I love Flynn's books, but this one was not one of his best. I thought the history and politics of Israel and Palestine was very interesting. There were actually two story lines in this book. The Palestinian plot by David against the Saudi millionaire misfit who sponsored David's terrorism and then the kidnapped family in the Philippines. Rapp is directly involved in saving the family and it was a bit far-fetched. Rapp's new wife is a pain. She is a reporter who is only interested in getting a story and not about keeping her mouth shut regarding Rapp's covert activities. This book cannot compare to Memorial Day.

Not Flynn's best work and not the most entertaining of Rapp's exploits. However, still good enough that I want to read the next in the series and that as a whole, it remains one of my favorites.

The first reaction I had to this book after I finished reading it and put it down was... why was it called "Executive Power"? Except for the fact that the Chief executive doesn't exert his power, I think it is a great title! Seriously, the title sounds great, and there is even a bullet hole in the cover to make it seem like POTUS is involved in some action or shows off his power, but alas, it is more Mitch and his wife who is sad while he is away (which is getting tiring).

Parts of this book were enjoyable, but for the most part, it is a place holder while I get ready to read the next book in this series. If you want a good type of book like this, that actually uses the chief executive's power, try reading Gary Grossman's book "Executive Action" which (like the title says) features an executive involved in some action. Just be warned that some of the earlier versions of that book had serious typos. I assume they've been cleaned up since it was published.

President Hayes has the power, but he looks the other way when it gets down to the real world of dealing with terrorists. This is where Mitch Rapp and his Seal Team take over and feel the justice of the gun is the only justice that terrorists understand.

Mitch's world was very simple for him and his method of operation straight forward, but then his identity is revealed by a stupid politician and now he has a target on his back throughout the world. To even complicate his life more, he gets married. He promises his new bride that he will modify his profession and stay on the side lines during operations; you'll find that nothing could be further from the truth.

Mitch and his Seal Team are called upon to deal with a corrupt Phillipine General who is allowing an American family to be held hostage. If this isn't enogh to do, they have to stop an international terrorist who is bent on creating another War between Israel and the Arab countries. This has a great twist to it. This was my first Mitch Rapp story and I will read more.

Rapp evolves into a man AND a super-secret-agent. Kennedy becomes the leader she was groomed to be. And yes, people are trying to make nukes in the middle east. Another thrill ride!

Great book; thrilling read. Warning: Once you start you won't be able to put it down. Book is also addictive, you'll want to purchase and read the rest in Vince Flynn's series.

Like all fans of mystery and suspense novels, Vince Flynn consistently provides a good read. In my case he provides a good listen when I am on the road.

I bought this series for our son in Alaska and a set for myself. I have not had time to read it yet, but our son tells us it was a good series and he enjoyed reading all the books.

I really enjoyed this author's first three books and hoped his previous one was just an aberration. Alas it doesn't seem so. This book was a true disappointment. Mitch Rapp, America's "Go to Guy", seems to be trapped in a comic strip. After being "outed" in the previous volume as a secret CIA assassin, Mitch now works at HQ but refuses to be a desk jockey and takes a "hands-on" approach when trouble erupts - guess where? - The Middle East. (There's a sub-plot involving American hostages in the Philippines which has no bearing on the story except to put Mitch in a steamy jungle wearing camouflage paint.) Previous reviews have suggested this series is reminiscent of books by Forsyth, Ludlum and Clancy, but besides the label "International Thriller", this reader doesn't see it - particularly with this book and its predecessor. This book has none of the subtlety, intricacies of multiple plots, technical knowledge or even character development those authors' books contain. There's no individual style or identity here, just plain vanilla - and stale vanilla at that. As an aside I don't ever remember such a negative outcry by readers concerning a character, (Mitch's new wife), as I've witnessed with this series. And though I agree with the majority, I found this character more obnoxious in the previous book - for the simple fact that she was present on a lot more pages.

I borrowed my first Vince Flynn book from the "library" at work. I was hooked. Vince Flynn writes about the same subjects as Clancy. I have liked Clancy from the start but he is often too nitpicky about the minutia of his subject matter, often to the detriment to the story. Whereas Flynn gives just enough detail to lend credibility to his writing.

Nobody doubts Clancy is an insider in the community and Flynn leaves no doubt he is one too.

His stories are fast paced and a VERY good read. I recommend ANY book by him. Clancy writes about the Russian cold war, Flynn writes about the war on terror. His main character, Mitch Rapp, is undeniably a complete Bad***, I loved the Jack Ryan character, but time to retire Jack, Mitch is in town.

I,am with the other reviewer in wanted to grt rid of this _ITCH of a wife
JUST KILL her. Come on Mitch, Do us all a favor. Do her in.

I have read all but one of his books since I discovered him.
I love the writing style and was so luckey to have found this great author!

Vince Flynn has by now got his thriller formula down pat. Start out with a seemingly invincible almost superhero named Mitch Rapp, involve him in a plot involving Middle East intrigue, politicians at home who "don't understand", and villanous bad guys. Add in a boss who worries about his safety, a bunch of sidekicks who think he walks on water, and a wife who's now convinced he's got a deathwish (about which she isn't happy) and you've got the ingredients for a good, if a bit pedestrian, suspense novel. The whole thing is Ludlum by way of Clancy, to my mind, with occasional wooden dialog and characters making speeches that they (probably) wouldn't make in real life, action and plot twists that are entertaining to say the least, and enough technical and tactical information to make you think that Flynn knows someone interesting.

In this current installment, Mitch Rapp has been assigned to go to the Philippines and deal with a situation involving a treacherous Filipino general who's on the payroll of the local Muslim extremist group. If he can, he's also to rescue a family of American tourists who have been taken hostage by those Muslim extremists. Meanwhile, halfway around the world, a mysterious Muslim who's apparently not an extremist is killing his way through a list of odd characters, with an agenda that is not clear until late in the book. He's doing this at the behest of a rich Arab who's one of the more repellent characters in modern fiction, as far as I'm concerned. And all of this is happening against the backdrop of both Israeli and U.S. politics.

I enjoyed this book a great deal, and I'm looking forward to the next one in the series.

This is my first Vince Flynn. Having no series context with which to evaluate assassin Mitch Rapp and wife Anna Reilly, I think this potentially great story was weakened by their marital interactions. Mitch came across as a strong, cold-hearted, somewhat arrogant killer in the field and a henpecked, battered wuss at home. It was highly incongruous that just the sight of the fearsome Rapp makes a male ambassador's knees knock, yet Rapp meekly tolerates a shiner from his own wife. To make matters worse, his wife and his female boss join forces in the nagfest.
However, the book had some interesting Middle East history, and the machinations of Washington as well as the workings of the Special Forces were fascinating. The plot was divided into two parts (the Anderson family rescue and the Palestinian plot) with nothing to glue them together other than the presence of Rapp. It seemed as if the author had a couple ideas for storylines, but neither made a stand-alone novel, so he combined them in one book. I'll give Flynn another try; based upon the reviews here this doesn't seem to be his strongest offering. Although I didn't find Rapp particularly likeable, I hope and pray someone like him really exists. 3 solid stars.

The reader is confronted with a rather wimpy Democrat President who had the good sense to bring in as an Advisor Mitch Rapp, a real all-star hero. The book starts off with an ill fated attempt by a Navy Seal team to rescue an American family being held by the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas. The enemy was tipped off by a corrupt Philippine general. The Seals were ambushed. Rapp comes into the picture and carries out a successful rescue operation that dispenses with the general. The story then shifts to the middle-east (Israel,Palestine, Saudi's). A somewhat sympathetic character is the Palestinian terrorist David who orchestrates some very clever plots. Irene Kennedy, the CIA Director is fighting the good battle. Rapp's wife, a tv reporter is a bit too much. It's hard to imagine a guy like Mitch Rapp going for her. Anyway,it's a fairly good read.

This is my third Vince Flynn book, and I was thoroughly disappointed. "Executive Power" incorporates two stories, neither of which have anything to do with each other. It's as if Flynn had enough for two half stories and then squished them together.

The first is a story about an American family kidnapped in the Philippines. Lurking in the background is another story set in the Middle East. I thought Flynn was going to bring the two stories together. But he never did. He resolved one in sweeping fashion and then focused on the other.

If you only read one Vince Flynn book, I recommend that you read "Transfer of Power." THAT is an exciting book. But stay away from "Executive Power." You'll be thoroughly disappointed.

This was one of the best Flynn books and I've read them, in order, needing only to read Memorial Day and Consent to Kill. Once again, a good share of violence, sneaky politicians, and backstabbing. This book has a scene in the Phillipines that is really well done. Irene Kennedy's character is becoming much more well rounded and the "wife" is still a pain. I keep hoping Mitch Rapp will dump her.

Patriotic terrorist fighting storyline. Exposes the political games played in Washington, that many times put our military in dangerous situations. This book inspires me to patriotism and also deep gratitude to the Special Forces men who are so brave. I know the book is fiction, but I can't help but feel that it is more truth than fiction. Mitch Rapp's wife Anna is getting a little hard to stomach. She is a good example of how an aggressive woman can nearly neuter a strong man. Again, hard to recommend to absolutely everyone because of the explicit sexual situations. I hate to encourage my teenage boys to read it, although 95% is absolutely wonderful and inspiring, portraying men as REAL MEN.

This is the first of Flynn's books I've read, but it certainly will not be the last! Former CIA insider turned author Vince Flynn holds nothing back, and after reading Executive Power I feel like I myself was the spy and government assasin. I've read other thriller novels by other authors, but NONE has ever matched the level of authenticity, reality, and gritty detail.

Our main charector, Mitch Rapp, is a top level CIA agent who's main job is ending the lives of real nasty people. He's a real old-shool, hard line, no-nonsense kind of adventurist with little tollerance for self inflating politicians who have no idea what life is like on the front lines. In fact, if this book has one flaw (note I said IF) it's that Rapp is a little too super human. But hey, considering how much fun the entire experience was, I'm more then willing to suspend my disbelief and accept Rapp for the hero that Flynn wants him to be.

Bottom line: If you are looking for an author who can give you a fantastic, thrilling, insider spy-thriller ride, then look no further. Vince Flynn is your man.

My dad, who is 84, my wife and I all just finished this book. And each and every one of us LOVES Vince Flynn novels. My wife usually dawdles through a book taking months, I kid you not, to read a book. Vince Flynn books, on the other hand, she literally devours and this one was no exception. My dad finished it in three nights. I have now finished reading ALL of Vince Flynn's novels and not one has disappointed.

I just love Mitch Rapp. He's a terrific character unburdened by the PC constraints that are crippling our current anti-terrorism efforts from the presidency all the way down. The remarkable thing about Mitch Rapp is that this outrageously un-PC protagonist was conceived BEFORE 911!! We are introduced to Mitch Rapp in Transfer of Power, written in 1999, and he is fighting and killing Islamic terrorists at least two years BEFORE 911. While most of us were contentedly sitting back and enjoying our lives oblivious to the extremes to which Islam and its adherents would eventually take us Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp was fighting the good fight. To say that Vince Flynn was prescient would be an understatement.

The book starts out with two Navy seals getting killed because of the loose lips of American diplomats. Mitch has apparantly abandoned active undercover work at the request of his beautiful wife, Anna, but unfortunately for her (and fortunately for us) Mitch is drawn back into the world of espionage to avenge the lives of the two seals. He eventually tracks down the leak that caused the deaths of the Navy seals and takes care of the problem in a typical Rapp fashion. His confrontation with the State Department bureaucrat is priceless.

Another story line develops from the beginning which is unrelated until the very end of the book. A renegade Saudi prince enlists the help of a Palestinian, David, to carry out various assassinations to drive a stake between the Israelis and the Americans.

Robert Hays is a centrist Democratic president, unlikely to say the least in today's political environment. Not since Truman, and possibly Kennedy, have we witnessed such a political animal as a centrist Democrat in the White House as Hays.

Flynn concocts a great tale that will keep you utterly mesmerized until the last page. I highly recommend this very satisfying book. The story is extremely well crafted, the charcters are engaging and interesting and the pace is relentless. It is just a rollicking good read.

Pretty forgettable read for me. I think based on other reviews I shouldn't give up on Flynn since this sounds to be one of his weaker efforts, but I seriously have trouble even remembering the storyline, it seemed so generic. Lots of middle east/Israeli intrigue, but so over the top that it lost plausibility for me. I will say it was enough of a page-turner that I finished it, but it definitely didn't leave me wanting more. I'd advise starting with one of his other books, if like me this is your first Flynn.

This book is entertaining and fast-paced; however, I do agree that the two plots in the story are completely unrelated and throws the reader back. I think the hostage plot was an attempt to fill space and to build Rapp into a more of a macho hero. Of the two plots, neither is fully developed. The Palestinian/Israeli conflict is more interesting. David's character is fascinating and an equal match for Rapp. I was expecting the climax to be some kind of David/Rapp faceoff, which never happened. This was a disappointment. The ending was a cheap shot, it's as if Flynn didn't know how to end the book. At the end the reader feels manipulated.

I love the Mitch Rapp character but in this book, he is at times, too over the top. He makes everyone seems moronic. And what is that fear he has of his wife?

The book does a good job in portraying two sides of the coins in issues. Overall it was exciting and a page turner. I liked Memorial Day better.

I found this book to be very moving and exciting. Above all I think Flynn makes a good point about the need to be supportive of those who risk their lives for this country. Overall it was an enjoyable read.

But that's not a bad thing!!! Rapp is the kind of guy that just needs to be cut loose because there is no way to restrain him. Just let him decide what areas need to be attacked or what figures need to be rubbed out in the national arena and give him the green light. I found the Third Option to be way too cliched with Rapp playing the 007 type character but he seems to have calmed down since then. (I don't even know if I'm reading them in the right order but hey...)

Let's face it, there are people like this in our military/ops community and whether you find him to be a jerk or whatever, just remember he's on our side. Flynn hit the nail on the head with his descriptions of the Department of Homeland Security. A whole bunch of GS 13's and higher with next to no experience trying to sound like they are experts at a war on terror in which the United States has (really) only about 4 years of experience in.

The dialogue can be a bit tedious at times. For instance, by page 144 Rapp has already referred to himself as a 'Pragmatic' person 4 times. Sorry Mitch, but nothing in the government is Pragmatic. Good action novel, but in many ways the characters are too far fetched to be taken seriously.

When the game is on the line, give the ball to Rapp!!!!!

I enjoyed this book, but I have to say that it seemed thrown together from several ideas. The strongest new character, David, was a fascinating character that I thought could have used more attention. Prince Omar's character was too cliché for me, and the ending of this book seemed to be too abrupt (I think Flynn realized he was coming up on the 500 page mark :-)). This book really does not add anything to the series' story line, and it could be skipped. I guess that is unacceptable to me as I enjoy every time I crack a Flynn book. This is the weakest of the series, but it is still a good read for the genre.

An absolute must-read if you give a damn about possible Politically Correct stupidity standing in the way of what really needs to get done! A well researched writer who delivers the goods in an exciting and engaging read. Could not put it down!

A Navy SEAL Team is ambushed. The evidence points to a State Department leak. An assassin financed by one of the wealthiest men in the Middle East is eliminating obstacles to a Palestinian State.

Mitch Rapp, an overt CIA agent, analyzes, faces and, eventually, eliminates the challenges. Vince Flynn is a master of suspense and one can only pray that Mitch Rapp has a counterpart somewhere in the U. S. government.

Mitch Rapp is someone we hope exists. He's a dedicated federal government employee charged with fighting terrorism in the top-secret Orion unit. Rules and laws are to be tossed aside when Rapp fights terrorism: results, the extinction of the threat and the enemy are all that counts.

Flynn's Mitch Rapp is a delight. In "Executive Power," a shadowy Palestinian is determined to cause world-shaking changes. A man of many names, "David" has enlisted the sponsorship of a fabulously wealthy Saudi prince to move his sinister plans ahead. But David also works with Israeli intelligence, Palestinian terrorists and anyone else who will help advance his cause. David is a reuluctant murderer, but murder he does on a global scale. Hebron, New York, Washington all have corpses littering their street.

Rapp spends much of the novel avenging the deaths of two U.S. Navy SEALS who were betrayed by an errant State Department employee, an ambassador and corrupt Filipino general. Flynn writes great action scenes. Rapp, ever the sensitive assassin, is in the thick of the action, troubled only later by concerns of his new wife. Yes, Rapp is a married man.

Only compartively late in the novel do the machinations of David the reluctant murderer and Rapp, the thoughtful assassin, intertwine - and at that point David becomes prey to Rapp. If, of course, Rapp can acheive small wonders, such as identifying David and then finding him.

Flynn is a master at building suspense. His plots are tightly woven and although they depend on a great deal of fortuitous coincidences, they work. Rapp is definitely a super-hero, but not a bombastic one. He is the kind of person we all sincerely hope exists in the U.S. government, protecting us from the nation's enemies.

Great, fun reading for the lover of thrillers.

Jerry