Extreme Measures [Paperback]

I have been a fan of Flynn's novels since his very first and of the opinion that Mitch Rapp is one of the great creations of the thriller genre in the past ten years, eagerly looking forward to each new novel, but with this one I am sorry to say that Flynn has stumbled.

He has fallen into the Tom Clancy trap of thinking that his readers are more interested in his characters and, one would assume his own, political beliefs, in particular on the rights of the terrorist and how we fight such people, as opposed to just creating the a great thriller as we know he is more than capable of.

Far too much time in his latest novel is spent creating a back story for his newest character, and the one who it seems is going to take over the mantle for Rapp, Mike Nash, and in repetetively going over the politcial machinations and deluded, when it come sto fighting terrorists at least, beliefs of various Washington politicians.

Whereas in his previous works, backstory was interwoven into the plot seamlessly so as not to slow things down, here the plot grinds to a halt so we can be treated to page after page of exposition on our main characters home life and how his work affects it.

If you are expecting the non-stop thrills of Flynn's previous works you should be warned that such things are in short supply here. Whilst it is still a decent read, far too much time is spent expounding political beliefs via character exposition and far too little on the main, thriller-type plot. In fact, the main action of the novel takes place entirely in the last fifty pages or so and serves merely as set-up for the next in the series. A fault that many authors seem to be falling prey to (James Patterson, Matthew Reilly, etc), and which always leaves me feeling cheated (I bought the book in the belief it would be resolved by the last page, not under the belief it would just be the lead up to a cliffhanger meaning I needed to read another book in a years time to discover how it ends) but which Flynn has typically managed to avoid, until now that is.

If you're a fan of Flynn, or a fan of Rapp's, you'll probably still enjoy this but whereas the previous entries will have left you wanting more through the sheer talent of the writing, this one will have the same effect just so you can know how the story actually ends.

My advice to Flynn is to spend less time using his work to sermonize about what he sees as the politicians stance on the rights of terrorists and the use of, "Extreme Measures," in battling such men and more time on writing the lean, mean, exciting thrillers I know he typically excels at.

Three stars only this time round, not because "Extreme Measures" isn't intelligently written and well constructed, but because with the Mitch Rapp series, Flynn has created something so utterly gripping, that anything even slightly slow paced will come as a disappointment to fans. That said, the fact that Rapp's unorthodox methods of preventing terrorist attacks have come under scrutiny by the pc do-gooders, this is a necessary and logical next stage of the overall storyline if the series is to maintain credibility. Flynn's mistrust and distaste of politicians is all too apparent but he once again plays to his strengths, creating odious characters, on both sides, who get deliciously and satisfyingly "dealt" with. In Mike Nash, we have a new interesting character, who injects a little sensitivity and humour, and should play a major part in future storylines. Fear not, those of you who think Vince Flynn has lost his touch for it is abundantly clear from the last page that Rapp is going to be back with a bang. I can hardly wait.

Excellent read. The latest instalment of Mitch Rapp's exploits to save the planet from terrorist extremists. Also introducing his protege who will no doubt assume the mantle of super-spy once Mitch decides to hang up his holsters. Once again, Vince Flynn captures the intensity and concerns of the world today and refines them into a gripping story, leaving you at the end anticipating the next novel.