That changed, however, when I read Term Limits by Vince Flynn. I’m not sure why I picked up the book to begin with, but I was in the mood for a good story and seemed like it would fit the bill. It did! To this day it remains one of my favorite novels of all time (as well as does Flynn’s The Third Option). I quickly got my hands on everything Vince had written up to that point, and read through them. After finishing his series I began reading other authors, and now fiction is primarily what I prefer. And it’s all thanks to the wonderful writing of Mr. Flynn.

So, I was very excited when Extreme Measures was released in the Fall of 2008. I wanted to write a review upon finishing it, but decided to wait. The novel began a story that wasn’t completed until this year’s Pursuit of Honor. So much so that I didn’t feel as if it would be fair to review Measures by itself. So, what follows is my review of both books, which tell one story.

Extreme Measures is good, but not Flynn’s best. The action unfolds at a slower pace than we’re used to, but it is understandable when you realize he’s developing a larger story and setting things up for Pursuit of Honor. Rapp brings a new character to the forefront, Mike Nash. Nash is tough, but also a family man. I like the family aspect of Nash, as it makes him bit more human than Mitch Rapp. But make no mistake, Rapp is in the book, and as always, he kicks some tail end! Not as much as in some previous novels, but he manages to take care of business. Which leads me to a complaint: there’s just not as much action in these two novels as we’ve seen in Rapp’s past outings. They seem to focus more on the political side of the War on Terror, which isn’t all bad. Just like in real life, liberals and bleeding hearts are concerned about the “rights” of the terrorists, and there is a ton of backstabbing, ego feeding, and outright treason being committed by politicians and their aids. This is a very interesting (and true to life) element of both books, however it is at the expense of some action. In other words, the biggest fight Rapp and Nash wage is on Capitol Hill, not in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, or Afghanistan.  That being said, tension is still present, the books are never boring, and there is still some great action scenes.

One highlight of the books is Chapter 50 of Pursuit of Honor. Without giving too much away, let me just say Mitch Rapp makes a speech before a senate committee that I believe many of us conservatives wish we could make! There’s little secret, after reading these books, that Vince Flynn probably leans to the right in his politics. And that’s okay by me! It’s about time the Right had a literary figure on our side.

Both of these novels are good, but I enjoyed Pursuit of Honor the best. Don’t get me wrong, though, Extreme Measures is not bad by any means. But, be warned, both novels need to be read. In my opinion, they don’t work as standalone stories.

So, while not the best in the series, Extreme Measures and Pursuit of Honor should not disappoint Vince Flynn fans, or those who are just looking for a good, exciting read.