Transfer of Power

June 28, 1999
In this long political thriller staged almost entirely around a hostage standoff, Flynn makes maximum use of his White House setting, and mixes in a spicy broth of brutal terrorists, heroic commandos and enough secret agent hijinks to keep the confrontation bubbling until its flag-raising end. The villains are led by Rafique Aziz, a notorious Arab terrorist whose band of thugs takes over the White House by finding a weak point in American politics: they pose as wealthy campaign contributors and are welcomed through the front door. President Robert Hayes manages to escape to his bunker moments before the bloodbath, but religious zealot Aziz takes almost 100 hostages, seals off the White House and begins making demands, of which large sums of cash are just the beginning. With the president incommunicado and weak-willed yet power hungry Vice President Sherman Baxter in charge, the Pentagon and the CIA resort to their secret weapon: commando extraordinaire Mitch Rapp. After sneaking into the bowels of the Executive Mansion through an air duct, Rapp steadily disrupts the terrorists' well-laid plans. He finally calls in reinforcements when Aziz begins drilling into the president's bunker. It's a long haul to the finish, but Flynn (Term Limits) compensates for some stereotyping by creating dynamic tension between the main players, especially between military leaders and politicians, and between Rapp and Aziz. His description of the White House is impressive; readers will wonder if the secret passageways, hidden rooms and clever deception devices that help load this story with seemingly endless intrigue, really exist. Agent, Sloan Harris. 15-city author tour.

April 15, 1999
When terrorists crash White House security, the President is swept away to an isolated underground bunker, and the Vice President suddenly finds himself in charge. From the author of the best-selling Term Limits.

May 15, 1999
Since the dawn of the cold war, the idea of the U.S. being attacked by foreign terrorists has loomed as a constant threat, but since the World Trade Center bombing, it has become a chilling reality. Here, that reality is vaulted to a nightmarish new level when Arab terrorists invade Washington, D.C., and seize control of the White House. Chaos ensues as key administration personnel--some competent, most inept--vie to secure the release of more than 100 White House hostages, including the president himself. Heading up the CIA's Counterterrorism Center is Irene Kennedy, deft at penetrating the tangled terrorist psyche. Her top recruit is Mitch Rapp, a loner whose specialty is tracking down the most vicious terrorists and either kidnapping or assassinating them--unofficially, of course. His most recent nabbing proves to be a fount of knowledge, providing otherwise unattainable enemy intelligence. The question remains whether Mitch can use what he's learned before the crazed leader of the White House assault takes more casualties. In his second novel, following "Term Limits" (1998), Flynn delivers a riveting espionage thriller that will satisfy action fans who like Chuck Logan but won't alienate readers who want a little nuance with their suspense. ((Reviewed May 15, 1999))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1999, American Library Association.)