Great book but the condition was pitiful. The book came from the Philadelphia Public Library and boy has it taken a beating. What really got me was that I have ordered quite a few used books for cheap. This one was more expensive than the others but as I said, the quality was poor while it wax advertised in very good condition. I would not trust this seller again.

I've been systematically reading all of the Rapp series (I started with American Assassin, then worked my way from the beginning on through -- and yes, AA was the best thus far).This particular book, while mildly entertaining, did not hold my attention like many of his previous novels.I feel like this was more of a history lesson and a collection of several unrelated story lines rather than a cohesive book.

And I am tired of Anna.

She is a royal pain in my ass.Yeah, I understand that having a love-interest is probably good for sales, but this guy is a trained killer, yet he allows this one pushy woman (albeit, good in bed) to control his thinking and his emotions.Enough of her.I am not reading Flynn for love stories.

I am hoping that the rest of his works improve, else I am tempted to move on without completing the series.

Vince Flynn is by far one of the best authors of his time.I recommend every one of his books.Just be aware that you'll need a few at a time as they're all a very quick read.

  I had high hopes for Flynn going into this book, I was a little disappointed.This was my first Flynn book and I've actually ordered a couple other ones because I hear nothing but good things and that this is one of his weakest books.The book was a gift and had I choosen the book myself I would have started with his first book or his first Mitch Rapp book, which is where I'm starting now.I will say the book did keep my interest because it was an easy read and action packed.What I didn't like about the book was that it was basically two books rolled into one.There are two storylines that have basically nothing to do with eachother except Rapp.It just felt like Flynn ran out of ideas and but two shorter stories together.

  Vince Flynn loves to use the word "Power" in the title of his novels. Transfer of Power, Separation of Power, and Executive Power. Too bad David Baldacci already wrote Absolute Power. Maybe Flynn could write a Star Wars book called "Unlimited Power".

Anyway, don't be fooled. This book is fantastic, definitely one of my favorites for the series. I say that about all of them but I'm serious. This book was action packed from start to finish and it was great to see Rapp take some serious initiative here. Considering the fact that the whole world knows who he is, that might not be a great idea but that's the thing about Rapp - he gets it done.

The whole story was a really interesting read. A lot of stuff gets thrown at you in the beginning - hostage crisis in the Philippines, a leak in the State Department, growing tensions between Israel and Palestine (but what else is new for that?). It was really great that all of it came together extremely well. There was a lot of excellent insight into the Israel-Palestine feud and a really cool conspiracy that was sort of something I always wanted to read about.

What really made the book for me though was the bad guy. I must say Flynn really outdid himself here; the assassin - David was just so cool. He was developed extremely well and I really appreciated his humanity and his sour taste of violence. Sometimes I had to take a step back and realize - wait a minute he's the bad guy...I want him to lose. That was really a positive in Flynn's writing.

All in all, an extremely good standalone read. Definitely a must for the Mitch Rapp series.

- V