Irene Kennedy, future DCI of the CIA, is a bit down the decision chain in this prequel. She finds a young Syracuse grad that just might be what they are looking for to join the most clandestine arm of the clandestine unit at Langley. Orion is so black that no one in any level of government will acknowledge its existence. Kennedy delivers Rapp to a rural farm in Virginia into the care of the most vile, angry, detestable, pissed off human on the planet, Stan Hurley.
Hurley was a field officer for the predecessor of the CIA working mostly in Europe during the height of the cold war while telling anyone who would listen that the real powder keg was the Middle East. During his time in the field, he rightfully earned a reputation as a ruthless and remorseless killer. Now, new recruits were being entrusted to him so that he could harden them into the next generation of killers. Now Kennedy delivers (a couple days late) this snot-nosed college kid to Hurley instead of the special ops guys from the military that he craves.
As you might imagine, Hurley objects to Rapp’s presence, his late arrival, and everything he represents. Hurley is too dense to realize Rapp is just like he was at 23. The two form a deserved hate-hate relationship that festers until a boiling point where Kennedy’s boss, Thomas Stansfield, has to mediate. Stansfield politely tells Hurley to wake up and smell the sewage and realize that Rapp is the real deal. He can either be the conductor on the train or get the hell out of dodge.
Rapp’s first assignment is in Istanbul, where under Hurley’s direction, he is to log his first kill – a noted arms dealer. Rapp goes a bit off the reservation and kills the dealer on his own time, not Hurley’s, which pisses Hurley off to no end. Hurley is reminded that the kid sized up the situation, made his play, and got out safely, all without Hurley’s help. Get over it – this kid is a natural and Hurley grudgingly accepts a star is in the making.
Now Hurley is not only ruthless, he is also devious. He hates Middle East nutjobs and devises a plan to get the jihadist and Russians at each others throat by killing a banker who is laundering Arab-Russian money. He then wires the money all over, setting off a near war between the two. Along the way, Hurley gets snatched in Beirut and it’s up to Rapp to get him back.
The resulting rescue is creative, effective, and explosive . . . and a legend is born.
I think most authors with a continuing character have a novel in them that lets us all in on the main guy’s background. Tom Clancy did it with Clark (Without Remorse) and Lee Child told Jack Reacher’s early years (The Enemy). Now Vince Flynn tells us about Mitch Rapp’s initial training and his first missions for the CIA.
While I am a fan of Flynn and Rapp, I actually thought this story started a little late in Rapp’s recruitment. The book essentially opens with Kennedy dropping Rapp off at Hurley’s farm for training. What I would like to have seen is how Kennedy found Rapp and what was it about Rapp that made her think he’d be, not merely a player, but was capable of being the sharp end of the CIA’s sword. Having said that, this story provides welcome background into what makes Rapp, well . . . Rapp. Another testosterone-driven story from Vince Flynn that 'men reading books' should snap up.
East Coast Don
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