Extreme Measures

September 29, 2008
Any hope this contrived thriller had of suspending disbelief for most readers who weren't already fans of bestseller Flynn's Mitch Rapp series (Protect and Defend, etc.) is lost early on. Rapp's CIA chief, Irene Kennedy, is on a date at a fancy Washington, D.C., restaurant when one of her aides informs her that Rapp, an Oliver North for the war on terror, has fallen into yet another jam with his unorthodox, maverick ways. Under false pretenses, Rapp has gotten access to two high-value terrorists being held at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. Believing that an Islamic fundamentalist cell is about to launch an attack on the homeland, Rapp resorts to violence to get information. His actions lead to his arrest by the base commander, but with precious hours ticking down, Kennedy decides to finish her meal before intervening. Even then, incredibly enough, it takes two days to secure Rapp's release. The rest of the less than convincing plot includes a grandstanding senator's efforts to hang Rapp out to dry and the inevitable race to prevent disaster.

One of today's great thriller-spinners cooks up a terrifyingly realistic jihadist nightmare. Add to Flynn's exciting imagination and super-macho hero, Mitch Rapp, the exquisite voicing of George Guidall and the listener can count on one wild ride. Guidall does his usual masterful job with all the tough-guy voices. In addition, we hardly notice when he slips into simple narrative to cover the lesser characters since his terrific pacing and delivery keep us on the edge throughout. He pulls off the women and children's voices in a manner that is not at all distracting. Listeners of Clancy, Patterson, and DeMille will love this book. Also for lovers of the new West vs. Radical Islam genre, which has replaced Ludlum's Cold War. M.C. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine