Thriller

Action thrillers for me fall into two categories:

- Action stories with hero/antihero caught in the middle of events that are either out of their control or are results of our heroes actions from the past. They are usually set in criminal underground or behind the scenes spy world - but always a world that is shade of grey, no clear way to figure who is bad and who is good. Using special set of skills (could not resist :) ) our hero manages to find the way out or give his life for a good thing. In this category we have Matt Helm, Frederick Forsyth (older works), David Morell, Kevin Wignall, Richard Stark, Ollen Steinhauer (Tourist novels), Daniel Silva (earlier books on Gabriel Allon and English Assassin), Tom Clancy (also early novels like Without Remorse, Rainbow Six), Greg Rucka (fabuolous Queen and Country), Barry Eisler (everything you can find is excellent imho), Lee Child to name just the few I can remember now.
- Patriotism-infused books that become rather preachy on social political issues and can be summed up as we-good-they-bad-boom-boom-hooray. In this group we can put later Tom Clancy books, later Gabriel Allon's books (this gets so preachy about Europe and politics .... its so yucky, man), Frederick Forsyth's latest works (Fox was .... still the saddest I felt after reading a book, what a disappointment for me) to name the few.

While I can understand patriotism-inspired books I am always vary of books of such content because after a while they start to read like political pamphlets interspersed with catalogue depictions of guns and ammo. After reading few books that reviewers voted like very similar to Vince Flynn's works I was very hesitant about starting the book. So after a couple of months of postponing it I decided to give it a shot.

And was I surprised. This is fast paced story with very interesting characters. Is there that political aura breaking through - yes, indeed. Author has certain views of Middle East that are not something I encountered before. Good guys are of course proud red, white and blue and Russkies are eternal bad guys but yet it does not get that preachy (or I got old and manage to filter this out :)) Even bad bad guys have some depth and motivations. Our heroes' team is not invulnerable and needs to constantly look behind his back (that hint that he needs to have reserve plan always to avoid being destroyed by his own team due to the nature of job). Movie based on this book was good action flick but it does not do justice to the book. Introduction of Mitch Rapp and him entering the shadowy top secret team was handled very well - Rapp comes around as John Wick of sorts - very dedicated, strong willed individual who dedicated his life to a single goal, avenging death of his dearest. Actions and plans executed by all parties involved, although maybe flashy a bit, sound and feel realistic - characters are tired, stressed, make mistakes, and this what make it a good read.

Is this pinnacle of the literature? No. But again no good thriller is imo. Sometimes they come near (and these are pure gold nuggets) but action thrillers are what makes reading books great - escapades from reality with great characters and action, action, action. And this is where American Assassin shines - this is one of exquisite read that will grip you from page one to the very end. It surely got me hooked to read follow up novels. I hope they get better and better.

So in short, if you are fan of action thrillers and you were vary of the possible political sub-context for this novel give it a shot. It is actually quite a good read and genre fans will undoubtedly enjoy it. ( )

I found this to be an enjoyable fast-paced read. ( )

The story of a talented college athlete who decides to become an antiterrorist agent to revenge the death os his sweetheart who was killed in the bombing of flight 103. He gets involved in the rescue of CIA agents who had been captured by Arab terrorists. ALong the way he also goes after a German banker who helps in the funding of terrorism. ( )

American Assassin is a thrilling and action-packed novel that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Vince Flynn's writing is gripping and the plot is fast-paced, taking readers on a high-stakes adventure that spans multiple countries.

The main character, Mitch Rapp, is a complex and compelling protagonist who is both tough and vulnerable. The story follows Rapp as he is recruited by the CIA and trained as an assassin in order to take down terrorists who threaten the United States.

Flynn's attention to detail and realistic portrayal of counterterrorism operations adds an extra layer of authenticity to the story. The action sequences are intense and well-written, making for a truly exciting read.

Overall, American Assassin by Vince Flynn is a must-read for fans of the thriller and espionage genres. It's a well-crafted story with enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing until the very end. ( )