I really enjoyed this book. Like some other readers, I have grown a bit weary of Mitch Rapps's over-the-top antics. How many times will he get dragged into the Oval Office? How many times will he soliloquize about how we have to quit talking and start killing people, d**n it!? It makes for good, fast-paced, one-dimensional books. I feel like with Extreme Measures, Vince Flynn has broadened his readership and drawn some disappointed readers back into the fold. The book is well-written, the plot is believable, and the characters are clearly drawn. I wonder sometimes if Flynn has a bit of a mysogonystic streak in him. Nash's wife seems remarkably similar to Anne, Mitch's deceased wife, in her closed minded intolerance of his job and committment to his country. Regardless, I thought this was an excellent addition to the series. My husband and I are both looking forward to the next book.

Unlike most of the reviewers I've seen on here, Extreme Measures was my first introduction to Vince Flynn. I have long been a fan of W.E.B. Griffin when it comes to military/clandestine service thrillers. I love action, but I also love political intrigue and this book I found to have plenty of both. It was a page-turner that I devoured. As a result, I went and immediately bought all of Vince's other books and read them in order.

Perhaps it is because I read this one first that I didn't find it to be a disappointment, though after reading the others I can see why many reviewers did. It is definitely a different tone from the previous novels which, for the most part, I found to be superior to this offering (which takes nothing from my enjoyment of Extreme Measures).

Mitch Rapp has a "Jack Bauer" flair; no nonsense, a lone wolf who will do whatever it takes to get the job done (damn the consequences!), and doesn't suffer fools well (in a city ruled by the politics of fools). Given statements by our elected leaders in the last year, I found Vince's portrayal of the back door dealing, power-brokering, and political backstabbing among our senators entirely plausible.

In retrospect, I have to say that while I found this book very entertaining (I was not bored by the personal aspects of Mike Nash's life as many seem to have been), I would say it was not Vince Flynn at his best. My advice, start with Term Limits and work your way through the series. Vince Flynn is one of the most talented writers in the thriller genre and not to be missed.

Vince Flynn has, of course, already written several novels covering the CIA, politics, terrorism, and special operations. Extreme Measures tackles all of these themes, but with one notable distinction that sets it apart from its predecessors.

Extreme Measures is a gritty thriller firmly set in reality, where as the Mitch Rapp novels tended to stray into over the top, James Bond territory with the solitary, almost super hero American agent doing whatever it takes to assassinate terrorists and foiling various schemes that have ranged from seizing the White House and taking the president hostage, disarming Saddam Hussein of nuclear weapons, confronting a husband and wife team of assassins, and stopping a nuclear attack on the US. I actually stopped reading Flynn a few books back. They were entertaining, tightly plotted, and held together, but there was something lacking, and I'd just gotten tired of it all and it felt like if you've read one, you've read them all.

But Extreme Measures is completely different in tone and style from the Mitch Rapp series. With this book, Flynn has elevated his novels to a more serious, mature level.

Mitch Rapp takes the sidelines in this book, as we're introduced to Mike Nash, a Marine Corp officer turned CIA counterterrorism operator. Nash is a believable hero, a real person. He has a wife and children and a regular suburban life, and works out of DC and sometimes on the frontlines of the foreign battlegrounds in the War on Terror, like Afghanistan. Admittedly, Flynn spends too much time on Nash's personal life and problems at home, but what really makes Nash's character is the fact that unlike Rapp, Nash's constant exposure to death and violence (including inflicting it upon others when necessary) takes a heavy toll on him, and his actions have consequences. He's also not so keen on killing in cold blood and torturing, without giving it a second thought. Indeed, compared to Mitch Rapp, Mike Nash seems like a much truer representation of the intelligence officers and covert warriors battling America's enemies.

And with the more down-to-earth, realistic hero, Flynn delivers a more low-key, down-to-earth realistic plot. The planned terrorist attack is on a smaller scale than those in previous books, but it's also a more likely scenario than nuclear weapons or the White House under siege. And in this new, grittier, more realistic Flynn novel, the good guys don't completely foil the attack in the nick of time, and there's isn't a completely happy ending. In fact, the victory is almost pyrrhic after a fashion. The congressional plot line and politicizing of covert intelligence operations also bears a resemblance, unfortunately, to recent events concerning investigations into the Bush era CIA activities and potential prosecutions. There's no over the top action scenes. In fact, there's little action at all, and when it does come, it's quick, hard hitting, and violent.

For the first time in a few years, I'm actually looking forward to the next Vince Flynn novel.

The latest installment of VF's Mitch Rapp takes the author up one more notch. The book is sort of a return to the political element in which Flynn started when he wrote 'Term Limits', yet he also mixes in the action and terrorism side which gives the book the suspenseful edge he is so good at.
The characters evolve nicely as well. Rapp evolves to start playing the political game he so hates but was also so bad at in previous books. Rapp plays a devious game with one of the senators, while Flynn introduces a new character that takes Rapp's lead on the operational side, enter Mike Nash. Nash is 2nd generation Rapp, but a family man, married +4. Nash struggles in the book to balance the CIA life with his own personal life, which adds additional flavour to the story.
The book ends with an amazing and highly suspenseful action scene which wraps up a great easy read that is highly recommended and even leads the way to the next installment.
In summary, one of Flynn's better ones.

This is another great Vince Flynn, Mitch Rapp book. The addition of a protege and the time spent with the politicians in Washington was different and will take some getting used to. It didn't have the action of other Mitch Rapp stories (and I have listened to every one several times) but perhaps a change was needed.

While this book is pure fiction the story does parallel today's headlines about persuading captured terrorists to divulge their secret plans against America. Mitch Rapp, the author's main character, is being denied the opportunity to interrogate the key prisoner by female a high level member of Congress. The Congress Woman has Mitch arrested because she thinks any intense persuading of the prisoner is against their civil rights. All this leads to Congressional hearings and planed attacks on Washington DC. A good read.

Reality is suspended when you read a book of fiction.
This book is true to its genre fun,fanciful and we all wish the world was like this and we were the good guys in the book.
This book is good reading for the summer , traveling or for escaping the real world with blurred lines of right wrong good and evil .
This book will not inspire great political debate it is simple fun and well written which is fine by me.

Pundits of this novel argue it isn't one of the author's best. I will admit it is somewhat alien compared to past works. However, I really got into the political infighting. I felt like I was part of the Washington scene. I believe the back stabbing portrayed in this book is realistic of Washington's political scene and has been researched appropriately. I look forward to Flynn's next novel

I bought this for my husband and he really loved it. He loves reading books mentioned on Fox News, he is a Republican, and told me he really enjoyed this book - he will definitely buy books by this author again.

"Extreme Measures" generally sticks to the Mitch Rapp formula: The bad guys consist of jihadists bent on harming the U.S. in one group and politicians who try to keep Mitch from doing his job in another group. As usual, Mitch kicks butt early in the book, late in the book, and a little bit in the middle of the book.

"Extreme Measures" deviates from the formula by having another character share the spotlight with Mr. Rapp. One of Rapp's colleagues is Mike Nash who is trying to juggle his roles of father and husband with his career as a CIA operative.

Some readers will not like the introduction of Nash as it does cut into the time spent with Mitch Rapp and his exploits. However, I think Nash's character injects a bit of needed realism into the series. It is a lot easier for me to identify with a guy that has to change diapers and dash to the office than a guy like Rapp that does nothing but trot around the globe blowing away the bad guys.

This is perhaps my favorite book in the series due to Nash's presence and some of the comedic juggling he does. Some long-time series readers will miss the focus being on Mitch, though.

Being a Vince Flynn fan since I read Term Limits as a teenager, it pains me to write that his two previous novels began to go downhill. This was the reason why I chose to borrow, rather than purchase Extreme Measures. The novel was so boring that if Mitch Rapp wanted to use a non-violent method of torturing terrorists, he'd read this book out loud to them. He'd get quicker and more reliable results than forcing them to watch Barney.

The EXTREME weaknesses in this story were not only that the plot was slow, but nothing new was introduced. For example, Mitch Rapp is having problems with politicians on Capitol Hill...AGAIN, he's torturing terrorists...AGAIN, the bad guys happen to be Muslim Fundamentalists...AGAIN. If you found those last few sentences monotonous, then you might not enjoy this novel.

Another weakness was that fan faves, such as Dr Irene Kennedy and Rapp take backseat rides to the new guy, Mike Nash. Not only that I don't care much for this character because he's completely boring, but the only battle he's fought in the first seven chapters appears to be with own his penis--which keeps firing blanks. If the reader isn't bored to death reading about Nash's secretions, the reader's too busy being bombarded with a bunch of throw-away characters that do absolutely nothing to move the story forward. For example, did the readers really have to endure an entire chapter about the top villain shooting a superior that he didn't like? Did we have to read entire chapters that were nothing more than several pages of narrative about subject matter that is completely irrelevant to what the story is about? The "so-called" attack on America that they're planning while in the jungle? The topic keeps coming up but what is it?

Other irrelevant characters include the number of military personnel that were around Mitch Rapp in the beginning. I had a feeling that they were just there for the sake of being there. They did nothing to move the story forward. This led me to believe that several more chapters in the book could've been left out, had I not been so bored tears that I had to put it aside.

As a rule of thumb, I've always expressed that the villains make or break a thriller. In this story, we just have another Muslim Fundamentalist who's angry at America. He's the typical stereotype and nothing more.

By the time I got to chapter seven, I had to be honest with myself and admit that I wasn't enjoying this story. All that was written up to that point was meaningless fluff. I tried very hard to keep reading, trying to convince myself that the story would start soon or that the first turning point would occur. Neither happened.

It's my assumption that Mr Flynn was under EXTREME pressure to complete this novel by a certain date. He was also required to make sure that the book also had a certain word count in order for him not to breach any contracts that he would've signed with his publisher. The end result was a rushed, poorly written, ill-conceived story line that was more boring than some of the short stories that I was forced to read while I was in the seventh grade. Had this been Mr Flynn's first novel, I never would've been a fan of his.

Having read all of the Mitch Rapp adventures, I looked forward to this one and was greatly disappointed. Excellent writing in previous novels was replaced by the 4 letter word which became so offensive at times I had a hard time finishing the novel. The plot was too predictable and the action was minimal. I would like to read the next one, but will not if profanity replaces excellent writing.

Fell short in the "keep my interest" category. Too much political bull and not enough of that good ole down home Mitch Rapp. Still a major fan, but will be cautious when buying his next endeavor.

I must remember that the mark of the politico-military potboiler is a lurid depiction of the U.S. capitol on the dust jacket, generally dominated by other, enormous, capitals conveying the author's name. The first ten pages of this novel brought the recognition that much the same yarn has been written, over and over, by I would guess a dozen guys, all employing the same style and the same cardboard characters. Or maybe it's just one guy with lots of pen names. But if you've read one of them . . .

I have just read Term Limts up through Extreme Measures in just a couple of weeks and loved them all, including this one. In real life, I was frustrated watching the Somali pirates holding the captain hostage when I knew we could take them out easily and sure enough - Navy Seals to the rescue! Looked like Mitch Rapp was part of it!

This novel is not up there with the rest of Vince Flynn's novels with Mitch Rapp. He appears to have run his course with the Mitch Rapp character and begun the process of developing another (and in my opinion) less charismatic charcter in his place. Gone is the action and page turning read, replaced with long commentaries on the political process.

I used to await Vince Flynn novels, but after the last two less than stellar releases, I think I can wait until it hits the library with his next one.

Another excellent thriller by Flynn. My only complaint is that having finished this book (and all the others in the Mitch Rapp series) I can't get another!! C'mon Vince! Get crankin!!!

This was a great read. Vince Flynn really gives a spot on assessment of the feckless fools who are our senators and congressmen. This part of the book is closer to the truth than most will admit to. Our senators and congressmen are more concerned with their power and their vanity then their willingness to do their jobs. Just look at what is happening at Guantanamo Bay. As Flynn points out none of the terrorists' organizations were signatories to the Geneva Conventions. All Terrorist violate numerous rules of the Geneva Conventions. Yet our spineless senators and representaives want to give these poor misunderstood terrorists comfort. The fact is the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay eat better food than our soldiers. The prisoners have air conditioning. I don't have air conditioning. The prisoners hurl veces at their guards and the guards are supposed to show restraint? Give me a break. The best thing we can do is to vote out as many politically correct people in the mid term elections as we can and replace them with people who care more about the national security of our country than their own vanity. Chances are that there will be a successful terrorist attack on American soil in the next four years. And the blame will rest directly at the feet of our feckless senators an congressmen on Capitol Hill who have done everything in their power to hamstring those who are trying to protect our country.

Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp is a wonderful character to read about. Mitch always "gets his man" and the ways in which he does it, keeps the reader (listener) on the edge of his/her seat to the very end of the book. Mr. Flynn's writing makes it hard to put the book down until it is finished.

EXTREME MEASURES finds Mitch and Mike Nash collaborating to extract information from two terrorist leaders. Mitch and Mike fear there is a third cell trying to wreak havoc on American soil. Their goal is to stop the cell before it can reach the designated target.

Making their job harder is the fact that Senators have visited the jail where the terrorists are being held and are now demanding that they be given better treatment. Meanwhile, the third cell is gathering its final information and moving on the target.

They are brought before a Senatorial hearing committee to be questioned on their methods of interrogation. During these hearings, the third cell bombs three prominent Washington DC lunch spots. Killed in one of the restaurants is one of the Senate committee member's Chief of Staff.

This loss is the turning point of how the committee thinks about Mitch and Mike. They are now supported whole-heartedly by those on the committee who wanted to stop them. This story is written with today's threat to the US in mind.

Armand Schultz brings a wide range of voices to the reading of this book. He is easy to listen to.

I have never been disappointed in one of Mr. Flynn's books and EXTREME MEASURES is no exception.

"a wonderful journey into behind the scenes government and terrorism" was the part of a review that encouraged me to read this book, as I had just finished a British book, Latent Hazard - A novel of conspiracy, suspense and political intrigue ..., where the high octane plot revolved around terrorism and a tussle between spinning politicians, MI5 (the British secret service) and the City of London Police .
I was not disappointed - Extreme Measures was an excellent read - hard to put down. I have added Vince Flynn to my list of authors to watch out for.

If you're a Mitch Rapp fan from earlier books, you'll like this one. Not the same non-stop action as some of the prior books, but still a don't-miss for fans!

Too much government conspiracy garbage, end of the world, left wing extremist psychobabble for me. With the left wing against the word view, the plot gets lost early and never recovers. The book was short on character development and long on dooms day propaganda. Not my first book by this author, but surely my last.

Another Mitch Rapp thriller. The plot is topical, if farfetched, and the writing is excellent.The characters are familiar from previous works. Altogether a fun read.

BULLETIN...do not pick up this book unless you are ready to drop everything else and read every word 'till you're done.
Mitch Rapp and Mike Nash are counterterrorism agents with the CIA. The CIA has detected and stopped two terrorism cells before they could act against the United States.
However, a captured terrorist reveals that there is a third cell but before Mitch and Nash can get the details they are stopped by congressional do gooders who object to their interrogation techniques.

Just before getting the terrorist to reveal what he knows, an Air Force Capt. interrupts the interrorigation and alerts the base commander. Mitch confronts the Captain and has to strike the officer when he tries to arrest Mitch.

The Captain complains to authorities and the congressional committee meets to criticize the way the prisoners were treated and deal with Mitch's disregard for law when he goes after terrorists.

Ever since Mitch's wife and newborn child were killed by terrorists, he has made it a point to fight terrorism at all costs.

The action explodes across the pages like a season of "24" dwelling on Mitch and Mike being accused of strong-arm tactics and illegal activities and at the side, we see the terrorist a Saudi Arabian named Karim Nour-al-Din.

There are intelligent pauses in the action when we see more about the characters and on one occasion we see Mike's son get in trouble for defending his mother's honor was wonderfully done.

Flynn is one heck of a writer and the term "thriller" should be named for him.

Excellent read.

I prefer when Rapp is globe trotting and rooting out bad guys with his inimitable methods. This book shows just how fragile the war on terror is and how an ideologue in the wrong place can put many lives in peril. I suppose he is trying to make that point in his own way.

Vince Flynn's Best Book so far. Very relevant considering the possible change in America's view on how to deal with terrorism. The action was very evenly paced while keeping the door open for other sequels.

Flynn never fails to entertain! Every book is a wonderful journey into behind the scenes government and terrorism. How I really wish there were people like Eileen Kennedy and Mitch Rapp. Unfortunately, our politicians have become so corrupt that they fail to understand the dangers of what they're doing and their PC attitudes. They have theirs...they have the best of health care, the best of retirement after only 6 years govt. service, the money rolls in, they become millionaires and they all want to stay in their jobs forever. Truth is, none of them deserve a penny of it. Vince Flynn was even told by the FBI to remove portions of his writing in MEMORIAL DAY because of it being too close to the truth. He refused under free speech laws and the book was printed. If you want some really great reading, get all of his books and read them in order, cover to cover. Great writing by a superb author!

While there might not be as much Mitch Rapp in this one as you are used to it is an excellent read.

I got this for Christmas, got half-way through it and then got very busy. Last weekend, I was sick, so out came the book. After reading other reviews before I got the book, I didn't know if I'd like this Mike Nash. Well, I sure do now. At the end of the book, while he showers...he becomes very human. I don't want to ruin this for anyone, since I am a huge Mitch Rapp fan, but these two are great together and the end of this book is OUTSTANDING...
I'm an Obama supporter, who is glad that we're closing Gitmo. But I realize that "Extreme Measures" are necessary on occassion.
Can't wait for your next one, Mr. Flynn.

Reading Vince Flynn's gripping new novel Exteme Measures makes one very glad that people such as Rapp and Nash exist to help protect Americans from the ever present insidious threat of terrorism. From the outset the fast paced action is enthralling and indeed one cannot put the book down. Flynn develops characters in a brilliant and multi-faceted fashion and also introduces the new and tantalizing character Joe Maslick. We were propelled ahead hoping for more about this virile and enticing new agent. Obviously there will be much anticipated sequels to this book and we look forward to watching how Rapp and Nash balance their anti-terrorism vigilance and action with plain old American life. In Extreme Measures the balance was tipping despite their best efforts and they were hard pressed to continue their tight-rope walk. We can't wait to see which way they tip - towards the needs of their own and their families or towards selfless pursuit of safety and justice for all Americans--and where the elusive yet alluring Joe Maslick factors in.

"Extreme Measures" was my first foray into Vince Flynn's novels. I actually stole it from a friend of my mothers after reading the synopsis and deciding that I wanted to read it. I haven't read any of the other Mitch Rapp novels so I can't comment, as other reviewers, on the amount of action sequences, etc, and the "phasing out" of Rapp. However, in my opinion, Mike Nash is a strong character in and of himself. I do, however, enjoy political intrigue, so reading about all the politicking, etc. was exceptionally enjoyable to me. I also enjoyed the Clancy-esque action sequences and look forward to reading Flynn's other novels. I also see the point in Flynn's writing, and, as a staunch conservative, agree with his main theme that sometimes you have to do what you have to do. I enjoy Flynn's writing style and have just begun reading "Act of Treason". Here's hoping it is as good as "Extreme Measures".

This was well done IF IT HAD BEEN THE FIRST HALF OF A NOVEL. Where is the second half? The story ends abruptly with no resolution to much of anything. I will not buy the next book in the series out of protest. (I will, of course, check it out from the library because I want to read it.) I liked Nash and was interested in his home life (unlike some of the reviewers). There is a running joke involving his toddler and the f-word that is quite funny.

Didnt read this one. It was for my father-in-law, but I'm sure it's a good one and he was very pleased with it. Thanks. Great transaction!

If you like a fast paced, timely political thriller, you'll love Extreme Measures. At times it is too close to the truth of what is going on in the world to allow you to escape into a "fantasy world" to get away from it all. Mitch Rapp is the perfect protagonist - the type of hero sorely needed in a badly twisted world of religious and political intrigue. You'll find yourself rooting for Rapp to succeed in a world of idiotic, self-serving politicians. Flynn never disappoints.

I have faithfully read all of Flynn's Rapp novels and this is the first one I felt he got a bit too carried away trying to make his point. He does so at the expense of the action which I love. It's very timely with Obama threatening to close Gitmo and having former Gitmo prisoners showing up as new Al-queda operatives on video.

However, he minimizes Rapp's role and we don't get the normal payoff at the end like previous works. Although I agree with Flynn's positions and all, maybe it should be demonstrated in more of a subtle manner. I think he wrote this book out of anger at his personal feelings toward government policies. Still a good read. Do good liberals will hate it.

Great book but the real message of the book relates to our treatment of "prisoners/detainee's" from the war on terror.....perhaps more Democrats should read the book instead of supporting the closing of Gitmo.

An increasingly tedious book about immoral men committing immoral acts against other immoral men who would otherwise be committing immoral acts. The only thing less likable than any of these immoral characters are those characters with any semblance of morality.

It's a shallow, if technically well-presented thriller that would have benefited from even modest forays into the subtleties of ethics, foreign relations and investigatory procedures.

Theoretically, this could have been a wonderfully insightful look into the Catch-22 of using torture. It's an opportunity lost.

As other reviews have noted, this isn't your usual Vince Flynn but it's still an outstanding work I think.

The book begins with Flynn's hero Mitch Rapp undercover running a CIA operation trying to prevent another attack on American soil by terrorists. Rapp's role in the rest of the book is not as central as previous works but the parts Rapp is included are extremely well done. Flynn gets a bit more into Rapp's psychology and his humanity which make me like Rapp even more, and a little less angry at Flynn for a plot twist in his previous book.

The central character is Mike Nash, a CIA operative that is running an operation that sends CIA agents into Mosques on U.S. soil to attempt to find out about potential terrorist operations. As usual, the politicians find out and mess things up so the operation has to be canceled before Nash and the CIA can obtain enough intelligence to stop the next attack.
Flynn also includes terrorist characters in several chapters and they're very well created. Readers will understand a bit more about how these murders think and how far they're willing to stretch their "religious" beliefs in pursuit of their murderous goals.

People like Flynn not only write great fiction but also point out in a very readable way the dangers of minimizing the terrorist threat from radical Islamic fundamentalism. It's just unfortunate that we don't seem to have politicians with as much guts in real life as some of those portrayed in Flynn's book.

What makes this book so great, other than Mitch Rapp of course, is how easily it could be a work of non-fiction instead of fiction. Mr. Flynn does a great job of helping the reader understand the reasons behind the characters decisions. Are there individuals such as them in the US right now? My guess is yes!

My husband loved this book. I am about half way, and really into it too. This is the first time we read Flynn. I saw him on O'Reilly last December promoting this book, and got it as a present for my husband for X-mas. If you are a conservative, you will probably like it. If you are a strong liberal, you will probably hate it. My husband already asked me to start getting him Flynn's books (already ordered the first four books of the Mitch Rapp series).

With Tom Clancy apparently retired and Robert Ludlum apparently dead, those of us who love the big scale thriller have had to settle for a lot of less talented imitators. Vince Flynn has been head and shoulders above the ever growing number of wannabe Clancys and Ludlums, unfortunately his latest book, EXTREME MEASURES, is by far his weakest and, dare I say, most boring book to date.

Mitch Rapp is one of those iconic characters like Jason Bourne and Dirk Pitt who manage to grab the imagination of just about every reader who meets him regardless of their political preferences. Rapp is an unapologetic killer with a clear world view that includes amongst the bad guys all liberals, almost all politicians and journalists not to mention the FBI, Department of Justice and others in government service who insist that laws be obeyed and rights preserved. In EXTREME MEASURES Rapp tries a new approach in his ongoing war against terror and the evil forces of obstructionist civil servants: he tries fighting them on their own turf, the Senate hearing rooms. This is the primary problem with this book. Mr. Flynn's books typically start running flat out, pause for a bit of inside-the-CIA stuff then take off again to the big BOOM! at the end. Here the action is reserved for the last fifty or so pages with rest taken up with what amounts to a political discourse on why anyone who disagrees with Mr. Flynn's view of the world is more then part of the problem, they may be THE problem. Most thriller writers are not shy about their political ideals, for some conservative is far too tame a description (ever read Patrick Robinson?) but generally they manage to mix in their message with a lot of exciting action and interesting stuff about trade craft, military technology and methodology to make it all go down as with a spoonful of sugar. In this book Mr. Flynn drops most of the sugar and pours on the vitriol. He also wastes a lot of the readers time on the home life and problems of one of the characters and pretty much omits many of the familiar, and favorite, characters of previous books like Scott Carpenter and Irene Kennedy choosing instead to concentrating on a lesser CIA operative and a downright offensive and cartoonish liberal female senator who we know to be evil because, in addition to her opposing Mitch Rapp's methods she is, horror of horrors!, a smoker!

If the book were not clearly written in the "voice" of Vince Flynn I would suggest that perhaps he had farmed out the writing of EXTREME MEASURES ala James Patterson but it is obviously Mr. Flynn at the keyboard which only makes this one even more of a disappointment. The ending is left open for a follow-up, I hope he does his readers a favor and makes quick work of it as the opening sequence of his next book so as not to subject the readers to much more of this nonsense.

As a librarian who reads a lot of historical fiction, romances and self-help books, I was encouraged to read this American James Bond by the enthusiasm of several library patrons. It reads like current events and Flynn's take on the need for fighting the war on terror by remembering these are our enemies not citizens with Miranda rights is absolutely right on. Every legal eagle in Washington and the ACLU should be required to read this book and visualize what would happen to them if there were not a Counter Terrorism unit willing to do what needs to be done. Fiction sometimes imitates life and sometimes it leads. Hopefully a lot of people who read this book will understand that the war on terror is a war on different terms - no rules they understand so it is best left to those who know how to wage war.
Having not read previous Mitch Rapp books, I was still highly impressed with his leadership role and his determination to do whatever it takes, and I enjoyed the full family life of Mike Nash as a reminder that not all those in the front lines of danger are loners but connected to the everyday concerns we all have. I can visualize Harrison Ford as Mitch Rapp and Bruce Willis as Mike Nash and I am ready for the movie.
I will read more Vince Flynn! America needs Mitch Rapp!

This is one of those novels that will likely have a polarizing effect. While the politics of an author shouldn't be a measure of whether or not he/she has written a good thriller, it can effect some reader's opinion of the novel. Some left leaning readers might find elements of the novel objectionable; in much the same way that right leaning readers might find that authors like David Baldacci irritate their sensibilities. Any novel that treats a complex issue like extreme interrogation of suspected terrorists as if were black and white, is going to alienate some readers. It also misses an opportunity to explore the complexities of the issue. (This of course is equally true of lefty novelists).

I'm Canadian, so not too surprisingly, my politics lean left. But that doesn't mean that I can't enjoy a good rightwing thriller. Sometimes the hero needs to get a little `Jack Bauer' on someone. It's a novel, and if its entertaining, I can seperate the politics. The problem with Extreme Measures is that it doesn't deliver much in the way of thrills. The entire purpose of the novel, it would seem, is to provide a platform from which the author can preach a decidedly one-sided view on the issue of torturing terrorists. His approach is as subtle as a sledgehammer. Every character that represents an opposing view is characterized as a hypocrite and a self-serving, self righteous, shortsighted parasite destroying all that is good and pure in America. A lawyer, who is opposed to the actions of Rapp and crew, takes the unlikely step of slapping Rapp around when he thinks Rapp is in handcuffs (illustrating the hypocrisy of the lefties).

But the reason I didn't care for this novel isn't an issue of politics. The problem is that it just isn't very thrilling. Flynn gives us an uninspired plot involving a small terrorist cell planning an attack on US soil. Their plan is standard fair and we get the run of the mill scenes from training camp to bomb detonation. While we wait for the terrorists to initiate their attack, we have to endure senate hearings on the man-handling of a known terrorist and more detail than we could ever want on Nash's domestic life. His son isn't enjoying his prep school, Nash is suffering from performance anxiety in the bedroom, and the baby said a swear word. Trust me, its painful to read - almost as bad as enduring the homelife of James Patterson's Alex Cross and his adorable brood.

If your politics lean to the right, you may feel so vindicated by the bias of Extreme Measures that you can overlook the novel's contrived, tedious and unremarkable plot, but for the rest of us, this is a heavy handed rant dressed up as a thriller. I haven't read anything else by Flynn but my advice to him is this: get off the soap box and write a decent thriller (presumably something he has done in the past). I offer the same advice to left leaning authors. If you want to explore a complex issue, then respect its complexities. If you want to write a thriller, make it thrilling.

Extreme Measures fails in both regards. It's simplistic and tiresome.

I was given the book by a relative for a Christmas present. This is the first book by Vince Flynn I have read. I enjoyed it, but as a retired USAF officer, still working for the Air Force, as well as having been in special operations for most of my Air Force career, I found several factual errors that detracted from the story. Example-the AF captain aide having already come up for promotion with only six years active duty. Doesn't happen that way in the AF, even for zoomies (USAFA graduates). Normal promotion time is in your ninth-tenth year to major, no BTZ promotions to major. Screw-ups don't normally become dog-robbers (generals' aides) either. Also, base commanders don't normally have aides, they have an executive officer. Aides are for numbered AF and above general officers. This character seems to have critical judgement problems, too. This trait would be quickly noticed by generals, who are very sensitive to their staffs potentially embarrassing them, and this guy already has credibility problems with BG Garrison at the start of the story. In real life he would have been fired or eased out of his job already and someone the general had confidence in would have replaced him.
I'll probably purchase the follow-on volume, since the author left the story line hanging, with not all the bad guys dealt with.

My husband and I have read the entire Mitch Rapp series, and this is without a doubt the best one. Couldn't put it down. What an interesting look at how our government goes about it's business! Unfortunately, this is probably the way it really works. Can't wait for the next installment.

Flynn says the things that most Americans believe, too bad real life doesn't imitate art.

This is a real page-turner, based on plausible events, political biases
and mistakes included. A great read.

Fun book by Flynn! Easy to read, great pace, never gets boring.Thanks for the enjoyment. Pete

This is a fascinating book. Enjoy the mystery plus dialog that really illustrates people who don't really understand who the U. S. is dealing with. They do not value the human person and use them to their own end.

The wait is over for all you Mitch Rapp fans!!! The terrorists are back and they are determined to spill as much American blood as possible. In "Extreme Measures," Vince Flynn has not only brought back his infamous spy as a protagonist who has a tendency to eliminate every American blood spilling vigilante on the planet but more importantly he brought back a type of book that we haven't read since the glorious Cold War days of Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, and John LeCarre. Not only does the reader fall in love with the dangerous but necessary Mitch Rapp but Flynn's inside knowledge of military and intelligence schemes leaves the reader with a sense of dread and paranoia they haven't felt since 9/11 and height of the Cold War. Don't worry with a hero like Mitch Rapp on America's side, we are a safer than a soccer mom in a VW mini-van.

"Extreme Measures," is Vince Flynn's 10th spy thriller and he hasn't missed one step or even shuffled whatsoever. Of course the deadly but morally sound Mitch Rapp returns to defend America against Al-Qaeda but he's joined by an equally impressive C.I.A. operative in Mike Nash. A cell of Al-Qaeda terrorists have escaped the clutches of all international intelligence agencies and have begun a suicide mission that ultimately will end on the doorsteps of America's politicians. Using his motto of protect America under any circumstances, Rapp receives crucial information about this plot but soon finds himself sabotaged by his own government. In a time when the United States of America has a bright red target on it's head and with every terrorist organization in the world holding a target rifle full of hollowed point bullets, Flynn analyzes an important issue that surrounds the war on terror; how far is too far? Flynn carefully constructs a plotline that makes every reader question their own morality and how far would they go to protect their own country and inevitably loved ones. We already know that Mitch Rapp will do absolutely everything in his power and break disobey every line, paragraph, and notation in the Geneva Convention but will this be enough?