BORELLI CONSULTING: Recreational Equipment Reviews

A Couple Books by Vince Flynn
26 March 2007

I've long been a fan of Dean Koontz. For awhile I enjoyed reading Tom Clancy (after 9-11 I've had a harder time enjoying his writing). Clive Cussler has always proven enjoyable for me as well. But one of my biggest problems is this: if none of my favorite authors are coming out with anything new, what the heck do I read? Given that it takes me about three to four days to read the average "novel" I was recently faced with this challenge. Luckily I ran into a gentleman in Virginia Beach who turned me on to Vince Flynn. Since that time I've read two of Mr. Flynn's books and am aggressively reading my way through the third. For the sake of this recreational reading review, I'm going to look at two of his books: "Term Limits" and "Executive Power".

Let's start out with Term Limits. Bearing in mind that this was the first Vince Flynn book I'd read, I had no clue if the characters were common to his other books or if each book had its own cast of characters. Having read several others now, I know that the books DO have some common characters. By and large, between Term Limits and Executive Power the common characters are background players. They are suppport characters that allow main characters to accomplish certain things.

The general plot for Term Limits is that there is a group of former special forces soldiers who have decided to take direct action to prevent the politicians of our country from running it into the ground economically. In the abstract, I like the concept. Throughout the book the reader is exposed to some of the behind-the-scenes players that do exist in or around Washington, D.C., and how they affect policy. I think Mr. Flynn got many of these relationships and how they affect governmental decisions correct. When you consider the ramifications of the amount of power former government employees and special interest lobbyists carry in D.C. it's becomes easier to grasp how quickly power can be abused - or at least not wielded honorably.

Term Limits was an enjoyable read with a few plot twists that were fairly surprising. By the time you're one-third of the way into the book you have a clear idea of who the good guys and bad guys are. The character development is clear and you also know which characters you'd like to slap (or worse). The behind-the-scenes power players are loathsome creatures supporting the darker side of the storyline. The heroes are, by and large, military servicemen or service veterans, including an elected representative who is a former Marine. In Term Limits that particular elected official is the main character and Mr. Flynn did well creating him. If the guy was real and running for election in my district I'd certainly vote for him.

Executive Power takes a different kind of look at the elected and appointed officials in D.C.. When a SEAL Team is ambushed during a hostage rescue attempt in the Philippines the investigation reveals which people in what offices leaked information about the rescue. It's a perfect example of how someone is sure that someone else can be trusted. It's also a perfect example of why security clearances are what they are and have to be obeyed / enforced.

In this book I met Mitch Rapp for the first time. Mitch is the main character in several of Mr. Flynn's books. Knowing the community I write reviews for I think it's safe to say that you'd enjoy the character that is Mitch Rapp. He feels no hesitation or guilt about killing the enemy and he feels that most D.C. conferences and meetings are a waste of time spent on pumping up the egos of politician's and their lackies.

As you read through the book(s) you get a sense of just how thick our beuracracy has become and how much the red tape of pampering personalities can get in the way of just doing the job. Mitch Rapp is not a man who puts up with pampering personalities and he is pretty good at ignoring the position and rank of those he's talking to. As a civilian employee of the CIA, Rapp can only be punished so much - and his honor is worth more to him than his job so the threat of being fired never really slows him down.

In Executive Power Rapp is tasked with rescuing the hostages that were the target of the doomed SEAL Team at the beginning of the book. Simoultaneously he has to find out who leaked, and therefore destroyed, the planned rescue attempt. Working between the shadowy world of CIA undercover operatives and the sometimes linked world of military special forces teams, Rapp finds himself having to lead from a seat rather than from the front line. It's not a position he's comfortable with, but one that his boss and his new wife insist on. He learns a valuable lesson about thinking he can lead from the front when he's been told to lead from the seat. Trying to do what he's not supposed to will bite him on the ass... kinda.

Both books were enjoyable reads and I'm more than half way through "Memorial Day" now. Vince Flynn is a productive and seemingly as yet undiscovered writer. I'd like to thank the man who recommended him to me (thanks Mark) and I'd like to pass along my good fortune in reading to you. Check out some books by Vince Flynn. I think you'll like them.

BE SAFE!

I have a comment on this article.

Don't forget to check out our Tactical Equipment Review about a couple new knives from Benchmade.

This week's Training Article, discussing some biblical passages that relate to modern day peacemaking efforts.

For a listing of all reviews in chronological order, GO HERE.

New American Truth eMagazine
Dedicated to ALL citizens who oppose terrorism and injustice.
Subscribe Today!

Subscribe To New American Truth