I miss Vince Flynn --- not only as the author of one of my favorite series, but also as a person, a guy who consistently got it right. His final book before his death was titled THE LAST MAN. Flynn already was seriously ill when he wrote it, and the title seemed foreboding, even as he was publicly hopeful about his situation practically to the end.

A franchise such as the Mitch Rapp series shouldn’t be passed on to just anyone, so the news that Kyle Mills had been tapped to complete an unfinished manuscript of Flynn’s, and to write two additional novels in the series, was great news. The publication of THE SURVIVOR, with its (probably) deliberately ironic title, demonstrates that the faith and trust placed in Mills with this undertaking are well-founded.

"Mills perfectly treads the line of bringing his own considerable talent and style to the table while being respectful of the source material and seemingly channeling Flynn’s own voice."

THE SURVIVOR picks up where THE LAST MAN left off. The CIA is still reeling from its betrayal by Joe “Rick” Rickman, a former star in the CIA firmament who went rogue with information about their double agents and informants throughout the world. Mitch Rapp, in his own inimitable style, sent Rickman off to his just reward in the previous installment, yet his presence and betrayal are still manifested as the new book begins.

Rickman had made plans that in the event of his demise, the information he possessed would continue to be disseminated throughout the world. This is being done through a complicated process that leads to the incremental release of a series of videos on the internet, each of which identifies a particular informant and relates with specificity what they have done. It is left to Rapp and the CIA to attempt to warn their assets and extract them before they come to harm. The result is a game of catch-up that even the seemingly indomitable Rapp can’t win.

Things become worse when a highly placed official in the government of Pakistan decides that if he can acquire all of the information, he can use it to ascend to the top of his government and make Pakistan the ruling power in the region, not to mention the world. Ever the globetrotter, Rapp finds himself racing from Washington to Italy to Russia, and all points in between, to foil the plot, even as he and the agency are hamstrung by a particularly hostile United States senator who has his eye on the presidency and is supported by his Pakistani opposite. Rapp finds himself in last minutes and close quarters as he attempts to foil the plot and turn the tables on the plotters, even as his window of opportunity threatens to close before he can do so.

Rapp’s personality is informed with a grim gravitas that suits him and the seriousness of his missions well. Mills perfectly treads the line of bringing his own considerable talent and style to the table while being respectful of the source material and seemingly channeling Flynn’s own voice. That is not to say that all remains the same. Rapp is in a dangerous business, and not every character who has been a part of the series survives to the end. That is all the more reason why THE SURVIVOR is a tale that is not to be missed.