The big questions in my mind when I started to read this book were whether, with the untimely death of Vince Flynn, Kyle Mills could take the Mich Rapp story further and write a book that seamlessly followed Flynn's inimitable writing style. The answer to both questions is a definite "Yes". Mills has taken the threads left at the end of the last book and built them into one of the better books in the series.
While rogue CIA agent Joe Rickman is now dead he has left a dangerous legacy - a posthumous gradual leaking of highly classified information that could damage the CIA and relations between the US and many key countries. Irene Kennedy, head of the CIA, needs to find where these leaks are coming from and stop them before they do untold damage. The search takes Rapp to Switzerland and a rogue banker who could be the only lead to the leaks. In hunting down the source of the leaks Rapp has to face up to having to make an agonising alliance with Louis Gold, the assassin who had killed Rapp's wife and child - a tragedy that he has never come to terms with.
Mills continues to explore the Pakistan connection with a corrupt security service leader with strong terrorist links aiming to take over this nuclear-armed third-world country. He also introduces a hostile US Senator with strong ties to Pakistan. In the course of the action, Rapp travels extensively chasing down the baddies in Switzerland, Italy, Russia and eventually Pakistan. Of course, a lot of the time Rapp is on his own and out of control - situation normal.
The main change in style is that Mills allows Rapp to reflect on his life, realise that he is not as young or quick as he was and allows him to start to come to terms with the loss of his wife and child.
The action is fast and furious and contains all of the normal features of a Mitch Rapp novel. I congratulate Kyle Mills in being able to take this series forward and I look forward to any future books he may write in the series.
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