Mitch Rapp wants revenge. And he’s willing to disappear to do it.

He’s trained by a former spook who has built his own draconian training and brain washing program to become the kind of killer that the CIA doesn’t officially have, and then he starts 

hunting the people the planned the attack that killed his girlfriend.

He starts in Europe, finding and executing his target before his team even lands. <Spoiler>Then he moves on to the middle east, where he has to rescue his former instructor, all while avoiding getting the business end of a bullet. </Spoiler>

Characters

Mitch is the American James Bond. Athletic and skilled enough to beat his instructor hand to hand, and smart enough to plan and execute a rescue operation on his own to save his mentor. He literally charms the pants off the only woman he meets that isn’t in the CIA. Honestly, he almost didn’t seem real.

Hurley, Rapp’s instructor, was a broken man who’s outlived his usefulness. And he’s more bitter about it than a spurned lover. He’s an awesome mix of crazy, cynical, and pissed off, and I probably enjoyed the sections with him more than the ones with Rapp.

Plot

Maybe I’ve just read too many of spy novels, but I feel like these are pretty formulaic. American Assassin definitely follows the traditional thriller pattern, with enough twists that I was wondering which of the characters would make it out alive.

My biggest complaint is that Rapp accomplished everything too easily. I get that he’s meant to be a natural super spy, but aside from a tongue lashing after he performs too well, he never really has any set backs. That ultra high competency doesn’t leave much room for character development, but then again, most people probably aren’t reading spy thrillers to get the warm fuzzys so…

Setting

American Assassin is set pretty much where you’d expect a modern spy thriller: post 9/11 world with a variety of exotic locales as a backdrop for the shooty bits. The book was written in the early 2000s, and while it holds up in most cases, there are a few instances where the technology has clearly changed, but I can’t fault the book for that. This is mostly mitigated by the reliance on Rapp’s low tech approach to most missions and his prowess with firearms. Overall, pretty standard but well done.

Tone/Voice

I feel like I’m being repetitive here, but the Flynn’s voice was fairly consistent with most books in this genre. Very action oriented and objective with little internal dialog or discussion. And the fact of the matter is that it works for these types of stories. I think you’d be losing a pretty good chunk of the audience if you started to examine the way that Rapp feels about his “love” interest outside of the few sentences to make him not seem like a jerk. Basically, what you see is what you get.

Fun Factor

Its fun to watch Rapp beat the bad guys seven ways to Sunday. Even knowing that Rapp is going to come out on top in every encounter, I was pulled along and finished the book in a few days. The fight scenes evoke a primal urge that keeps you flipping pages and look past the story flaws. The plot’s stakes are high enough to keep you invested, and Rapp’s mission of vengeance helps give the emotional substance so leave you feeling satisfied with the story’s revolution.

Overall – Everyday Drinking

Is it going to be the next great American novel? Probably not, but it hit the best seller list for a reason. American Assassin is a red blooded American novel that delivers on its promise of action and the wish fulfillment of every male who dreamed of being the secret agent with an irresistible swagger and a steady trigger finger.

Pairs well with…

Fireball… I can’t think of a more american bourbon that has also been responsible for as many near death experiences as this cinnamon flavored whiskey. If you haven’t tried it before, you probably graduated from college before 2010. Best when mixed or in frozen shots, just be careful and drink responsibly (which is difficult if my friend Brad is bartending…)