Get ready to do your happy dance, because I just learned some awesome news! Are you ready? Okay, here it is: Mitch Rapp, Vince Flynn’s fictional hero and protagonist of fourteen novels, will return for more action on October 11, 2016!
Today, of all days, just happens to be Vince Flynn’s birthday. He would have been the big 5-0 today, God rest his soul. For those unaware, Flynn passed away in 2013 after battling prostate cancer. Kyle Mills, the bestselling author of thirteen prior books, was hired to finish the last novel Flynn had started working on and to continue the series into the future.
Writing all but the first chapter, Mills released The Survivor last year, which was a smash hit and went on to earn Triple Crown status on the New York Times bestsellers list, coming in at #1 in all three fictional categories–erasing any doubt that Kyle Mills was up to the task of continuing a legendary character such as Mitch Rapp.
This time out, Mills is on his own. The Survivor was a direct sequel to The Last Man (2012), so even though Flynn hadn’t mapped out the plot before Kyle took over, there was really only one direction the story could have gone. But now, with this new book, Kyle isn’t just in the driver’s seat–he’s the only one in the car! I for one have complete faith in him moving forward and know just how much he cares about getting the characters and stories right. I appreciate that, and I’m excited to see what he has up his sleeve for us this year.
While the book is still untitled (though I expect we’ll have an announcement on that front very soon) we do have our first true plot details, which you can also see on the book’s official Amazon page:
In the next thrilling novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling Mitch Rapp series, the anti-terrorism operative heads to Pakistan to confront a mortal threat he may not be prepared for. In fact, this time he might have met his match.
Mitch Rapp is used to winning.
But in this follow-up to #1 New York Times bestselling The Survivor, the CIA operative finds himself chasing false leads from continent to continent in an effort to keep Pakistani nukes from falling into the hands of terrorists. Together with friend and colleague Scott Coleman, Rapp struggles to prevent the loss of these lethal weapons, particularly because Russia is also interested in the nukes, though not for the same reason as Rapp and Coleman.
Soon, it becomes alarmingly clear that the forces in Moscow are bent on fomenting even more chaos and turmoil in the Middle East, and Rapp must go deep into Russian territory, posing as an American ISIS recruit. There, he uncovers a plan much more dangerous and insidious than he ever expected, one that could have far-reaching and catastrophic consequences.
Written with the same breathless tension and heart-racing action as Vince Flynn’s greatest novels, Mitch Rapp’s latest adventure is as timely and provocative as ever.
My thoughts
Yes, yes, and more YES! I love it, and can’t wait to sink my teeth into this book–whatever it ends up being titled. I previously wrote an article detailing six things we already know about the next Mitch Rapp book–and several of those things stand out here.
For instance, we already knew Rapp was going to take on ISIS in some capacity. However, I never would have guessed he’d be infiltrating them by going undercover and working from inside their operations. That is seriously cool, and it has a Separation of Power-type of vibe to it, slightly reminiscent of when Mitch posed as Uday Hussein.
We also know that Rapp takes on a powerful antagonist named Grisha Azarov, who has a skill set similar to Mitch’s. This guy is like Louie Gould on steroids, so that will be a ton of fun to watch!
Can’t it just be October already?!
Of all the books coming out this year, this is, without question, the one I’m most excited about. Check back for updates, because I’ll be all over this one leading up to October. In the meantime, go pre-order the fifteenth Mitch Rapp novel right away, and then make sure to flood social media and let the world know that Mitch Rapp is back!