The author did something a little different in this, the fourth Mitch Rapp installment, compared to the others. He started two disparate storylines, each with its own cast of characters, ended one, and then proceeded into a third plotline that finally made the connection back to the other open line. Though the "short" story about a hostage rescue in the Philippines was both intense and entertaining, it was superfluous. I actually finished the book wondering if maybe I imagined that whole sequence in the beginning, it had so little relevance. Though Flynn's story construction in this one was lacking, I was still entertained. And that's what counts, isn't it? It must be, since I've already started into book 5.