Into the Fire

(Reprinted from November 22, 2012)

I knew I'd feel like this after I finished Vince Flynn's latest release The Last Man. I tried to take my time with it, but you just can't do that with a Mitch Rapp novel. Huh-uh. Just. Can't. Now I have to wait for the next one, and it's a long wait of course.

The Last Man picks up where Pursuit of Honor left off and follows Vince's two prequels to the Mitch Rapp Series, American Assassin and Kill Shot.

CIA Director Irene Kennedy has dispensed Mitch Rapp and Scott Coleman to Afghanistan after learning that her operative Joe Rickman is missing. Rickman is no basic operative. With his outrageous IQ and his years of experience and accumulated intel, it's imperative that he be found before the enemy extracts the secrets from him which will collapse the CIA for years to come. When Rapp and Coleman examine the scene at Rickman's residence, too many intangibles don't add up. With their former FBI tech pointing out certain characteristics regarding the safe where significant funds and critical intel should be, the four bodyguards sporting professional singular 9 mil gunshot wounds lined up on the floor with one man blasted with a 45, everything just seems "off".

By the time Kennedy arrives, Rapp has already managed to threaten and alienate officials who think they have more power than they actually do. He suspects something he can't quite articulate. A petulant FBI Special Agent fueled by a corrupt senator has sneaked into the picture with a team to expose what he's convinced will put Rapp and Rickman away for hiding millions of dollars in a particular Swiss bank.

Rapp's old arch-nemesis shows up unexpectedly and joins in a firefight which leaves one of Rapp's and Coleman's men dead, one injured and Rapp seriously incapacitated. Irene's got more puzzles to piece together than is humanly possible, must get rid of the FBI pest, learns the Pakistanis are split in their willingness to admit a hand in the problems Rapp faced or support her efforts to find Rickman. As if that's not enough, Mike Nash, who used to be an operative with Rapp, seems squeamish about certain orders she's issued to the point where she's going to reassess his usefulness when all of this chaos is under control.

The intricacies of the different forces working against the CIA Clandestine Services eventually come up against the potency and reach of what Director Irene Kennedy, her mentor Thomas Stansfield, and Mitch Rapp have established over the last several years. The Last Man is a clever title that says it all about Mitch Rapp. This novel delivers a complex multi-level plot that reveals the leverage and power of political rogues, the CIA, and the corruption of some members of foreign governments.

There are deeper issues lying just under the surface and sometimes exposed as the possibilities of life and death for operatives are examined. Justice plays its bold role as always, but there are moments when we wonder how these circumstances can possibly be rectified. With a stunning ending and a few new faces, The Last Man is a terrific adventure via various locations before all is said and done. It will be interesting to see how Vince uses the new faces and if he disposes of some of the old ones in future stories.

I don't know why Vince's novels seem to end up with several typos, but they do. No matter. The story always makes up for them. For those who like to be warned about bad language, there is a fair share of it in The Last Man. Highly recommended for Vince Flynn fans. For those who've yet to read one of his novels, go to the beginning and read through them all for real and full appreciation. I love these books. 

Father, I thank you for your mercy and healing for Vince. I ask that you would continue to mend his body and keep him whole. Please bless all of his efforts to honor you and let him know that you are with him. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.