Capture or Kill, Vince Flynn, Don Bentley, authors; Steven Weber, narrator
Mitch Rapp’s style is inimitable, a fact no one can dispute. He is the superhero here. As this book took me back in time, I sometimes wondered why the author reached into history to write a book about some characters whose lives had already been written, both in real life and in the lives of other novels. However, the book was action-packed nevertheless.
Flynn begins this novel with a compromised secret op that has put the lives of those involved in great danger. When a helicopter crashes into the mountain, and the pilot is captured and sure to be killed, Mitch Rapp refuses to continue his other mission until he saves the downed, captured Ranger. He thinks he can do both, however, he can’t. He misses an important meeting with an Iranian asset, a man who directs the security and intelligence in Iran and also communicates with Irene Kennedy.
The asset, Ashani, is dying of Cancer. He wants to make sure the CIA will save his wife and children. He has valuable information to impart in exchange. He can validate Osama bin Laden’s location. America is in the midst of an op to kill or capture him. President Alexander will not sanction the op unless he is assured of bin Laden’s actual whereabouts.
When Rapp tries to have another clandestine meeting with Ashani, he discovers it is too late. Ashani has been captured in a rendition operation and is being flown back to Iran, surely to be hung. Only Ashani can confirm bin Laden’s whereabouts in Pakistan. Rapp must rescue him. While all this action takes place, Irene Kennedy is overseeing another operation to find stolen ballistic missiles and Rapp must help with that, as well.
Readers are well aware that in real life, Osama bin Laden has already killed in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Our ally had been harboring him, in spite of his terrorist acts in the United States.
In the book, Mitch goes off the grid and conducts his own search and rescue for Ashani. Will he save the Iranian? Will he find him before it is too late? Will the mission to get bin Laden be aborted? Rapp must also find missing missiles before they are used to create chaos and unrest. Iran has smuggled the missing ballistic missiles into Pakistan with the intention of causing chaos as it destroys the United States relationship with Pakistan and destabilizes the Middle East. Luckily in this book, Iran underestimated Rapp and he is able to save the day.
Did Flynn know about the explosive Middle East situation of today when he wrote the novel? He surely must have. Is Iran still the villain, as it instigates and encourages the enemies of Israel and the United States with its support of acts of violence and barbarism? Iran is using its leverage to cause chaos and violence throughout the Western World, and they, too, are turning against Israel because of propaganda, politics, economic concerns and simple unadulterated hatred and bias. There are no shortages of countries hoping to usurp the power of America. However, in the book, Flynn has steered clear of the present conditions and massacre in Israel, though the barbarians were trained in Iran. His focus was on the past.
Readers of Mitch Rapp novels will glory in the fact that he scores again. Other readers may well wonder why the author wrote a novel about events already known and did not consider the current tragic war. Osama bin Laden is dead. Iran is still meddling in the Middle East. Today, the situation is dire. Where is a Mitch Rapp when you need him? Perhaps it is Gallant and Netanyahu playing the roles of Kennedy and Rapp.