

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May 10, 2012 Bill rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: spy-novels

I finally worked my way back to the beginning of the Mitch Rapp books - starting at Pursuit of Honor and reading backward towards Transfer of Power. I do not necessarily recommend reading this way unless you are able to keep your characters pretty straight.

When I heard that there was a new Mitch Rapp book available, I was pretty anxious until I found out that this book (American Assassin) was a prequel. I guess going back one more book in time won't hurt - especially since this one tells the st...more

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Nov 09, 2010 Enio rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Mar 29, 2013 Richard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: spy, fiction, suspense, thriller, political, espionage

This was his second book I have read, the first of the Mitch Rapp series in chronological order (not publishing order). This is the prequel to all his earlier Rapp books and I chose to go with the chronological order as it seemed more sense.

This is a cross between the smooth writing or Ken Follett but the plot/storyline of Tom Clancy but without the very technical detail.

His characters are excellently described. There were several nationalities, religions and foreign names and I did manage to wo...more

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About Vince Flynn

The Vince Flynn Story

The fifth of seven children, Vince Flynn was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1966. He graduated from the St. Thomas Academy in 1984, and the University of St. Thomas with a degree in economics in 1988. After college he went to work for Kraft General Foods where he was an account and sales marketing specialist. In 1990 he left Kraft to accept an aviation candidate slot with the...more The Vince Flynn Story

The fifth of seven children, Vince Flynn was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1966. He graduated from the St. Thomas Academy in 1984, and the University of St. Thomas with a degree in economics in 1988. After college he went to work for Kraft General Foods where he was an account and sales marketing specialist. In 1990 he left Kraft to accept an aviation candidate slot with the United States Marine Corps. One week before leaving for Officers Candidate School, he was medically disqualified from the Marine Aviation Program, due to several concussions and convulsive seizures he suffered growing up. While trying to obtain a medical waiver for his condition, he started thinking about writing a book. This was a very unusual choice for Flynn since he had been diagnosed with dyslexia in grade school and had struggled with reading and writing all his life.

Having been stymied by the Marine Corps, Flynn returned to the nine-to-five grind and took a job with United Properties, a commercial real estate company in the Twin Cities. During his spare time he worked on an idea he had for a book. After two years with United Properties he decided to take a big gamble. He quit his job, moved to Colorado, and began working full time on what would eventually become Term Limits . Like many struggling artists before him, he was a bartender at night and wrote during the day. Five years and more than sixty rejection letters later he took the unusual step of self-publishing his first novel. The book went to number one in the Twin Cities, and within a week had a new agent and two-book deal with Pocket Books, a Simon & Schuster imprint.

Term Limits hit the New York Times bestseller list in paperback and started a trend for all of Flynn's novels. Since then, his books have become perennial bestsellers in both paperback and hardcover, and he has become known for his research and prescient warnings about the rise of Islamic Radical Fundamentalism and terrorism. Read by current and former presidents, foreign heads of state, and intelligence professionals around the world, Flynn's novels are taken so seriously one high-ranking CIA official told his people, “I want you to read Flynn's books and start thinking about how we can more effectively wage this war on terror.”

October 2007 marked another milestone in Flynn’s career when his ninth political thriller, Protect and Defend, became a #1 New York Times bestseller. A few months later, CBS Films optioned the rights for Flynn’s Mitch Rapp character with the intention of creating a character-based, action-thriller movie franchise. Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who previously launched the Harry Potter and Matrix films as head of production at Warner Bros., and Nick Wechsler (We Own the Night, Reservation Road) will produce the films.

Flynn lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and three children.

Works by Flynn include Transfer of Power, The Third Option, Separation of Power , Executive Power , Memorial Day, Consent to Kill, Act of Treason, and Extreme Measures.
-- Atria Books (2008)

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Quotes from American Assassin

“Revenge is more wild, less calculated...deeply personal. Retribution is a punishment that is morally right and fully deserved. (Mitch Rapp)” — 15 people liked it

“...any form of government that required the repression, imprisonment, and execution of those who disagreed with it was certainly not a government of the people.” — 7 people liked it

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American Assassin (Mitch Rapp #1)

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