There are times when I feel a tad silly reviewing an author I have just discovered, when (seemingly) everyone else in the world is already a diehard fan.
Ah well.
So, yes, just discovered Mitch Rapp, the hero of Vince Flynn’s “Transfer of Power,” and reading it against the backdrop of the Bataclan attacks in Paris was weird. It feels as though not much has changed over the years since the novel was written in 1999.
Muslim terrorism.
Middle Eastern loathing of the west.
It’s dispiriting to think that 16 years after Mr. Flynn wrote this first book in the series, innocent lives are still being taken…
Yes, you’re right.
Back to the book.
An absorbing story, and one in which the tension never lets up for a moment, as a group of highly organised Islamic terrorists take over the White House. It’s a meticulously detailed story, as a small group of highly trained and brave people, aided by some untrained but even braver civilians, try and retake the White House.
To tell you any more would, quite simply, spoil the plot.
The pressure never lets up, right up until the closing moments of the book, making this the ultimate page-turner.
It’s quite a “boy’s book” in a way, with lots of details about weapons and tech-y gadgets, but not off-puttingly so for a female reader.
The clash of cultures at the heart of the drama is tense, setting as it does skilled counter-terrorism experts against politicians, whose priorities are very different.
The politicians keep their eyes firmly fixed on the political after-effect of any decisions, weighing their future image, and then trying to gauge what will be the fallout of their actions.
Men like Mitch Rapp simply want to do their job.
Save lives, take down the terrorists.
Mitch Rapp already has a reputation as a maverick, chafing at rules and regulations, and his irritation at political expediency and chain of command is at the heart of this story.
A great read.