Rating: 
Summary: Better than average
Review: I've read all five of Mr. Flynn's books, and would rate this one as fourth on the list, but it's still a great read - Flynn is a great suspense / action writer. Even the fifth on my list of his five, which happens to be his most recent novel, is a really good read. Much of what I would say about this book and the Mitch Rapp character has been covered by other reviewers, but I must add this: do NOT read "Separation of Power" before this one. "Separation of Power" is somewhat better than this book, but is clearly "part two." This is "part one" of a "to be continued" - it stands up well om its own, but if you read "Separation of Power" before this one, you'll kick yourself for weeks. If you want to know whether this book and "Separation of Power" are worth your while, just pick up Flynn's second novel, "Transfer of Power." You'll likely be hooked very quickly. After "Transfer of Power," don't forget the required order - read this book and then "Separation of Power."
Rating:
Summary: Great storyline.
Review: The "Third Option" refers to the options of fighting terrorism. The first: diplomacy. The second: war. The third option: targeted assasinations. In this novel, Mitch Rapp is part of an operation to assassinate a wealthy German who has been providing aid to Saddam Hussein. During the assassination, his two co-assassins turn on him, and leave him for dead at the scene (of course, he survives). The rest of the book is Rapp's search to find out who was behind double-crossing him, and why. This is the third book of Flynn's I have read. The others I don't think it's necessarily an issue if you read them "out of order," but in this case, I think you need to have read the others to really understand what's going on here. The order is thus: Term Limits, Transfer of Power, The Third Option, Separation of Power. As in his other books, the only complaints I really have about this book is the totally unnecessary vulgar language, and also the way he seems to end the book too abruptly. I won't spoil the story for other readers, but at the end of the book there is still a BIG loose end yet to be tied up. Maybe it'll happen in the next in the "series. . ." This book was hard for me to put down. Lots of action, and accurate (as far as I know!) in its details.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good book with a couple of negatives!
Review: Pretty good book. Uncovers the true bureaucracy going on in Washington. The author is a pretty good fantasizer. Nice work.
A couple of negatives about this book that made me decide to rate it not more than 2 starts: * Very dragged out. He could've written it in half or two thirds the size
* To many characters. Very confusing. And some names are similar.
* Some stuff in the book is just not possible. Completely fiction.
* Very silly ending. It's like the whole book makes no sense when you get to the end. I recommend books from Andy Mcnab. An excellent writer on secret intelligence and on the field.
Rating:
Summary: Some improvement
Review: yet another Flynn book... He has gotten better at dialogue and making the plot tighter, but weaknesses remain. While he has introduced some nuances into professions (some good politicians, some evil commandos), there still is a bit of a comic book quality to Flynn's characters (college students are self-rightous, commandos virtual knights of chivarly etc.). Especially the female characters who are just too emotional and phsyically perfect. Why are all goodies fit and attractive and the villian of the story fat? Rapp is just too much at times, like some reject from a 1980s action film. The blatent lack of a end to the book to get you to buy a sequel is shameless. His good action and pacing, his imaginate plot ideas remain good though.
Rating: 
Summary: A Real World Setting for Action, Action and more Action
Review: To repeat what others have said, buy this book! If you're a James Bond fan, this is the real world senario with real people version of those special effects films. You can feel the tension, the animosity and the duplicity oozing from the characters. The participants in mayhem have substance and merit and not one of them seem superfluous.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of Suspenseful Action!
Review: This book is the third novel by Vince Flynn, and it is absolutely awesome. Term Limits (book 1) was really action packed, but after Mitch Rapp was introduced in Transfer of Power (book 2), the element of covert suspenseful action took over and blew my mind. This book will keep you from being productive at anything else becuase you're too engrossed in it to put it down. Highly recommended!!! NOT recommended for college students during Finals week... ...
Rating: 
Summary: A View to a Sequel
Review: I have to agree with the other reviewers, this is just a sad attempt to get me ready for the next book in the series. While I like certain books in series (the Dan Mahoney books come to mind), I need them to be "Stand-Alone" books. In other words, with just a little background in the book, you can read it without reading anything else in the series. And you don't feel compelled to buy the next book just to find out what happens. This is a cheat, and I resent it. In fact, I have made an effort to not buy any more Flynn books since this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Vince could tighten up the series
Review: I agree with those reviewers who hate the pallid ending...I hate feeling manipulated into buying a sequel. That said, I generally enjoy series with recurring characters. I read all of Flynn's other books before I read "Third Option," and my biggest gripe is with his female characters. Except for Dr. Kennedy, the women characters are dumb as fence posts. Mitch's girlfriend in particular is pathetically naive, overly emotional and childish...impossible to believe she is a major network's White House correspondent--she would have been weeded out long before in that tough business, good looks or no. I would expect more mature and realistic treatment of women characters from a guy of Vince's era and vintage. I greatly enjoy Vince's books, especially all the political and gadget commentary and description, but I simply have to skim over the ludicrous domestic-bliss sections involving Mitch or Congressman O'Rourke. Vince, Vince, please improve this!
Rating:
Summary: Flynn's improving, but has a way to go.
Review: I have read most of Flynn's work and I see a distinct improvement in his abilities. His plots are becoming slowly less convoluted with less superflous dialogue. Term Limits was an example of endless and unncessary chatter between characters, but this book has been tightened up considerably. Flynn always has imaginative plot concepts and ties the threads together fairly well, although we always know well ahead of time that the too good to be true, baddest-ass hero ever, Mitch Rapp, will just plain kill anybody who gets in his way or bumps into his cart at the grocery store by accident. Not much surprise to anticipate there. Flynn also seems to have a thing about the presidential cabinet members and congress, one or more of them is always conspiring to oust the powers that be and form their own cabal, but again, one man, one lone superhero is all that stands between us and the evil doers who would destroy our way of life, apple pie, Big Macs and the American Way. While plodding through the by the numbers plot, I was myself anticipating a satisfying happy ending, sort of a "so there!" to the fictional bad guys. Imagine my disappointment to see an otherwise decent story suddenly degenerate into a self-serving and obvious non-ending which shamelessly panders to a sequel. In my opinion, that is unfair to readers who have spent money to read a novel with the expectation that it will follow the time-honored tradition of having a beginning, a middle and an end. In our psycho-babble-obsessed society, one of the few concepts that is actually valid is "closure." We didn't get it this time and the blatant manner in which the readers were prodded to buy the next sequel may well backfire. -Barker Reviews
Rating:
Summary: Terrible, compared to the first two
Review: i couldn't put down flynn's first two books. they were great! i could put down this book. plus, there was no ending!!!!!!!!!! there is no excuse for this. there is absolutely no conclusion. i just have to pick up the next installment and start where the third option stopped.
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