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.