Vince Flynn has written a series of political fiction novels based around the rogue, Jack Bauer-type, CIA agent Mitch Rapp. Rapp basically is the baddest dude around. I mean really bad. He has no qualms about doing unimaginable tortures to those who might have information to help protect Americans. Vince Flynn really has a sick imagination. Really sick.
So, in Protect and Defend, Israel decides to blow up Iran’s lone nuclear reactor/research plant. They, of course, succeed. Iran responds with predictable bravado and blustery, except this time they decide to act. Without giving away the story, essentially, a guy who doesn’t agree with some of the country’s more radical members meets with the head of the CIA, Irene Kennedy. Ms. Kennedy is kidnapped by these rogue members, and it’s up to Rapp to find her, before the Iranians do to her what Rapp is doing to a few of his captives to figure out where she is.
The plot is not as good as some of the previous books in the series, and the book needs another subplot. It also seems to drag at some points. Mr. Rapp is once again the fearless, dynamic, **** the leadership and bureaucracy. While the proposition works in Vince Flynn’s pretend world, we don’t really know if the hideous things Mr. Rapp does work in the real world. The characters are of medium depth. Not too shallow, but not Clancy-like development, either.
If you are a fan of political/military fiction and you can stomach a lot of language and a lot of gore (be prepared, this is stuff they would never put in the movie, and maybe not even the news) then you would be okay with reading this book. You probably don’t want to buy it, though. Even if you like that sort of thing it’s really not worth buying. Check it out from the library.
And, uh, don’t get on Mitch Rapp’s bad side.
Ratings on a scale of one to ten, one being least and ten being most.
Violence: 10
Sexually Graphic Content: 6
Language: 7
Character Strength and Development: 5
Plot: 4
Overall: 4
I’ll have to remember NOT to read this particular book then.