Lethal Agent (18) (A Mitch Rapp Novel) Mass Market Paperback – August 25, 2020

This is the fifth novel in the Mitch Rapp saga written by Kyle Mills, who took over the franchise after the death of Vince Flynn, its creator. On the cover, Vince Flynn still gets top billing (he is now the “brand”, not the author).In the third Mitch Rapp novel by Kyle Mills,  Enemy of the State , Rapp decapitated the leadership of ISIS by detonating a grenade in a cave where they were meeting and barely escaped with his life when the cavern collapsed. As the story concluded, it was unknown whether the leader of ISIS, Mullah Sayid Halabi, was killed in the cave-in. Months later, evidence surfaces that Halabi survived, and may be operating in chaotic, war-torn Yemen. Rapp tracks him to a cave in the Yemeni desert but finds only medical equipment apparently used to treat his injuries: Halabi has escaped again.A Doctors Without Borders team treating victims of a frighteningly contagious and virulent respiratory disease which has broken out in a remote village in Yemen is attacked and its high-profile microbiologist is kidnapped, perhaps by Halabi's people to work on bioweapons. Meanwhile, by what amounts to pure luck, a shipment of cocaine from Mexico is intercepted and found to contain, disguised among the packets of the drug, a brick of weaponised anthrax, leading authorities to suspect the nightmare scenario in which one or more Mexican drug cartels are cooperating with Islamic radicals to smuggle terrorists and weapons across the porous southern border of the U.S.In Washington, a presidential election is approaching, and President Alexander, who will be leaving after two terms, seems likely to be replaced by the other party's leading contender, the ruthless and amoral Senator Christine Barnett, who is a sworn enemy of CIA director Irene Kennedy and operative Mitch Rapp, and, if elected, is likely to, at best, tie them up in endless congressional hearings and, at worst, see them both behind bars. Barnett places zero priority on national security or the safety of the population, and is willing to risk either to obtain political advantage.Halabi's plans become evident when a slickly-produced video appears on the Internet, featuring a very much alive Halabi saying, “Now I have your biological weapons experts. Now I have the power to use your weapons against you.” The only way to track down Halabi, who has relocated to parts unknown, is by infiltrating the Mexican cartel behind the intercepted shipment. Rapp devises a plan to persuade the cartel boss he has gone rogue and is willing to sign on as an enforcer. Having no experience operating in Mexico or more than a few words of Spanish, and forced to operate completely on his own, he must somehow convince the cartel to let him inside its inner circle and then find the connection to Halabi and thwart his plans, which Rapp and others suspect may be far more sinister than sprinkling some anthrax around. (You don't need an expert microbiologist to weaponise anthrax, after all.)This thriller brings back the old, rough-edged, and unrelenting Mitch Rapp of some of Vince Flynn's early novels. And this is a Rapp who has seen enough of the Washington swamp and the creatures who inhabit it to have outgrown any remaining dewy-eyed patriotism. In chapter 22, he says,“But what I do know is that the U.S. isn't ready. If Halabi's figured out a way to hit us with something big—something biological—what's our reaction going to be? The politicians will run for the hills and point fingers at each other. And the American people…. They faint if someone uses insensitive language in their presence and half of them couldn't run up a set of stairs if you put a gun to their head. What'll happen if the real s*** hits the fan? What are they going to do if they're faced with something that can't be fixed by a Facebook petition?”So Rapp is as ruthless with his superiors as with the enemy, and obtains the free hand he needs to get the job done. Eventually Rapp and his team identify what is a potentially catastrophic threat and must swing into action, despite the political and diplomatic repercussions, to avert disaster. And then it is time to settle some scores.Kyle Mills has delivered another thriller which is both in the tradition of Mitch Rapp and also further develops his increasingly complex character in new ways.

This was my first Mitch Rapp book. Could not put it down. Reminded me of the things that are going on in our current political system.Lies misinformation power hungry politicians who are only concerned about money and power, not the American people or Democracy.

Good read and Amazon service was excellent.

Another great Mitch Rapp story I couldn’t put down . . . a mad crazy villain, a creepy power hungry politician, and Mitch and his team of super heroes saving the day, in the nick of time!

price should have been lower for the quality of the book, it's only good at best, not very good.

Mitch Rapp is the quintessential hero killing bad guys and keeping the White House free from attacks from within and across the globe. I can’t quite place the subtle differences of writing from earlier books as a reason to stop following this series but the deep connection with the Rapp character wasn’t found in this book. I like the series and look forward to a possible rebound in the next release.

I was lucky, and thrilled, to be selected again as a Mitch Rapp Ambassador, which meant I was given the privilege to read the next installment in the Mitch Rapp saga, prior to the release date. To say that I was excited to read the new book, about one of the greatest characters in the thriller genre, is an understatement. I have been a HUGE Mitch Rapp fan since Vince Flynn introduced him to us in Transfer of Power. Vince, through 13 Mitch Rapp novels, elevated the thriller genre, and set the bar pretty high. After his untimely passing, Kyle Mills stepped in, and continued the series that has become a passion to many people. Mitch has continued to wreak havoc, against those who want to harm this Country, with Kyle at the keyboard for 5 books (this being the fifth). This one is probably his best outing yet. They have all been great, but this one is outstanding. What we got is a novel that reads like one of the original 13 that was written by Vince Flynn. Mitch is more badass, tougher and basically, Mitch. Very compelling and believable story that once started, was hard to put down. Lost some sleep on this one. Mr Mills, you found your own voice in the first four books, while honoring Vince’s style and characters. But in this one, you tapped into a dialect that has created a seamless portal into the past. Thank you from all of us Mitch Rapp fans for all you have done, and continue to do, to keep the series going. For the Mitch Rapp fans, you are gonna love this book. Great action and vintage Mitch. For those not initiated into the Mitch Rapp world, climb in, buckle up and be prepared for a kick ass ride.

I have read all the Vince Flynn novels - first rate. If you have never read his first, Term Limits, I strongly recommend it, it's not a Rapp novel but does have Scott Coleman and it's a relevant to the times novel. I was hesitant to continue the series with a new author, but I did and was pleasantly surprised. Kyle Mills does a great job with the series. I have read the series through this book, Lethal Agent. It is with this book that I believe the author falters a bit, in my view. That said, I did enjoy the book, overall.Pros - Solid written prose. The story is compelling, especially now. The main ISIS leader's thoughts are explored in detail - I see some others did not care for this, I enjoyed the in-depth take on the character and did not take it personally.Cons - Mitch Rapp has always been in the super-human range, we know that, but on this one he is taken to what I would call a super-duper range of heroics involving a global threat. Just a tad much for me to digest at times. My one sort of knock on Kyle Mills is that he has a tendency to skip parts and do kind of an after- summary - sure, it can work okay, but it's a little overdone at times, for me.Overall - a compelling story and I enjoyed reading it, just not my favorite chapter to chapter.

Lethal Agent" by Vince Flynn is a riveting thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Mitch Rapp's latest mission is packed with non-stop action, intense suspense, and unexpected twists. Flynn's masterful storytelling and intricate plot make this a must-read for fans of the genre.

Nice and captivating novel. I have been a fan of the Mitch Rapp novels for long and this didn't disappoint me.

Great pace and storytelling skills. Reading this book was a thrilling ride. A very readable and unputdownable book.

Good book to read

Yes I’ve read them all and, to be fair, the transition of authors went quite well. But Mitch has definitely changed….he’s become even more ruthless in his old age. There is less about US politics and their evil deeds than in previous books….with far more action and a huge body count. Considering it was written before the current pandemic it seems prophetic in places. Not a bad read and quite exciting in places.