Rating: 
Summary: Mitch Rapp is back in full action
Review: AFter the slow and flat "Seperation of Powers" Vince Flynnis back on track. Fast paced, full action. Good story line. The author even left the wife of the hero out of the story this time.
I just wish Vince Flynn would bring back some characters from "Term Limits" e.g. Scott Coleman and his team etc.
The characters and plots are well thought through.
Rating:
Summary: Very impressed with Vince Flynn.
Review: Although I had heard of Vince Flynn's series of novels featuring Mitch Rapp, MEMORIAL DAY is the first one I decided to take for a test run. What I found what an action-packed thriller set at a blistering pace and a main character that may not stay inside the box that the government would like for him to, but you like him anyway. You have to...he does things the way you'd like to see them done and he gets results.
MEMORIAL DAY is also a prime example of the way that the CIA/Spy/International Thriller genre is headed in a post-9/11 world. In the 80s, the villians tended to be Russian. Now, the targets have become Al-Qaeda and those countries that harbor and support them. Not to worry...there are still plenty of Russian villians running loose in popular fiction. MEMORIAL DAY's premise begins with Mitch Rapp foiling an attempt to smuggle a nuclear weapon onto American soil, and right around one of the biggest tourist holidays on the calendar. This plot element alone makes the entire storyline plausible. This is something that every American citizen fears whenever there is a large event planned. New Year's Eve in Times Square...the Super Bowl...the World Series...name it. I won't go into any more detail on the plot...you'll just have to read it.
I was very impressed with the writing as well. Sharp, concise, and to the point but not over the top vocabulary. Everything is organized well and easy to follow for any reader.
All in all, I was very impressed with this very enjoyable read and look forward to checking out the rest of the Mitch Rapp series...not to mention the next installment.
Rating: 
Summary: Bad Timing
Review: Another far-right-wing, testosterone-drenched potboiler. The hero is hindered from saving the country at every turn by left-wing nincompoops incapable of logical thinking-- primarily career-climbing image-conscious women, of course. The primary message of this book is that if only we could further restrict the Bill of Rights and allow the agents of our government a free hand in torturing prisoners, America would be much better off. Given the recent news, the timing of this message could not be worse.
Rating:
Summary: Fun read that also gives pause to think!
Review: Another great Mitch Rapp book! Vince Flynn knows how to put together an action filled thriller and considering today's world this book is very timely! In fact after reading this book you should be very scared. If you are already a fan you should like this book, if you are new to Flynn, but like Clancy, Cussler, ect. then you should like this book. You might also check out "A Tourist in the Yucatan" a thriller that has become an underground hit!
Rating:
Summary: Ugh.
Review: As I was reading this dreadful book, I kept wondering why I continue to read Vince Flynn's novels, considering that every one I read is somehow less entertaining than the previous. Perhaps I am just getting older and his sort of "Clancy Lite" approach seems more ridiculous now to me than it used to. Flynn's version of Jack Ryan, "Mitch Rapp" (who might as well have been built out of spare parts from crappy Jerry Bruckheimer films) is a pathetic excuse for a protagonist. The dialogue is amazingly asinine ("get your [...] down here, or you'll hear about it later"), the plot disasterous (a ticking bomb as the climax? Are you serious?), the writing overall is about on a 5th grade reading level, and every last character is so one dimensional that I was seriously hoping that the bomb would kill each and every one of them, but spare the innocent civilians that had no part in the book. I'm actually amazed that this worthless drivel has received so many positive reviews here. One can only hope that Mr. Flynn doesn't get wind of all this praise, for that could only lead to one thing: Mitch's next intense mission, where he travels to Bagdad in order to thwart Saddam Hussein's breakout from prison. It will culminate with Mitch giving one of his eloquent lines that would probably go something like this: [...] Bruce Willis will play Mitch in the movie version, and Glenn Close will be Dr. Kennedy. I can't wait.
Rating:
Summary: fridgidly exciting
Review: As you read this novel all that's on your mind is the method we seem to be conducting our war on terror. Our leaders seem more concerned with rights of the enemys of our country than seeing our troops have armored equipment I hope with all my heart that there is a Mitch Rapp or a group of them that are proceeding the way this great novel discibes This will be the only way we will win this war with the cave dwellers. You must fight fire with fire.It's a wonderful novel. I have read all of them and will wait for the next.
Rating: 
Summary: Only half the story
Review: First of all, I love Vince Flynn's books. This one, however, doesn't match up against his others - by design I hope. This is another "bridge book" that is just setting up another book after this one. My disappointment with this one is that it is more Matt Reilly than Vince Flynn (I like Reilly, but expect something different from Flynn). Flynn has always been very good at developing his characters and letting them grow and show you more each time you encounter them. This time around, the plot is the only thing and you get zero character development. The bad guys are all cookie-cutter baddies who are essentially faceless. The only one with any kind of depth is the main one and the only way you can distinguish him is by his prosthetic leg. Mitch's wife Anna is relagated to a couple paragraphs at the other end of a phone call. Kennedy has turned into a faceless bureaucrat. The only new character of interest is Peggy Stealy, and her story is either left VERY unfinished, or has just been a set up for her to be a major player in the next book. Similarly, the mention of al-Quaida obtaining a lot of information on Mitch, his wife, their home, etc... that was mentioned early in the book is not acted upon - again leading me to think this is all going to be resolved later. That said, the pacing is great, the story is believable - scarily so. Its a fun and entertaining read, but one that will probably be more satisfying to read in combination with the next one out, which will round out the story.
Rating: 
Summary: Mildly interesting, but deeply flawed.
Review: I am a great fan of Flynn's earlier work, especially TERM LIMITS - where he was tight, edgy, and was using a well-worked plot. However, he misses the mark with MEMORIAL DAY.
There are several problems with this work. First, he breaks no new ground. The idea of terrorists acquiring nuclear material as a plot premise is hardly new - becoming tiring in fact. Its a far cry from the edgy plot of TERM LIMITS. Second, the characters are beyond stereotypical. There are no character dynamics at all - they will not surprise you nor engage you in any way. This is unfortunate because the topic of American/Muslim relations has potential for character depth - but I haven't found a thriller writer able to capture it yet. Third, Flynn makes several logical errors. I don't want to point out all of them and give away critical plot information in case you do read this book but for example there are several instances when Flynn flat out states that a nuclear attack on the US would likely result in the US making retaliatory nuclear strikes against Saudi Arabia - despite the fact that the Saudi government cooperates with our antiterrorism efforts and that terrorists hate that government nearly as much as they hate us, not to mention the fact that a US nuclear strike would result in the loss of tens of thousands of innocent lives. Simply, nukes can't be used against a guerrilla movement and, amazingly, Flynn doesn't seem to grasp this. Fourth, there are no plot twists. I was amazed by the amount of overly blatant foreshadowing used by Flynn and was disappointed when there was NOT ONE instance when I was surprised or taken back by a new plot twist. The whole story is so predictable you can pretty much just read the cover synapses and you will know what happens. No surprises here folks.
I like Flynn and I know he can do better. If you are new to his work I would suggest trying TERM LIMITS instead. If not, you might consider skipping this one - I personally didn't find it compelling enough to be worth the time.
Rating:
Summary: Good, not great
Review: I am a voracious reader who loves thrillers, history, suspense, and this is the first of the Vince Flynn books I have read. I found it a little formulaic, the characters somewhat cliched. The best book I have read all year is 1906 by James Dalessandro, an incredibly vivid portrait of the great San Francisco Earthquake and all the city's corruption, politics and double-dealing, which I recommend to everyone. If you're really hooked on terrorist and C.I.A. stuff, and have already read all of Tom Clancy, you might like Mr. Flynn. I prefer Mr. Dalessandro by a long margin, and believe most people will. Try 1906 before you read this and decide for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Tee Tee Loved It
Review: I Love Vince Flynn!! This book is a page tuner that will not disappoint. It's good to have Mitch Rapp back in all his patriotism, sexiness and glory!!
|
