| | |  | Terrorism | Home » » Act of Treason | | | | | | | Description: | | CIA operative Mitch Rapp follows a trail of contract killers leading directly to the heart of our nation's capital in New York Times bestselling author Vince Flynn's eighth explosive thriller. It's a gorgeous autumn day in Georgetown. The Democratic candidates for president and vice president of the United States are dutifully glad-handing voters and the media outside a grand estate where a national security conference has just been held, bringing together the world's greatest minds to discuss the issues that are threatening the country. It's American politicking at its best. That's when all hell breaks loose. When presidential candidate Josh Alexander's motorcade is ambushed by a group of terrorists, the nation is thrown into turmoil. Two weeks following the attack, Alexander is carried to victory by a sympathy vote, but his assailants have not been found. On the surface it appears to be the work of al-Qaeda, despite the tremendous job that the U.S. and her allies have done eliminating terrorist cells within the heart of America. While the FBI and the rest of the government begin scouring the world for jihadists, CIA director Irene Kennedy and Special Agent Skip McMahon are presented with classified information so toxic that they consider destroying it altogether, as it contains intelligence pointing to some of the most powerful players in Washington. Enter Mitch Rapp, the one man reckless enough to follow the evidence to its explosive conclusion. His journey takes him through the shadowy world of contract killers, into the darkest corners of the globe, and eventually back to Washington, where the fragile pillars of power are shaken to their core. | | | Product Details: | | | Average Customer Rating:
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Average Customer Review:
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82 of 94 found the following review helpful:
A solid entry in the seriesOct 11, 2006
By Jeffrey S. Stanley
"Viper_29"
Well, I just finished reading Act of Treason. I have been highly anticipating this book and did thoroughly enjoy reading it for the most part. I have to say I was disappointed with the ending and was expecting much more from Vince Flynn. I will not give away any spoilers from the book but I will say that as I read through the book, I couldn't help but get a feeling almost as if Vince Flynn was kind of trying to get the reader of this book ready for a transition. I didn't feel that Mitch Rapp was carried through this book as he has been in the series since he was introduced. I couldn't help but wonder if maybe we are being given the first stage of withdrawing Mitch from the Vince Flynn novels. I certainly hope not but there were some nuances in the book that gave me that feeling. It was good to see some of the guys from previous novels back in such as Scott Coleman and his team. After reading Consent to Kill I had to wonder what direction Rapp would be taken in. Mitch is being portrayed as getting older and while still at the peak of his game, I can only wonder how much longer he will be kept at that level. The first few reviews of this book have thoroughly stated much of the book so I won't go into repeating statements. With a new administration to deal with, I hope Mitch can get back to the action that carried him through his first few novels and made for such a page turning read. If you are a fan of Mitch Rapp, you most certainly won't be disappointed with this new book, atleast that is until you get to the end.
46 of 53 found the following review helpful:
Not Nearly as Exciting as Flynn's Previous WorkOct 11, 2006
By Martin Andrade
"Media Gurgitator"
During the heat of a presidential election a terrorist group in the Middle East threatens violence to try to influence the results. Some weeks before the election is to take place a car bomb goes off near one of the presidential candidate's motorcades and kills the wife of the presidential candidate and dozens of innocent bystanders. The voters decide that they won't be pushed around by terrorists and vote in the presidential candidate who was attacked. Mitch Rapp and his friends at the CIA are left to uncover the plot as ruthless and dangerous people are afoot. Sounds like a great thriller but Act of Treason is not up to the standard we expect from Vince Flynn.
Vince Flynn deserves a lot of credit for an almost prophetic handle on the continuing war on terror. Before the 9-11 attacks Flynn had written novels about militant Wahhabism attacking the United States. While on the book tour for his last book, Consent to Kill, Vince Flynn talked about secret CIA prisons where Iraqi and Afghani insurgents and terrorists where interrogated outside the view of the public eye. A year later there were stories in the popular press about those same secret prisons. Flynn has been a bestselling author thanks to his research and his connections to U.S. servicemen out in the field. He combines his solid research with a great storytelling ability which typically makes all of his novels thrilling page turners.
Act of Treason abandons some of the formulas that have worked so well for Mr. Flynn in the past. Vince plays around with different themes. In his past works there was the "ticking time bomb" mentality which has driven much of the motivations for the protagonist Mitch Rapp. Flynn also tries to tackle the controversies that plague presidential administrations as they close, especially presidential pardons. In fact, much of the plot of the book involves pardons in a thinly veiled discussion of all the last minute pardons of the Clinton Administration.
Without the immediacy of a clear threat against the United States, the reader is left wondering why there is such a hurry. Can't Mitch Rapp just take his time killing all the bad guys? Unlike in most of Flynn's previous books like Memorial Day, there's no climatic finish where at the last possible moment the U.S. is saved from disaster. In reality, the only pressures which push us to the end of the novel is to see how everything is played out. Even in this department Act of Treason is lacking.
The novel doesn't actually resolve itself. Early on the reader is made to think Flynn is going to take on the philosophy of many liberals that terrorism is a law enforcement issue and not a military issue. At one point it even looked like there would be a court scene involving a torture case. Flynn even had a chance to play around with the ideas of the new online journalists like Matt Drudge and their effect on public opinion. None of these possibilities ever panned out. Flynn wasn't interested in testing out those waters at all.
This book had so much potential for Flynn to expand his scope as a novelist and tackle some very big and complex issues. Instead those were glossed over and even forgotten by the end of the book. Sure, the book was still very readable and had some entertaining points. It just lacked the page turning qualities that made Vince a bestseller while it didn't show any expansion in his possibilities as a novelist. Would I still recommend reading it? Probably not for any but the most fanatical Mitch Rapp fans. Those new to Vince Flynn novels are best off looking to his earlier works to fully appreciate how good Vince Flynn can be.
42 of 52 found the following review helpful:
 Pure escapism, a night without sleep!Oct 13, 2006
By W. P. Strange
"Bill's shelf"
For mystery/thriller fans this is pure nirvana. I read the entire book in two sessions and lost a night's sleep. The only disappointing thing about this Mitch Rapp adventure is that it was over too soon. If you enjoy reading for pleasure, to escape the troubles of your day, this is just what the doctor ordered. Vince Flynn just gets better and better. The writing is fast paced, and easy to read. The tension and plotting are believable and the characters, good and bad are enjoyable.
19 of 22 found the following review helpful:
 C+ Effort from A+ AuthorOct 22, 2006
By Julia
Vince Flynn and his publisher strrreetttched this book by publishing in a large font with lots of blank space between paragraphs and chapters. Although the book, at 400 pages, is nominally the same length as his previous efforts, it achieves this by a classic student maneuver of writing big and leaving lots of space to meet those 400 pages. The actual content would make about 200 pages of a normal book.
The writing is without the detail that I have come to expect from Flynn. At points, there is a glimmer of character and depth, but for the most part, the action and characters are briefly sketched out. The first half of the book starts with the detail that Flynn does so well, but by the end, it reads like a draft. In "Act of Treason", Flynn seems to have written this book too close to his publisher's deadline.
The editing missed at least 3 grammatical errors.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Vince Flynn's Act of TreasonSep 14, 2009
By Paul J Granger
If you like the television show 24, you'll love Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp. I can't help but think that Jack Bauer was modeled in part after Mitch Rapp.
Act of Treason is the story of a politician that wants it all and takes it all. He goes unchecked until Mitch's subtle but sure investigative talents begin to bring the truth into the light. It is a great book that is tough to put down. Flynn's books may cost you a little sleep. But you won't be sorry.
I advise you to read them in order. Transfer of Power, The Third Option, Seperation of Power, Executive Power, Memorial Day, Consent to Kill, Act of Treason, Protect and Defend, Extreme Measures and due out in Oct '09, Pursuit of Honor.
Amazon.com can provide you with them all.
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