Vince
Flynn’s previous two books were prequels that told the
story of how the characters Mitch Rapp and Irene Kennedy evolved
with their personalities and careers. His latest novel, The
Last Man, places these characters into the present day.
With this very powerful story Flynn reverts back to his earlier
writing style as in the “Power” books. Not only
does he delve into a riveting plot, but there is a lot of
interaction between the characters. Irene Kennedy, the CIA
Director, unlike some of his other books, does not make cameo
appearances but is an intricate part of the story.
The plot takes place mostly in Afghanistan where a valuable
CIA official, Joe Rickman, has gone missing. The fear is that
he will spill secrets about the CIA operation concerning the
War on Terror considering he ran the CIA’s clandestine
operations there. Rapp is sent to investigate what appears
to be a kidnapping, but begins to wonder if something else
is going on. While Mitch is pursuing a part of the investigation,
Kennedy arrives in Afghanistan to head the operation to find
out the person attempting to cripple the CIA in that area
of the world.
The starring characters have the same qualities the readers
have grown to love. Mitch Rapp is still unabashed, fearless,
and cantankerous. Irene Kennedy is still analytical, cunning,
and supportive. There is new character who will hopefully
continue in the next book. Sydney Hayek is a former FBI agent
who currently works for the CIA as part of Mitch’s team.
Flynn also hints that she will become a possible love interest
for Mitch. A returning character is Louie Gold, the assassin
who killed Mitch’s wife Anna. He returns in this story
to try to finish what he began in an earlier book, Consent
to Kill, to murder Mitch. The character interaction in
this latest book is much more pronounced than in the last
few books.
As in all the Vince Flynn books there are some great quotes
about current day issues. For example, an Afghanistan police
commander commented, “… the Americans were too
self-conscious to hunt the Taliban down like the dogs that
they were and exterminate them.” After reading this
quote many people can think about how the US military and
intelligence forces hands are tied with the current rules
of engagement.
There are a lot of twists and turns in The Last Man. It
is a great read that will be hard to put down. The action
is non-stop and well-paced. The character interaction will
conjure up emotions of laughter, anger, and sadness. This
is an incredible and captivating novel.
Reviews
of other titles in this series:
Protect
and Defend #8
American
Assassin #11
The
Last Man #13
The
Survivor #14
Enemy
Of The State #16
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