Into the Fire

(Reprinted from June 13th, 2010)

Vince Flynn returns to his masterful telling of CIA Counterterrorism adventures and their infamous prized operative Mitch Rapp in the novel published in 2004 titled Memorial Day. Filled with political hacks giving foolish advice to protect their status in upcoming elections mixed with behind the scenes drastic measures accomplishing real solutions to serious threats against America, the story takes place in a matter of just a few intense days during which time Mitch must learn of the location and eliminate a nuclear threat aimed at the president, White House, and people of Washington DC during a special ceremony and tribute to the veterans of World War II on Memorial Day.

This novel is not for the squeamish. At stake are the lives of thousands of unsuspecting American citizens, and since time is something Mitch Rapp is desperately short of, he pulls out all the stops to get the information he needs to foil the Islamic terrorist plot to destroy Washington DC. The ugly and disturbing parts of his job press him to get results at any cost. And Mitch knows how to extract answers when he needs them the most.

Threatened at the height of the crisis by different people in government, including the president, Mitch would walk away if he didn’t love his country and hate the objectives of the terrorists so much. Tired of the *#&%!, he refuses to adhere to the political correctness when everything depends on crucial time-impacted decisions.

Vince Flynn captures the absurdity of the political games, nonsense, ignorance, and total lack of common sense from many government officials plus the hateful, destructive, fanatical idiocy of the Islamic terrorists without a flinch or a shrug. The characters and situations suggest authenticity, and the reader sympathizes and roots for Rapp throughout the story, knowing the toll this life takes on his inner man.

I have to say one thing that made this novel so enjoyable was the absence of Mitch’s wife Anna in any significant part of the story. With just the initial mention of her disappointment at his delay in joining her at her family’s place in Wisconsin for the holiday weekend, she manages to pout and demonstrate her lack of understanding for the seriousness of his job. Considering she observed him in the crisis that saved her life, it’s hard to stomach her reactions to anything concerning his job. Memorial Day is one of my favorites, and it’s vintage Vince Flynn.

Finishing one of these stories just makes me anxious to read the next one. Few characters have managed to gain my devotion like Mitch Rapp. Yes, he’s larger than life, a true hero, and perhaps we think there couldn’t possibly be anyone who’s really like him, but the heart of warriors like Mitch beats hard and fast in the lives of Special Forces of all kinds and CIA operatives. The crises these brave men and women face, avert, and solve on a regular basis never get noticed or mentioned by most of us, and this is exactly how they must work. Vince sums it all up in Chapter 20 of Memorial Day:

America was at a distinct disadvantage in this war. International aid groups and reporters were keen to jump on any story about Americans committing atrocities, while they were seemingly numb to the day-to-day horrors perpetrated by the holy warriors on the other side. In the safe and sterile newsrooms, in the marble halls of Congress, it was easy to second-guess decisions and find fault. Out here on the field of battle things were far less certain. Moral ambiguity, rather than clarity, was the norm. What Rapp was about to do would be seen as barbaric by many of the same people whose lives he was trying to save. This was the sad irony of his life—that he would have to kill to save.

These novels are written for real patriots—for people who believe in freedom and who know it doesn’t come cheap or without sacrifice. These novels speak to the heart of America, of a fight to the death for the freedoms achieved by those who laid down their lives in each generation of this country so you and I could live without the chains of a government that wants to tell us how we can and must live under their control. The real heroes are on the field everyday risking their lives here and all over the globe so we can live free.

 
Lord Jesus, I pray these warriors would know you, the true Savior of the world.