Separation of Power

October 1, 2001
A changing of the guard at the CIA attracts some corrupt politicos with eyes on the White House at the start of this sharply plotted thriller, a step up for popular writer Flynn (The Third Option, etc.). Unfortunately for the bad guys, upright CIA agent Dr. Irene Kennedy is tapped to replace her dead boss, foiling their illicit fund-raising plans. Corrupt politico number one, Sen. Hank Clark, enlists Irene's envious second to discredit her and the president. Clark and his cronies are also eager to deal with CIA special ops assassin Mitch Rapp, who's stuck on desk duty after nearly losing his life on a previous assignment and seems ripe to be taken out. Mitch accompanies his girlfriend, White House reporter Anna Rielly, to Italy, where he meets up with his former lover, freelance assassin Donatella Rahn. When Rahn is shot, Mitch uncovers a plot linked to the men behind the threats to Irene and the CIA. Meanwhile, reports surface that Saddam Hussein has acquired nuclear weapon components from North Koreans, who are assembling them in a factory buried beneath a Baghdad hospital. This calls for a gutsy mission, one that entails stopping Saddam while avoiding the PR nightmare that bombing a hospital would cause. Irene pulls Mitch into the plans to deal with Baghdad while she grapples with Congress. Flynn knows his politicians and pits his characters against impossible odds with nonstop action and suspense —thus distracting fans from all the clichés and mediocre prose—and a final fillip will keep them guessing as to Mitch's future in the series. (Oct. 9)Forecast:The legions of readers who landed
The Third Option on the
New York Times bestseller list will be back for more. They'll also have a chance to catch Flynn during his eight-city author tour.

June 15, 2001
Mitch Rapp, topnotch CIA counterterrorism operative (e.g., The Third Option), has a near-impossible task: secure peace in the Middle East even as the CIA implodes.

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2001
In the wake of the horrific events that occurred on September 11, Flynn's novels have moved from terrific but unbelievable stories about domestic attacks by terrorists to unfathomable reality (Flynn's 1999 novel " Transfer of Power" was about an Arab takeover of the White House). Here, we find Irene Kennedy, currently head of the CIA's counterterrorism division, about to be named CIA director. But there are many on the Hill out to stop her appointment for both ideological and political reasons. Unlikely bedfellows emerge, pairing a leftist congressman, who doesn't like the secrecy of the CIA, with a conservative senator, who has a special pecuniary interest in Ms. Kennedy's demise. The key to derailing her confirmation is to out the CIA's covert operation dubbed the Orion Team, made up of licensed-to-kill unofficial rogue agents, the most competent of which is Mitch Rapp. While the political mess continues on the domestic front, Rapp is sent on an assignment like no other, where the lives of millions hang in the balance. First-class political intrigue from a master storyteller.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)