Monday, March 18, 2013

Last Man by Vince Flynn (2012)

Maybe not the best book to listen to while driving up the magical Route 1 in CA, but it sure helped through LA highways and traffic. I love Mitch Rapp. He is the "last man" you wan't to mess with. I wish Flynn would not have to get so graphic - this time about torture, and all the different gun makes and caliber numbers just go over my head, but other than that, Flynn tells a great story.

This book is set in the current situation of Afghanistan and Pakistan. It reflects the covert operations needed to find Bin Laden, how giving control back to the Afghan people is going, the concerns of Taliban continuing to be a key player, the U.S. relation with Pakistan, the use of drones, FBI vs CIA, self serving officials, etc.

CIA operative Joe Rickman has been kidnapped. Rapp is sent to find him, as Rickman's head holds lots of information. Something isn't quite right, and it is very hard to tell who is working on which side, who has their own agenda, almost till the very end. I like the role played in this book by Irene Kennedy - Rapp's boss and CIA director. You get to see why she is director - she can play hard ball, but see she struggles with the difficult aspects of the job too. The book was full of interesting characters - some good, some bad, some little of both. Makes for a good read.